Field notes · Origin

Uji, Shizuoka and Kagoshima.

Japan's three big matcha names, compared with the government's newest numbers. Kagoshima now grows the most. Uji still sets the standard. Shizuoka is where Japanese green tea grew up.

HHiro OkumuraTea farmer, TeafyPublished 11 November 20266 min read

Terraced tea fields in the hills of Uji, Kyoto, with traditional houses in the distance

The short answer

Uji (Kyoto) is the historic home of matcha and still ranks second in Japan for tencha. Kagoshima became Japan's largest tea producer in 2024 and ranks first for tencha. Shizuoka has the most tea land, grows mainly sencha and ranks third for tencha (MAFF, 2025 crop). Uji matcha is prized for depth and umami, Kagoshima for bright colour and sweetness, Shizuoka for balance.

In this guide
  1. The three regions side by side
  2. Each region in its own words
  3. Why the land shapes the leaf
  4. A short history: from Eisai to 2026
  5. Why blends exist
  6. Which region should you choose?
  7. Questions people ask
  8. Sources

The three regions side by side

2025 crop
Uji, Kyoto
Shizuoka
Kagoshima
Tea land
1,510 ha
11,600 ha
8,040 ha
Crude tea made
2,280 t
24,100 t
30,000 t
Tencha rank
2nd
3rd
1st
Known for
Matcha and gyokuro, centuries of method
Sencha, especially deep steamed
Volume, early harvests, many cultivars
Matcha style
Deep umami, layered sweetness
Balanced, smooth, creamy
Bright colour, sweet, fresh

Source: MAFF 茶をめぐる情勢, October 2026. Reuters reported in July 2025 that Kyoto makes about a quarter of Japan's tencha.

Crude tea made in 2025, tonnes
Kagoshima
30,000 t
Shizuoka
24,100 t
Uji, Kyoto
2,280 t
MAFF, October 2026.

Look at Kyoto's number. Small. Under a tenth of Kagoshima. Yet Kyoto ranks second for tencha. Almost everything Uji grows is shaded leaf for matcha and gyokuro. It is a specialist, not a volume grower.

Each region in its own words

Uji, Kyoto

Shaded tea growing for matcha was developed in Uji, and the town still sets the benchmark. Gardens are small, often hand tended, and many grow heritage cultivars such as Okumidori, Samidori and Gokō. Expect deep, savoury umami and a long finish.

Shizuoka

Japan's largest area of tea land and the home of sencha, especially fukamushi, deep steamed sencha. Shizuoka ranks third for tencha and is growing it fast as growers convert sencha fields. Our family farm is here.

Kagoshima

On Japan's warm southern tip, Kagoshima harvests earliest, on flatter land, with more machines. It overtook Shizuoka as Japan's largest crude tea producer for the 2024 and 2025 crops, and now makes more tencha than any other prefecture.

How each region's matcha usually tastes

Our tasting notes, scored 1 to 5. Farm, cultivar and harvest matter more than the map.

UmamiSweetnessColourBodyBriskness
Uji
Deep and savoury.
Shizuoka
Balanced and smooth.
Kagoshima
Bright and sweet.

Why the land shapes the leaf

  1. Uji: river mist and old gardens. The Uji river valley brings morning mist that softens sunlight. Small, sloping gardens are worked by hand.
  2. Shizuoka: mountains and the sea. Tea grows from coastal plains to high valleys. Mountain tea grows slowly and stays fragrant; plain tea is suited to deep steaming.
  3. Kagoshima: warm and flat. A long growing season and wide fields suit machine picking and many cultivars. Spring arrives first.
  4. All three: shading, harvest and milling change the cup more than the place name on the tin.
First flush picking starts in the south

Approximate first flush windows.

KagoshimaEarly April
Early April
ShizuokaMid April
Mid April
UjiLate April
Late April
AprMayJun

A short history: from Eisai to 2026

Eight centuries in six moments
1191The Zen monk Eisai returns from Song China with the method of powdered tea.
1211Eisai drafts the Kissa Yōjōki, Japan's first book on tea.
1214He presents it to the shōgun Minamoto no Sanetomo, with a bowl of tea for a hangover.
1200sShizuoka tradition credits the monk Shōichi Kokushi with planting tea in Ashikubo.
1738Uji grower Nagatani Sōen develops the steamed and rolled method behind sencha.
2024Kagoshima overtakes Shizuoka as Japan's largest tea producer.

Eisai's book opens with a line still quoted in Japan: 「茶也、養生之仙藥也、延齡之妙術也」. Tea is the elixir for nourishing life, and a wondrous way to lengthen it.

From temple gardens, tea moved to Uji, where shaded growing for matcha took shape. Shizuoka later built its industry on Nagatani Sōen's sencha method, and the two grew in different directions: Uji toward matcha and gyokuro, Shizuoka toward sencha.

Why blends exist

Every region brings something. Kagoshima's early, bright leaf. Shizuoka's balance. Miyazaki's sturdy body. A blend lets a tea maker hit the same flavour every year, even when one region has a hard spring.

Our Superior Culinary blends organic leaf from Shizuoka, Kagoshima and Miyazaki, so it tastes the same in your latte in January as in July.

Which region should you choose?

If you want
Look for
The classic, deep, savoury bowl
Uji, ideally a named single cultivar
A smooth everyday matcha, straight or in milk
Shizuoka first flush
Bright colour and sweetness, good value
Kagoshima
The same taste in every latte
A multi region culinary blend
Australian searches for Uji and Kyoto matcha

Monthly Google searches in Australia.

OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep
uji matcha · about 2,900 at peakkyoto matcha · about 8,100 at peak

Peak month for uji matcha: Jan. Quietest: Sep.

Google Ads Keyword Planner, Australia, all languages, Google Search. Monthly figures are Google estimates, rounded into ranges.

Questions people ask

What is Uji matcha?
Matcha from the Uji tea region of Kyoto, the historic home of shaded tea growing. Kyoto ranks second in Japan for tencha and makes about a quarter of it.
Which region in Japan makes the most matcha?
Kagoshima. It ranks first for tencha, the leaf milled into matcha, and overtook Shizuoka as Japan's largest crude tea producer for the 2024 and 2025 crops.
Is Uji matcha better than Shizuoka matcha?
Not better, different. Uji is famous for depth and umami; Shizuoka for balance and smoothness. Harvest and care matter more than the region alone.
Is Kyoto matcha the same as Uji matcha?
Uji is a tea district in the south of Kyoto prefecture. Uji tea (宇治茶) can come from Kyoto and neighbouring prefectures under the Uji tea rules, so check the label for where the leaf was grown.
Who brought matcha to Japan?
The Zen monk Eisai is credited with bringing the powdered tea method from Song China in the late 12th century and wrote the Kissa Yōjōki, first drafted in 1211.
H

Hiro Okumura

Tea farmer, Teafy

Hiro is a third generation Japanese tea farmer. He writes about the field: seasons, cultivars, shade and everything that happens to a leaf before it becomes tea.

Sources

  1. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), 茶をめぐる情勢, October 2026
  2. MAFF, 茶をめぐる情勢, July 2026
  3. Reuters via Malay Mail, 4 July 2025
  4. Eisai, 喫茶養生記, Wikisource
  5. Kotobank, 喫茶養生記
  6. 岩間眞知子, 日本医史学雑誌 64(2), 2018, on the Kissa Yōjōki
  7. Kyoto Prefectural Tea Cooperative, definition of Uji tea (宇治茶)
  8. Google Ads Keyword Planner, Australia, searches October 2025 to September 2026, checked 11 November 2026

We update this page when the numbers change, and date every change here.

Teas in this guide

Kyoto Uji Ceremonial Matcha, OkumidoriSingle cultivar Okumidori from Uji. Stone milled, for whisking straight.From $54.95Ceremonial Grade MatchaFrom our family farm in Shizuoka. Stone milled, first flush, 25 bowls a pouch.From $31.99Superior Culinary Grade MatchaFirst and second harvest, bead milled. Built for lattes and baking.From $21.99

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