A look at the fan-shaped tea fields of Ishitera and the scenery of Wazuka through the seasons. Tap either banner below to view them full-screen.
Wazuka, known as Chagenkyo — the “Tea Utopia,” in the town's own English. Tea fields blanketing the mountainsides, a countryside lit by the morning and evening sun, a landscape that shifts with the seasons. Here's a look at its charm, in photos and in aerial footage shot by drone. Many of these photos were taken a short walk or drive from Wazuka no Sato. When you've finished shooting, come and take a break at wazukanoSATO Cafe.
Looking straight down on the tea fields of Ishitera. The rows fan out along the slope, and you can pick out the black-covered plots and the farm tracks threading between them.
Ishitera from high above. The plots follow the shape of the valley, and tea covers the mountainside almost completely. Ishitera is one of the areas registered as “Uji-cha no Sato: the Tea Fields of Wazuka,” Kyoto Prefecture Landscape Asset No. 1. The Japan Heritage story “A Historical Walk through 800 Years of Japanese Tea” also names it as a place where, from the 20th century on, rows of tea were cleared right up to the hilltops.
Following the tea fields up to the crest of the hill from a lower altitude, under a clear blue sky. The fans standing among the rows, a work shed and a light truck all hint at the daily work of growing tea.
Starting at eye level in the Ishitera tea fields and rising into the sky. As the viewpoint climbs, the stone-walled terraces and the rolling rows come together into a single picture.
A slow look across the tea fields of Ishitera: rows facing different ways on each slope, work sheds dotted about, and ridgelines layered behind. This is the best known tea landscape in Wazuka.
The round tea field of Harayama from directly overhead. Rows curve along the contour lines in layer after layer, and a large cedar casts a long shadow across them — a shape made by hand, following the land itself. Note: The Harayama area is off-limits to visitors.
Following the curves of the round tea field from a little further back. Plots divided by stone walls overlap like folding fans, and the shifting greens pick out every single row. Note: The Harayama area is off-limits to visitors.
Rows under black covers, arranged in arcs. This is the shading used to grow tencha, the leaf that becomes matcha. The black of the covers against the green of the next plot is striking. Note: The Harayama area is off-limits to visitors.
Harayama seen from high up. Tea fields including the round tea field spread across the whole slope, and the patchwork of plots carries on into the head of the valley. Note: The Harayama area is off-limits to visitors.
A long, close look straight down at the round tea field of Harayama: curving rows, and the shadow of a tree stretching across them. The pattern shifts as the angle changes. Note: The Harayama area is off-limits to visitors.
Tea fields right beside where people live, close to the shrine in Harayama. Farm tracks thread between the plots on the slope, and beyond them a village of tiled roofs opens up. Note: The Harayama area is off-limits to visitors.
A quiet hour in Shirasu, with morning mist drifting through the valley. The mist creeps between hillsides just beginning to turn, and the tea fields and harvested paddies emerge from it.
Looking out over the town from the high ground by Wazuka Junior High School: terraced tea fields running up to the mountains, and houses gathered along the river. Daily life in Wazuka at a glance.
Under a wide open blue sky, looking across the valley from around Kamatsuka. Ripening rice fields and layer upon layer of ridgelines show just how far the town of Wazuka reaches.
In spring, rows of cherry trees line the river around Iwai Bridge. Seen from above, the blossom along both banks is a sight you can only catch at this one time of year.
Looking across the Wazuka countryside from Nagai. From the tea fields in the foreground to tiled roofs, the river and its bridge, and the mountains layered beyond, the eye is led deep into the valley.