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Japanese tea study tip, Prefectures in Japan

Japanese Tea Study Tip: Prefectures of Japan > Tea Regions in Japan

When I study tea, I tend to jump right into tea specific information.
For example, I am currently participating in the Japanese Tea Marathon to learn more about Japanese tea.

On the first day, I learned about Kagoshima.

During 4-hour sessions in which I spent 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon, I learned about Kagoshima, tea in Kagoshima, tea company in Kagoshima, a tea farmer from Kagoshima.

I even brewed & tasted tea from Kagoshima, instructed by the tea marker Nobuo Orita-san (CEO, Ochaen) from Kagoshima.

Yet, all the information was floating around my head without getting absorbed.

Studying Backwards

My floating information started to stick to my brain when I spent time understanding regions in Japan.

When you learn about tea regions in Japan, you will often hear the term “prefecture”.

I am familiar with the term such as city, suburb, district, province, state. I didn’t even know what prefecture meant.

What is the meaning of prefecture in Japan?

Japanese tea study tip, Prefectures in Japan
Yeah, I searched 'what is prefecture?' on Google lol

Prefectures of Japan (都道府県, todōfuken) are one of the basic local entities of Japan. 

Prefectures of Japan

Japan is divided into 9 regions, which are split into 47 smaller prefectures. Those regions are not formally specified; they do not have elected officials nor are they corporate bodies. However, the practice of ordering prefectures based on their geographic region is traditional.

The prefectures are also often grouped into eight regions (Chihō). Those regions are not formally specified, they do not have elected officials, nor are they corporate bodies. But the practice of ordering prefectures based on their geographic region is traditional.[1] This ordering is mirrored in Japan’s International Organization for Standardization (ISO) coding.[14] From north to south (numbering in ISO 3166-2:JP order), the prefectures of Japan and their commonly associated regions are:

Fun Facts

  • Largest prefecture – Hokkaido
  • Smallest prefecture – Kagawa
  • Largest tea growing region – Shizuoka 
  • Second largest tea growing region – Kagoshima 
  • Prefecture with the highest population density – Tokyo
  • Prefecture with the most islands – Nagasaki
  • Prefecture with the most dogs – Aichi
  • Prefecture with the smallest population – Tottori

Once I understood the overall geographical structure in Japan, it became much easier to understand tea regions in Japan.  

Nomad Tea Festival

“Nomad Tea Festival is a virtual tea festival dedicated to everyone who has a heart for tea. We are here to connect, engage, and lift the diverse tea communities around the world.”

Festivals, conferences, expos, all the events are more than simple entertainment. It’s a symbol where people meet, engage, participate, share, communicate, and grow as a community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so many tea events got canceled, affecting thousands of people from small tea farmers to tea passionate fans.

I love this industry so much, I decided to implement a basic platform to organize a virtual tea festival. If you are a tea business, tea educator, tea performer, or anyone who is interested in participating in a virtual tea event, please check out the Nomad Tea Festival.

Tea Drinkers in Australia

Tea Drinkers in Australia is a community where people drink, talk, and get to know this world better through tea gatherings. We respect diversity and take tolerance very importantly. Tea Drinkers in Australia was created in 2018. I wanted to combine Tea Drinkers in Korea and Tea Drinkers in Australia into one. However, I couldn’t due to geographic and technical issues.

Tea Drinkers in Korea

Tea Drinkers in Korea is a community where people drink, talk, and get to know this world better through tea gatherings. We respect diversity and take tolerance very importantly.  

I started the tea community in 2017 to expand more open and casual tea culture in South Korea. 

Why did I create the Tea Drinkers in Korea? 

  • Suffocation: South Korea is full of coffee drinkers. It was very difficult for me to find a tea gathering. Even if I found a tea event, there were limited seats and high barriers to attend. I soon felt frustrated and exhausted. I thought organizing an event would be easier, faster, and more fun.
  • Meeting Tea Friends: Meeting a tea friend is one of my favorite things! I wanted to meet more tea friends. 
  • Have Fun & Grow: What happens when people who share similar interests meet together? We all get excited, freely share resources, and naturally learn & grow. I wanted to make my or anyone else’s tea journey process enjoyable. 
  • Connect: There was a huge gap between tea businesses and tea drinkers. Tea businesses wanted more customers, however, tea drinkers didn’t even know those tea businesses existed. I wanted to share a place, hold an event at a tea-related place, save time for tea drinkers to find a place, increase sales for tea businesses, create a win-win situation. 
  • Experiment: In the end, there was nothing to lose to create a tea community. I was curious about whether people would join the community. 

Now we have 400+ members. Feel free to join if you are interested in Korean tea culture.

Upcoming & Past Events

  • Enjoy Photography + Coffee, Smoothie, or Tea Time 
  • Meeting with Artists & Tea Tastings 
  • Meeting with Pottery Artists & Tea Time 
  • ‘Spring is Coming’ Tea Party  
  • Seoul International Buddism Expo 
  • D Museum & Pizza, Beer, and Tea Party 
  • Enjoy 5-Course Tea in Itaewon, Seoul 
  • Cheon Ji Woon Tea Company Inc. Opening Ceremony 
  • Han-River Moonlight Tea Meeting 
  • Boseong Green Tea Festival 
  • Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival 
  • Brunch Tea Party in The Park 
  • Tea World Festival 
  • Korea Furniture Museum Night Tour & Dinner 
  • Korea Furniture Museum Afternoon Tour & Tea Time 
  • Book Concert Tea Party 
  • Afternoon Tea Party at SHE 
  • Myung Won World Tea Expo 
  • Namsan Pine Healing Forest Tea Time 
  • Non-Summit Tea Party 
  • Recovery Tea Party
  • Minimalism Tea Party
  • Check out more events here: meetup.com/teadrinkersinkorea

TDIA Tea Meetup at Adore Tea, Canberra

adore tea tea meet up
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Hi Beau-tea-ful people!

I have been hibernating. It’s been a while since I posted a tea meetup announcement.

There are many exciting tea scenes happening in the Canberra area.

This week, I am determined to visit a teahouse in Canberra!

Have you ever been to Adore Tea in Nicholls, ACT?

Adore Tea offers a selection of over 200+ teas with awards winning tea-infused menus.

This will be my first visit. I will be at Adore Tea between 2 and 3:30 pm depends on how busy the cafe is.

If the cafe is busy and I am myself, I will leave before 3:30, so other people can be seated.

A tea drinker, tea connoisseur, tea snob, anyone is welcome as long as we talk tea.

Menu: https://adoretea.com.au/menu/

Choose what you like, pay for your own meal and beverage

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/Tea-Drinkers-in-Australia/events/266553409/ 

Four Sisters Tea

Joining Sydney Tea Meetup at Four Sisters Tea.

August 18, 2018

The next day I first arrived in Sydney, Australia, I joined one of the tea meetups hosted by Sydney Tea Meetup and had cosy tea time.

Adeline, the organiser of the Sydney Tea Meetup, is brewing tea.

Whether you are visiting or trying to settle down in a new place, Meetup is a great way to find people you can share interests and make connections. I was so thankful to find the Sydney Tea Meetup.

Although I had to travel an hour from the Sydney CBD to Four Sisters Tea where the meetup was occurring. I didn’t hesitate to sign up for the meetup. I was excited to join. How exciting to meet tea people in a country you are not familiar with?

I took a bus to stop at the Museum Station (only 2 stops)
It was a chilly cold morning.
Nice sunshine though
When I arrived, the owner of Four Sisters Tea was preparing tea until Adeline was arriving.
I am writing this review two years after I visited, so I don’t remember which tea I drank. But I remember the feeling how everyone was welcoming.
Tea & snack <3
White Tea – Baihao Yinzhen 白毫銀針
White Tea – Baihao Yinzhen 白毫銀針
White Tea – Baihao Yinzhen 白毫銀針
White Tea – Baihao Yinzhen 白毫銀針

Baihao Yinzhen, also known as Silver Needle, is a white tea produced in Fujian Province in China.

Oolong Tea – Tieguanyin
Oolong Tea – Tieguanyin
Oolong tea – Da Hong Po
Oolong tea – Da Hong Po
Oolong tea – Da Hong Po
Black Tea – Lapsang souchong 正山小種
Black Tea – Lapsang souchong 正山小種
Black Tea – Lapsang souchong 正山小種
Black Tea – Lapsang souchong 正山小種
Black Tea – Jin Jun Mei
Black Tea – Jin Jun Mei
Black Tea – Jin Jun Mei
Four Sisters Tea has a community vibe
There were several teawares for selling. I liked this colourful teacup.
However, if I remember correctly the cup was around 750-800AUD so I put it down…lol
You can purchase samples
I visited Mabroc tea factory in Sri Lanka in 2017. I was surprised to find Mabroc tea here.
I didn’t know what this was. The owner told me it’s good for losing weight and increase health.
It’s a fun tea house with lots of varieties.
The weather was gorgeous on the way back.
When I looked up the sky looked like a heart shape. I felt like the city was welcoming me.
Four Sisters Tea