If you had to name a place that best represents Japan, where would you think of first? Kyoto, the ancient capital of the Heian period?
The majestic Osaka Castle Tenshokaku? Ginza, the cutting edge of fashion? Harajuku, a paradise for teenagers to dance and shop? Kabukicho in Shinjuku, where the lights are bright and lively? The Tokyo Tower, a replica of Paris' Eiffel? No, it's not. In the minds of most Japanese, the correct answer is Mount Fuji!
Mt. Fuji is the most sacred mountain in Japan, spanning the prefectural borders of Shizuoka and Yamanashi.
However, people from Shizuoka will often tell you righteously: the front of Mount Tomitoyama can only be seen in Shizuoka Prefecture, but the back in Yamanashi Prefecture, believe it or not.
Although the main peak of Mount Fuji is conical in shape, and the foot of the mountain forms a beautiful skirt-like arc, although its altitude is only 3,776 meters, slightly lower than Taiwan's Mount Yu, it is known as "Fuyutsuki's high mountain," with the highest peak in Japan and a flawless, dignified posture.
In terms of color beauty, Mount Fuji is no less magnificent, showing rich and varied expressions at different times of the day as the light and climate shift. As Yasunari Kawabata, a contemporary literary master, said, "If you want to see the colors of the rising sun and the setting sun, just look at Mount Fuji, for it is adorned with the hues of morning and dusk."
For tea lovers, Mt. Fuji is a sacred mountain that breeds good tea. In addition to the world-famous Mt. Fuji snow-melt water, which is the first choice for making tea, there are green tea plantations as far as the eye can see in the infinite scenery below the mountain. It is like colorful tropical fish swimming in the green waves.
This is why Shizuoka Prefecture, where the tea country under Mount Tomitachi sways, has become the largest tea-producing prefecture in Japan, with more than 40% of the country's tea plantation area and half of the country's annual tea production.
Many areas in Shizuoka Prefecture, including Fujinomiya City at the foot of Mount Tomitachi, are rich in tea and are known for Kakegawa tea, Shimada tea, Kawane tea, Kanaya tea, and Oodai tea, each with its own unique characteristics. Tea grown at lower altitudes is steamed for a longer period of time to suppress the bitterness of the new buds and is called deep-steamed sencha.
It is said that deep steaming sencha originated in Hangchuan, because most of the tea plantations in Hangchuan are located on hilly slopes where the sunlight is abundant, and the tea leaves contain high catechins. To reduce bitterness and astringency and present a milder taste, the technique of deep steaming was born.
Kanaya Town, known as "Japan's No. 1 tea town," is located west of Shizuoka City and is the largest producer of tea-making machinery in Japan, with tea-making factories and tiled houses scattered in an orderly manner.
In the dense tea plantation, you can see a pole-like metal structure with a three-bladed fan propeller at the top, which is quite intriguing. Akira Yamamoto, who works at the tea museum, told us that it is an induction frame for frost protection.
From spring to early summer every year, the Makinohara tea plantation, resembling a green carpet, sways with the fragrance of tea.
It not only brings considerable income to the local area but also creates naturally beautiful scenery that complements the majestic and stunning Mount Tomitoyama. This combination becomes a common sight on large calendars or scenic postcards in Japan.