Discover Wazuka: Tea Gardens, Culture and Guided Tours

Wazuka’s tea-growing landscape gives trip planning a clear focus. In Kamatsuka, a long history of tea cultivation meets expansive, rolling tea gardens; the plantations can be seen from Prefectural Route 5, Wazuka’s main road. If you would like to get to know the area through tea, you can choose between scenic views, observations from the town center, a guided tour in an eco-friendly vehicle, and tea experiences at different locations. Each option has a different emphasis: the views, an introduction to tea cultivation, or a tea break.

Kamatsuka: Historic Tea Gardens

Kamatsuka was known as a tea-growing area during the Edo period. After production expanded in the postwar years, the tea gardens grew into large, rolling expanses reaching mountain peaks and extending into the mountains. The landscape can therefore be viewed both through its historical development and its shape: tea fields extend up the slopes and into the heights, while seasonal changes and the work of tea farmers can be observed from the town center. The landscape of the Kamatsuka tea plantations is recognized as Japan Heritage. The plantations are also visible from Prefectural Route 5. If you are interested in how this landscape took shape, you can view it from different perspectives: the postwar expansion of tea cultivation and the changes that unfold over the course of the year.

Experience the Tea Fields Up Close

The Green Slow Mobility Tour starts at the Wazuka Tourist Information Center and travels in an eco-friendly vehicle to the Ishitera tea plantation area and back. The route follows narrow roads through the tea fields, offering close-up views of the tea plants and vistas of the surrounding landscape. A knowledgeable guide explains Wazuka’s history, the characteristics of Wazuka tea, and the year-round work involved in growing the plants. Unlike observations from the town center, the tour focuses on combining a ride through the fields with explanations of tea cultivation.

Tea Experiences in Wazuka

On the second floor of the cha nova Health and Welfare Center in Kamatsuka, the Hokkori Circle offers tea in a tatami room from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. without reservations. Check the hours and participation requirements again before your visit. At the Wazuka Tourist Information Center, a continuous tea offering is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The scheduled time slot there starts half an hour earlier; at the Hokkori Circle, the offering starts at 10:30 a.m. The two locations offer different settings for a tea stop: the tatami room at cha nova and the Tourist Information Center. Check the visitor offering details again before your trip.

Getting to the Tourist Information Center

A Nara Kotsu bus runs from the west side of JR Kamo Station toward Wazuka Kosugi. The ride takes about 15 minutes to Wazukakawara bus stop; from there, the Tourist Information Center is about a one-minute walk. These times are approximate. Check the current timetable before setting out so you can plan your journey accordingly. This connection takes you to the Tourist Information Center, the starting point for the Green Slow Mobility Tour; from there, the tour takes guests to the Ishitera tea plantation area and back. You can plan your journey and the guided ride as two separate parts of your visit.

Discover more destinations: Nagaokakyō, Kasagi, Kyōtango, Uji, Fukuchiyama, Ayabe, Kyoto, Miyazu

For the main travel overview: Kyoto Prefecture.