Hon Yama: Shincha from Japan’s ‘Shizuoka Alps’

The Hon Yama tea growing region is located along the streams and valleys of the Abe and Warashina Rivers at the base of Shizuoka’s Southern Alps. It is a renowned terroir for sencha aficionados, with natural micro-climates that are exclusive to the remote inner reaches of the Shizuoka Prefecture.

Hon Yama is one of the original tea production areas in the region, with nearly 800 years of tea farming history. The Zen monk Shoichi Kokushi introduced tea seeds in 1244 AD, and the premium sencha created here was favored and lauded by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616 AD), as well as by emperors and elites throughout Japanese history.

This spectacular tea origin is the highest elevation tea growing region for Japanese sencha. It is surrounded by dense mountain forests, clear air, pure river streams, and abundant nature—an ideal environment for cultivating tea, thanks to its rich soil and riverbed waters flowing from the Southern Shizuoka Alps.

Fog formed from the large temperature swings between day and night, combined with river mists, creates a natural shading effect for the tea bushes. The Hon Yama region’s winter lasts about two months longer than the rest of Shizuoka, and its cool climate results in a tea harvesting season that begins roughly a month later than in other tea producing areas.

This extended growing period means the tea bushes of the Hon Yama region have more dormancy time to accumulate energy and nutrition before the spring flush. The gradual growth of the tea gardens results in a richer, more complex, and aromatic cup of sencha that is favored by tea connoisseurs. The micro-climates of this region contribute to the deep taste and mountain-fresh aroma found in well-made Hon Yama sencha.

The aroma associated with Hon Yama sencha is a natural phenomenon referred to in the language of tea tasters as Yamano Kaori or Yama Ka, meaning “the mountain aroma” or “the mountain fragrance.”

Due to an aging population and a lack of successor generations of tea farmers in the Hon Yama region, the production quantity of Hon Yama sencha is decreasing each year. These teas are becoming increasingly scarce and valuable. Several of our friends in Japan have recently taken up abandoned tea farms in Hon Yama and refurbished artisan factories to keep Hon Yama sencha alive for future generations.

As tea lovers, we want to share these teas and expand awareness of them within our tea community in hopes of doing our part to preserve the Hon Yama tea tradition. Only through the Garden Direct sharing of these precious teas each year can we help encourage farming families to continue their craft for future generations of tea lovers.

This year, we sourced several exclusive batches of shincha from the Hon Yama region to highlight the special character and terroir of Shizuoka’s original mountainous sencha-producing area. Within Hon Yama, there are various micro-climates and unique producing villages. We selected a few to showcase the seasonal differences and special aromatic ranges.

The light-steamed shincha offers a lingering aftertaste and nuanced aroma. Hon Yama sencha is far more complex than the ubiquitous umami-forward, vivid green teas. Sakura blossom, alpine evergreen, multi-floral notes, brisk bittersweetness, and the elegant challenge of tannin structure are just a few of the defining features of Hon Yama sencha—but they’re only the beginning of what can be discovered in these precious tea gardens.

The special aromatic complexity and layered flavors of the Hon Yama tea region truly stand out from all other types of sencha.