Eat and rest well in the Aichi Highlands – 愛知高原でよく食べて，よく休んで
After a detox holiday in the countryside here, Aichikogen-Okumikawa, you’ll return feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
ここ，奥三河の愛知高原で休暇をすごせば，すばらしい休養となり，元気をもらえます。
Miyazakien Tea Garden and the Master , Atsushi UMEMURALocation map of Mikawa highlands in Aichi Prefecture in Japan
Meet the Game Changers ゲームチェンジャーに会う
Atsushi Umemura, Miyazakien 宮ザキ園 梅村篤志
This dapper 39-year-old looks nothing like a traditional tea farmer. Not surprising since Umemura, the sixth-generation owner of the Miyazakien tea house that has been around since 1820, wants to modernise the art of tea drinking .
How different is Miyazakien from other tea businesses in Japan? 宮ザキ園は日本国内の他の茶園とどのように違うのか。
We are unusual in how we see through the entire process, from processing the tea to selling the leaves wholesale and even serving tea on our premises. In 2006, we also became the first organic tea farm in Aichi Prefecture.
How do you attract new customers? どのように新しい顧客を開拓されていますか？
As a wholesaler, we usually supply our products to businesses elsewhere but I want people to come visit us directly instead. So, on the second level of our teahouse, we conduct experiential workshops like flower arrangement lessons.
How else are you modernising your tea business? その他に変えてきた点は？
As a wholesaler, we can’t really change the style of our tea products too much. So, we try and serve tea in different new ways. For example, we sell houjicha flavoured shaved ice. This attracts long queues of customers, and we can sell about 100 bowls in a day. But with the shaved ice, we serve tea too, so customers can taste it and be encouraged to purchase our tea leaves. We also experiment with different ways of drinking tea: serving green tea in teacups with ice chips or in a wine decanter-inspired bottle and in wine glasses.
