June 2025 Newsletter

Weeding, Weeding, and More Weeding  (Daiki T.)

After the harvest of the first flush and the pruning to prepare for the second flush, our main task in the tea fields becomes weeding.

Weeds are the strongest and most adaptable plants in any given environment. That’s what makes them so persistent. Around the edges of tea fields, on rice paddy banks, and between young tea trees, we use brush cutters to trim weeds at their growing points—slowing down their regrowth as much as possible.

But the most time-consuming and labor-intensive task is removing the weeds that grow from the base of the tea bushes—particularly ferns. These thrive in damp, shaded areas, spreading underground via rhizomes. Left unchecked, they can severely hinder tea growth. The only way to deal with them is to pull them out by hand, digging deep to remove the roots and prevent regrowth.

Even under the blazing June sun, d:matcha never uses herbicides, in keeping with our organic principles. All staff and interns wear air-conditioned workwear and head to the fields from 7:00 to 11:00 in the morning, and again from 15:30 in the afternoon until dusk, to face the weeds head-on.

Many people associate organic farming with battling insects, but in truth, the biggest challenge is often the weeds. The same goes for rice farming—much of the purpose of water management is actually to suppress weed growth.

In 2021, when we neglected tilling and water control in one of our paddies, the rice yield dropped to just 120kg. In contrast, with proper care and weeding, the same field yielded 850kg in 2024. That’s how significant weed control can be.

It may seem like a humble task, but as we’ve learned firsthand: Those who conquer weeds, conquer agriculture. Once the weeding is done and the plants can soak up the full sunlight, both our rice and tea thrive with renewed energy.

About the Tea Fields: Preparing for the Second Harvest (Hiroki A.)

Tea is not harvested only once a year — in fact, it is often harvested multiple times. Depending on the timing of the harvest, the tea is given different names, such as ichibancha (first harvest) or nibancha (second harvest). Ichibancha is made from the first flush of young buds that sprout vigorously after the long dormant winter period. 

After harvesting ichibancha, the plant’s apical dominance is released, allowing side branches to grow — the tea harvested from these side shoots is called nibancha. The tea that follows is referred to as sanbancha (third harvest).

The number of tea harvests varies depending on the region and cultivation methods. In naturally grown, hand-picked tea fields, only ichibancha is harvested once a year. On the other hand, in many machine-harvested tea fields, both ichibancha and nibancha are collected. In warm regions like Okinawa, where the tea growing season is longer, even sanbancha may be harvested. In Wazuka, where d:matcha’s tea farms are located, nibancha is commonly harvested.

After ichibancha is harvested, preparations begin for nibancha. To harvest nibancha, the surface of the tea field needs to be trimmed smoothly using a machine. This freshly trimmed surface becomes the baseline from which the new buds of nibancha will sprout. Harvesting at this level allows only the new shoots to be picked. It is important that the new buds across the tea field emerge uniformly, so trimming must be done at a consistent depth and with precise timing. Improper trimming can result in uneven budding, making it difficult to produce a uniform final product. Trimming before the nibancha harvest requires even tighter adjustments than before ichibancha, so the work demands greater focus and attention.

Summer is the Season of Vegetable Harvest! (S. Mahdaria)

Toward the end of spring, Hiroki-san usually plants a variety of vegetables for our kitchen stock—cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, spring onions, green peppers, and eggplants. These fresh ingredients are often served to our tour and hotel guests, adding a special seasonal touch to their meals.

I remember one day when I was completely exhausted and jokingly asked Hiroki-san for a high five to recharge my energy. He laughed and said he didn’t have any energy left either! But just a few hours later, he called out from the window with a big smile and told me he had planted spring onions—something I had been asking him to grow since last year. That simple moment truly lifted my spirits!

The most exciting part of growing vegetables is definitely the harvest. Today, we harvested potatoes! It’s become a bit of a yearly ritual for me at d:matcha—planting rice and harvesting potatoes, just like I did last year. But this year felt extra special fun because we had amazing help from our interns who are from Canada, the Czech Republic, and France. Oh, and even little baby Ko-chan joined in the action, toddling around and “helping” in his own adorable way!

Shaping Not Only Tea Leaves (Vit F.)

One might think that life on a tea farm is only about taking care of the tea. It might be the most important part, however the vessel that you can enjoy the tea from is no less vital. On the 12th June, current interns including myself joined Daiki-san on creating matcha bowls at the greatest local pottery artist Saeki-san. He was kind enough to invite us to his own place to teach us the art of pottery making, followed by BBQ and high quality saké. Each of us made a matcha bowl and a sencha cup in our own styles, but with Saeki-san’s expert supervision and tips.

It is not easy to make a nice shape, size and thickness of the bowls, but all of them turned out really nicely and each one of them carries the personality of the person that made it. 

It was one of many great things that are possible to do around the Yubune area. However, this one was somehow more special. Having the pleasure to meet a legendary Japanese artist and become close with him is something to remember from my stay in Japan. And it adds another layer of happiness when I will be thinking of my stay at d:matcha in particular.