is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Sōraku District, Kyoto Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the town has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 3,312. The total area is 64.93 km². Wazuka is home to roughly 300 tea growing families. The area was selected in the Kamakura period (1192–1333) for tea production and has enjoyed an 800-year history as one of the main production areas of Uji tea. Today Uji tea comprises only about 4% of the tea produced in Japan, and

Wazuka tea is a town located in Sōraku District, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the town has an estimated population of 3,312. The total area is 64.93 km². Wazuka is home to roughly 300 tea growing families. The area was selected in the Kamakura per ...

only half of that. Also a considerable crop of rice is produced among other agricultural products. The local community is in cooperation with NICE, a major volunteer program, and together hold a large annual work camp at the end of August lasting 2 weeks. The program is open to about 12 foreigners per year and an equal number of Japanese work campers.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Wazuka has declined in recent decades.

Wazuka tea History

Kaijūsen-ji Kaijūsen-ji is a Buddhist temple in Kizugawa, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Its five-storied pagoda is a National Treasure of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, ...

temple is often credited with bringing tea to Wazuka village. Shonin Jishin, a Zen Buddhist monk of the temple, was the first person to begin cultivation of tea there. He began cultivation on Mt. Jubu, where the practice began to spread to the village of Wazuka below. The original function of tea that was grown in Wazuka was grown for medicinal use for Zen Buddhist monks. The monks in the area used it for training at their temples. The type of tea grown in Wazuka, Uji tea, was first introduced on to the world stage when Commodore Perry, head of the United States

East Indian Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

, influenced Japan to open up trade in the

Edo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...

in 1853. Later, the village of Wazuka itself, along with former villages Kamo-Mura and Koma-Mura, began to reach acclaim within Japan when it won a prize in a national tea exposition in Ueno Park, Tokyo in 1890.2015. ''The History of Wazuka Tea''. Wazuka-cho, Kyoto, Japan

Notable points of interest

* * * Wazuka town japan.jpg, Farmland in Wazuka Kebon teh.jpg, Cycling in Tea plantation in Wazuka, Kyoto Wazuka,KyotoIMG 1428.jpg, Scenery of the tea plantation in Wazuka Town Wazuka,KyotoIMG 1403.jpg, Scenery of the tea plantation in Wazuka Town Wazukatown center area.JPG, Wazukatown center area Wazuka,KyotoIMG 1469.jpg, Syohoujisan mountain in Wazuka Town Asakasinnou tomb01.jpg, Asakasinnou tomb Wazuka Magaibutsu.JPG, Wazuka Magaibutsu Kontaiji Temple Goma Houyou 20130901.jpg, Kontaiji Temple Goma Houyou Sikyakumon.jpg, Syohoji temple Sakajirikofun.jpg, Sakajiri Tomb No1 SakajiriNO2.jpg, Sakajiri Tomb No2 entrance

References

External links

*
Wazuka official website
Towns in Kyoto Prefecture {{Kyoto-geo-stub