The Secret Behind Our Fresh and Flavorful Dishes.

Carrying On the 700-Year-Old Tradition of Furuchi Tea into the Future

In the Furuchi district of Shirosato Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, I am taking on the challenge of carrying on the tradition of Furuchi tea, which has a history of about 700 years.

Furuchi tea is said to be Ibaraki’s oldest tea-producing region, with a history dating back to the Muromachi period.

However, that history is now in danger of disappearing.
The reason is a lack of successors.

The tea fields I’ve inherited cover 5 tan-bu.
This tea field was cleared and cultivated by my grandfather, my great-grandfather.

Then, about 60 years ago, my grandfather joined forces with fellow local farmers and built the Koibuchi Tea Factory with his own hands.

He wanted to create a place where local tea farmers could process their tea with peace of mind.
The factory was born from that desire.

I’ve been helping with tea production ever since I can remember.
Even when I was five or six years old, it was a natural part of my daily life to follow my grandfather and grandmother to the tea fields.

The scent of new spring shoots.
The aroma of tea wafting from the factory.
The smiles of the local people.

For me, Furuuchi tea was not just an agricultural product—it was my hometown itself.

However, when I was 11, my grandfather fell ill.

The tea fields and factory that my grandfather had protected until then were taken over by my uncle, Yoichi Koibuchi.
My uncle continued making tea while working as a part-time farmer.
We, the Satake family, also helped out every year, continuing to preserve the tea culture of this region.

Sixteen years have passed since then.

I’ve continued walking this path alongside my uncle.

But in 2023, when I was 27,
my uncle suddenly passed away.
He was single and had no heir.

At the time, I was working as a nurse.
I had a stable job and had no plans to make farming my main occupation.
But I simply couldn’t bear the thought of the tea fields—which my grandfather, grandmother, and uncle had protected—falling into disrepair.

I loved the scenery of this region.
The view of the tea fields.
The factory.
And the village of Furouchi itself.
So I made the biggest decision of my life.

I would quit my job as a nurse and become a farmer.
I would carry on the 700-year-old tradition of Furouchi tea.
That was my resolution.

Around that time, I came across an essay.

It was an essay I had written when I was in my first year of junior high school—at age 11.

The title was,
“Protecting the Tea Fields My Grandfather Built.”
It expressed my childhood desire to protect my grandfather’s tea fields for the future.

My mother read that essay and shed tears.
I was surprised myself.
Because, at that very moment, I had already made the same decision.

It felt like a promise my 18-year-old self had left for my future self.

I want to protect this house where my mother was born and raised.
I want to protect this village that my grandfather, grandmother, and uncle have continued to safeguard.
And I want to pass on Furuchi Tea—a tradition spanning 700 years—to the next generation.

This challenge is not just about growing tea.
It is a challenge to preserve the history of this region.

Please lend me your support.
So that the 700-year-old story of Furuchi Tea does not end here.