As proved every year with this most important event Tea growers are early-risers!
Since Marufuku Tea Factory (Shizuoka City) in the person of Ms. Asami Itoh/伊藤麻美 had again kindly invited me to attend and interview at the official first day of the new tea auctions (officially) held today (April 25rd) I found myself the only European (journalist) present at the early hour of 6:00 a.m.!
As a special guest I was wearing a cap with Marufuku Tea Factory written on it (the only foreign journalist offered the privilege that day!)!
But most people must have gathered there since 5:00 a.m. notwithstanding the bad weather!
A tea massage demonstration was held outside for the benefit of the media!
It is fun to take the local media at work!
The local “Chya Musume”/Tea Ladies serving fresh tea to all! The tea was Hon Yama Tea from around Shizuoka City!
The real tea auctions had been taking place from very early inside the Shizuoka Tea Hall where (officially) 800 people were busy selling and buying green tea from all over the Prefecture!
Signs and names clearly indicated which teas were auctioned by which growers at which desks!
Mr. Fumiaki Ichikawa/市川文明さん, auctioning the tea of Marufuku Tea Factory/丸福製茶株式会社!
All the green tea on auction is asai-mushi tya/浅い蒸し茶/tea that had been lightly steamed during the previous night!
Each tray of tea was placed with an auction card and tea box with the company trademark.
The card with the proposed price and the tea box of the same company!
At the bottom of a card a client had agreed to buy one batch of 10 kg!
The time had come for the official speeches and the TV crews were ready to shoot the noon and evening news of the day.
The Chairman of the Shizuoka Prefecture Tea Growers Association.
The political bigwigs!
This is an event that the very top local politicians cannot afford to miss!
The Tea Ladies were certainly all ears!
Shizuoka Prefecture Governor, Heita Kawakatsu/川勝平太静岡県知事!
Shizuoka City Mayor, Nobuhiro Tanabe/田辺信宏静岡市長!
The auction is always concluded with the traditional hand clapping!
In this case it was done in the “sanbonjime/triple clapping” style!
Outside some were busy preparing food for sale for all those hungry people!
A local farmer was even selling tea trees in pots!
Note: In spite of all the recent radioactivity scares this year’s tea is not only absolutely safe, it is at least as good as last year’s!
Next report will be in the tea-fields picking up the Ichiban Cha (First leaves of the year)!
Marufuku Tea Factory
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu, Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010
Mobile: 090-3250-4188
CHA-O (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 94
Tel: 054-253-8421
Fax: 054-253-8413
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