Our matcha is 100% Organic JAS certified. Organic shaded farming is highly labor-intensive in Yame because pests thrive under the dark, humid shade netting.

Kyushu Matcha Farms: A Virtual Tour of Yame’s Organic Tea Gardens

Q: When is the best time of year to visit Yame's tea fields?

Late spring, from mid-April to late May, is the peak harvest season when fields are active, shading structures are constructed, and fresh tea processing begins.

Q: What cultivars are grown in Yame?

Yame specializes in sweet cultivars like Saemidori and Okumidori, which develop intense emerald green colors and sweet umami flavors under shading.

As the curator and export director for Yame Matcha Direct, my work takes me out of our central Fukuoka office and deep into the southern mountains of Fukuoka Prefecture. When I drive past the hot spring towns of Chikugo and begin ascending the winding river valleys, the air changes. The temperature drops, the humidity rises, and a thick, white fog rolls in off the ridges. This is Yame (八女)—a region that green tea connoisseurs inside Japan revere as the birthplace of the country’s sweetest, most full-bodied green tea. While millions of tourists visit Kyoto’s Uji or Shizuoka’s tea fields, Yame’s steep volcanic hillsides remain a hidden sanctuary of traditional Japanese tea craftsmanship. Join me on a virtual walk through the organic tea gardens of Yame, and discover how this unique mountain terroir produces our signature single-origin matcha.

Executive Summary (TL;DR)

> What makes the terroir of Yame Matcha farms unique? > Yame Matcha farms are situated in high-altitude mountain valleys (200m to 500m above sea level) characterized by nutrient-rich volcanic soil, severe day-night temperature swings, and heavy morning river mists (known as *giri*). This fog acts as a natural shade screen that protects the tea leaves from direct sunlight, preserving high levels of sweet amino acids (L-Theanine) and resulting in a creamy, emerald-green matcha with zero bitterness.

1. The Hoshino River Valley: Cradle of Mountain Terroir

Our journey begins in Hoshino Village (*Hoshinomura* - 星野村), one of the highest tea-growing zones in Fukuoka Prefecture. Here, the fields are carved into vertical mountainsides at an altitude of 300 to 500 meters.

Volcanic Soil and Drainage: The mountain soils around the Hoshino and Yabe rivers are rich in minerals from ancient volcanic ash. Tea plants thrive in well-drained, slightly acidic soil. The steep slopes prevent water from pooling around the roots, forcing the plants to dig deeper and absorb trace minerals.
The Morning Mist (*Giri*): The defining meteorological feature of Yame is the heavy river fog that blankets the valleys every morning. This fog naturally filters direct sunlight, reducing UV exposure and slowing down leaf growth. This allows the leaves to stay thin, tender, and intensely green.

2. Traditional Farming: The Shading Scaffoldings

As we walk through the tea fields, you will notice that the landscape is covered in black structures. In Yame, we do not drape plastic mesh directly over the tea bushes. Instead, our farming families construct elevated wooden or metal frameworks (*Tana* scaffolding).

Honzu Shading (本ず): For our top-tier ceremonial grades, we utilize traditional straw screens woven from local reeds. This straw breathes naturally, maintaining an optimal humidity level underneath while blocking up to 98% of sunlight.
A Slow, Hand-Picked Harvest: Shading lasts for 25 to 30 days. When the new spring buds emerge in early May, our cooperative farming families harvest the top two leaves by hand. Hand-picking ensures that no bitter woody stems or older leaves enter the batch.

3. Terraced Tea Fields vs. Flatland Plantations

4. Experience the Terroir Fresh in Fukuoka

For travelers visiting Kyushu, you don't have to hike into the mountains to taste this fresh harvest. We offer a direct bridge from the farms to the city.

Tenjin Office Pickup: If you order online, you can select the "Fukuoka Office Pickup" option. Our office is located in the center of Fukuoka (One Fukuoka Bldg. 7F, 1-11-1 Tenjin). You can pick up your freshly packaged, farm-direct matcha just minutes after getting off the subway.
Hotel Delivery: Alternatively, we ship freshly packaged tins directly to hotel front desks across Japan, ensuring your souvenirs are waiting for you at check-in.

At Yame Matcha Direct, we are proud to support Yame's multi-generational farming families by delivering their harvest directly to international buyers without intermediate trading house markups. [Taste the volcanic soil and mountain mist. Explore our single-origin matcha selections.](#order)

FAQ: Yame Matcha Terroir

When is the best time of year to visit Yame's tea fields?

The most beautiful time to visit is late spring, from mid-April to late May. This is the harvest season when the tea bushes are vibrant green, the shading structures are active, and the air is filled with the sweet, roasty aroma of steamed tea leaves from the local processing factories.

Is Yame tea organic?

Our Yame Matcha is 100% Organic JAS certified (equivalent to USDA Organic and EU Organic). Growing organic tea in shaded mountain conditions is extremely difficult because pests thrive in the dark, humid environment, requiring our farmers to perform extensive manual weed and insect management.

What cultivars are grown in Yame?

Yame specializes in sweet, deep-green cultivars like *Saemidori* ("clear green") and *Okumidori*, which thrive in volcanic soil and yield a bright emerald-green powder when shaded.

Karen Hashimoto

Curator & Export Compliance Director · Yame Matcha Direct

Karen sources directly from Japanese producers and handles export compliance for B2B buyers in 50+ countries. Based in Fukuoka, Japan. @konnichiwa.karen