Home > Tours > Saitama > Experience Seasonal Green Tea Picking in Sayama and Nostalgic Walk in Kawagoe!

Experience Seasonal Green Tea Picking in Sayama and Nostalgic Walk in Kawagoe!

Enjoy the wonder of picking tea and local food!

Overview

This tour is a traditional tea picking experience of green tea in Sayama in Saitama Prefecture located northwest of Tokyo,
It is a one day tour for a limited time from May to November where you can enjoy walking along the old town in Kawagoe where traditional townscapes remain.

The Sayama Hills are located in the western part of Saitama Prefecture. It is the origin of "Sayama Tea". Sayama tea is regarded as one of Japan's three major teas alongside Shizuoka tea and Uji tea, and because of its northern location, the leaves produce a deep taste after fighting through the cold winters.

Kawagoe flourished as a castle town from the 17th century, and was often compared to Edo (present day Tokyo). Because of this, it came to be called "small Edo". The first area where the buildings were erected is known as the "townscape of the storehouses", a site that was seen less and less in Edo Tokyo. The Kawagoe area retains many traditional Japanese culture history not seen in other cities, such as the old Edo architecture, the sound of ringing bells from the old bell tower, and mysterious side streets and back alleys that still have rickshaw’s running through them.

On the day of the tour, meet with the guide at 9:30 at the east entrance of the Iriso Station in order to head for the Sayama tea plantation "Miyano" via the pick-up car. Miyano Plantation was founded in 1869. There you can enjoy picking tea leaves while wearing a traditional "tea girl costume" in the open tea fields. Afterwards, you can savor the fruits of your labor along with freshly picked tea leaf tempura. It is a truly special cup from farm to table prepared by you. For a separate fee, Matcha sweets and other tea products are for sale at the plantation for any who wish to purchase them.

After enjoying the Miyano Plantation, we will return to Izuso Station by car and head for Honkawagoe Station on the Seibu Shinjuku train line. In Kawagoe explore the old town and local food scene dating back to the Edo period. There we will also tour the 250 year old Matsumoto Soy Sauce companies factory where you will be able to witness the traditional manufacturing process of soy sauce. While you’re in Kawagoe, you can also tour Kawagoe’s most famous landmark, "The Bell of Time" and a walk through the Yokocho sweet shop where old fashioned sweet sellers gather. In addition, you can also see the largest wooden Torii gate in Japan at more than 15 meters at Hikawa Shrine. The Tokugawa Shogunate are also deeply intertwined with Kawagoe’s history, and we will also visit a stunning Japanese garden at the famous scenic spot, Kitakoin. Kawagoe will definitely leave you full of memories you’re sure to never forget.

Highlights

· Tea picking experience at Miyano Plantation
· Commemorative photo taken at the tea plantation while wearing tea girl costume
· Walking through Kawagoe while enjoying the atmosphere of the old town
· See and learn about the production process of soy sauce at Matsumoto Soy Sauce
· Japanese garden tour of Kita-in

Note

The tour is bookable from May to November. From December to April is out of service.

  Price ¥13,000(tax included)

¥13,000 for 2 persons or more 
¥24,000 for 1 person
Children(Age 5 -13):¥8,000
Children(Age Under 4):Free of charge

  Duration 6 hours
  Hours of availability

Start Time: 9:30 am
Scheduled Finish: 15:30 pm

  Inclusions

・Green tea picking
・Costume
・English Guide
・Round-trip transfer between Iriso station to Miyanoen by car
・One-way train ticket from Iriso station to Hon-Kawagoe station
・A cup of green tea and tempura
・Tax

  Exclusions

・Hotel pick up & drop off, train ticket

  Participants 1〜8 people

Meeting Point

Iriso station, east exit

Reviews (1)

Joyce Lo(USA)★★★★★

Green Tea Picking & Kawagoe Walking Tour Review

Our family really enjoyed this tour. Great way to learn about tea making and history of the little Edo neighborhood. Our tour guide, Yumi, was excellent. She was very open to our suggestions and changes to the schedule. She did a lot of preparations in advance to make the tour interesting and educational for my children. I highly recommend this tour.

Write a Review

  Name
  Country
  Star
  Title
  Review
  Tour photo