Hello. I'm Tomo from Work in the woods.
I have been making handmade teas since I moved to here, the wild area of Tokyo.
I make variouse types of tea, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, and bancha.
 

 
I think tea picking is a healing in itself, even though it is a process to make tea.
There is value in the picking itself.
I came to think so because I myself am healed by tea.
Every year in mid-April, the pale green shoots begin to appear here and there, and my heart begins to fidget.
 
 

 
From a product creation standpoint, they are still too small.
It is not ready to be picked.
But I look forward to this special early-picked tea every year.
I make the first premium tea of the year just for my pleasure.
 

 
We will pick mountain tea.
There are two types of tea: plain tea and mountain tea.
According to connoisseurs, they have different tastes.
Mountain tea tastes better in a place where there is a difference in temperature and fog.
We are making tea in exactly the place like that, a mountain area of Tokyo.
It is a small tea farm that has been with people's lives in the village.
 
 
 

 
 
However, the place we want to take you guys on this tour is even more special.
It is no longer a “mountain tea farm,” but rather “just a mountain."
It is a place where tea trees “also” grow in the woods.
We look for tea trees growing sparsely at the foot of a forest of cedars and collect the sprouts.
Why do you think we do such a strange thing when there are also fields?
 

 
 
This is because I love the time I spend alone in the mountains mindlessly picking tea.
The very short period between when the tea buds begin to sprout and when the fields are ready for picking is my time in the mountains.
Picking tea in the field is fun, but picking tea in the mountains is something else.
 
 

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If you listen carefully, you can hear the rustling of trees and birdsong.
As you mindlessly work with your hands, you are enveloped in a serenity that makes you feel at one with the world.
We invite you to join us for such a time in the mountains.


 
 

 
 
 
White tea is not very familiar in Japan, but is popular in China and some other countries.
I had never heard of white tea until I started making my own tea, but now I'm into it.
Especially I love making white tea out of the new shoots that start to appear in April.
The process is very simple, so I feel that the true flavor of the tea leaves comes out.
 
 
 
Holding period
From 4/20 to 4/30, a short period of time from when the tea sprouts start to appear until they begin to grow. Please check the calender before applying. In May, we will be holding the other event, Create your own tea in wild west Tokyo.


Number of participants and setup
This is a private tour for only one group per day, with a maximum of three people. We have chosen this kind of setting for the intimacy, tranquility, and richness of the tea time.

 
Schedule
The following is an example of a 9:00 a.m. meeting at the station. The other recommended start time is 13:00 p.m. Since this is a private tour, we can disucuss the start time with you.
 

9:00AM Meet at JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station! This is the entrance to Akigawa Valley! (If you are driving your own car, meet at the designated parking lot near the venue.)
9:30-10:00
Welcome tea. Welcome to the mountains. Please have a cup first.
10:00-12:00
Tea picking. During the break, we will serve our handmade tea.
12:30
Dismissal at JR Musashi Itsukaichi Station. If you want to have fun in the afternoon in the surrounding area or would like to have lunch at a restaurant here, we can pick you up and drop you off at a nearby location.

 
Price
7,000 yen/person