The Mimaka-oku district of Tanba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, is home to one of Japan's oldest tea-growing traditions, with a history stretching back approximately 1,200 years to the Heian period. Tamba tea (Tanba Sasayama tea) develops its distinctive fragrant, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness thanks to the cool temperatures of the Tamba basin and the characteristic "Tamba mist" that drifts in from morning to midday.
During the Tanba Sasayama New Tea Week, three local tea producers each host their own new tea celebrations, inviting visitors to taste the season's first flush of fresh, vibrant new tea. Activities range from tea picking and factory tours to all-you-can-fill tea-leaf sessions and tastings.
For more information, visit the official website: https://tourism.sasayama.jp/new-tea/
Tanba Sasayama New Tea Week Overview
Event Period: Saturday, May 30 – Sunday, June 7, 2026
Venues: Suwa-en, Tanba Sasayama Tea Producers' Association, Kumano-en
Events at Each Venue
[Suwa-en Gokan Cafe Main Branch] 5 Mimaka-oku, Tanba Sasayama City, Hyogo
Event dates: Saturday, May 30 – Sunday, June 7
- New tea sales
- Sale of confections to pair with tea
- Great value Tamba tea all-you-can-fill
- New tea served at "Gokan Cafe"
[Tanba Sasayama Tea Producers' Association] 10-1 Mimaka-oku, Tanba Sasayama City, Hyogo
Event dates: Saturday, May 30 and Saturday, June 6, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- New tea tasting and sales
- Tea-leaf scooping
- Tea bag all-you-can-fill
- Factory tours at 10:30 AM / 1:30 PM / 3:30 PM (up to 10 people per session)
[Kumano-en] 456 Mimaka-oku, Tanba Sasayama City, Hyogo
Event dates: Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 6, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- New tea sales (green tea, kosha, white tea)
- Tea ceremony seating
- Cha-kabuki (tea tasting game)
- Café and food service
- Tea picking experience (paid; ends when capacity is reached)
- Hand-rolling demonstration (ends when capacity is reached)
※ Parking at each venue is limited. Visitors are encouraged to stagger their visit times or use public transportation from Sasayama-guchi Station, such as the demand bus "Nori-na," or the rental bicycles available at Sasayama-guchi Station.
About Tamba Tea
While Uji tea is more widely known across the Kansai region, Tamba tea is one of the most historically significant teas in Japan, with cultivation dating back to the Heian period. During the Edo period, roughly half of the tea circulating in Osaka (Kamigata) was Tamba tea, and today Tanba Sasayama remains the top tea-producing region in Hyogo Prefecture.
The tea is grown at an altitude of approximately 200 meters in cool conditions, which slows the growth of the tea leaves and allows them to accumulate natural sweetness. The Tamba mist, which typically lingers from morning into midday, gently filters sunlight, reducing astringency and drawing out the tea's inherent sweetness and umami.
