Regional desk
Kagoshima tea industry news
Updated · 45 free stories
Kagoshima is the volume champion — flat, machine-harvested fields that briefly out-produced Shizuoka itself. At the National Tea Competition it took the production-area award for the 22nd straight year, and no region has felt the matcha boom harder: first-flush prices doubled in a year, and leaf prices quadrupled in two, as growers convert fields to tencha for grinding.
This desk reads the Kagoshima and Kyushu press every morning — the auctions, the conversion economics, the competition results — and files what moved. The free stories below are a sample; subscribers get every story, the morning it lands.
The latest
- Kagoshima builds major matcha processing plant JA Kagoshima held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 2,500-square-meter matcha processing facility in Kagoshima City, designed to produce 300 tonnes of matcha annually at a cost of approximately 2.6 billion yen. The facility addresses a supply-chain bottleneck: most tencha grown in Kagoshima is currently processed outside the prefecture, limiting profit margins. The project aims to vertically integrate production and boost export revenue by completing the facility in November 20…
- Kochoan tea wins Japan Tea AWARD judges' prize Kochō no Yume, a light-steamed blend of Kōchi and Kagoshima tea leaves from Kochoan (Nagano), has received the Judges' Encouragement Award in the mellow-tea category at Japan Tea AWARD 2026. The award recognizes the tea's balance of aroma and flavor. Kochoan adjusts its blends annually based on each harvest's characteristics rather than relying on origin and variety alone.
- Japan's matcha faces Chinese competition, price pressure Japanese green tea exports reached 12,600 tonnes last year, triple the figure from a decade ago, but domestic matcha prices have surged. Kagoshima became Japan's largest tea region in 2024, now supplying 40% of the nation's tencha (the shade-grown precursor to matcha). While global demand accelerates, traditional Japanese tea consumption has halved from 527 grams per capita in 1970 to 233 grams in 2024, and tea-garden area is forecast to shrink 31% between 2005 and 2025 as fa…
- VRChat tea-brewing asset targets younger generations Kagoshima Seicha and tech firm V are developing a 3D asset for VRChat—a social VR platform—that teaches authentic Japanese tea preparation to younger users. Launching October 2026, the 'tea gimmick' guides users through the full brewing sequence: heating water with an alcohol lamp, cooling it to the correct temperature, steeping for 60 seconds, and pouring to the last drop. The experience includes bilingual instructions and will debut at a VRChat showcase event and the TOKYO…
- Kyoto fair brings 1,900 products to Kagoshima The 44th Kyoto specialty fair opened at Yamakatasya in Kagoshima on the 30th, featuring roughly 1,900 products from 77 vendors, including nine debut participants. Matcha products gained prominence this year with 14 participating companies — up six from last year — offering matcha sweets, cakes, anmitsu, and soft-serve ice cream alongside traditional Kyoto crafts and foods.
Every open story
September 2026
- Kagoshima matcha outreach to expatriates Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Shizuoka tops first-flush output on matcha pivot Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
- Kagoshima tea industry engages students on youth outreach PR TIMES — Japanese Tea
- Kagoshima tea competition names 2026 winners Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Hong Kong hotel debuts matcha afternoon tea menu みんなの経済新聞ネットワーク
- MATCHAMON launches Shimokitazawa flagship PR TIMES — Matcha
August 2026
- Kagoshima tea targets growth via national strategy Google News — Harvest / Competitions / Market
- Shizuoka retakes raw-tea crown after two years 静岡朝日テレビ
- Shizuoka leads 2026 first-flush output; prices surge Chunichi Shimbun — Tea / Nishio Aichi
- Shizuoka regains first-flush lead after two-year gap Google News — Harvest / Competitions / Market
- Kagoshima matcha featured at regional products fair Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
July 2026
- Kagoshima tea exports surge to ¥584bn record Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
- Kagoshima tencha auction surges on export demand Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Kagoshima Airport tea bags boost regional exports Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Japan defends tea brand as Chinese knockoffs surge Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
- Matcha bubble threatens Japan's tea farming base Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
- Fukuoka hotel cafe features Yame, Kagoshima matcha Asahi Shimbun Digital — Tea / Matcha
June 2026
- Kagoshima tea leaves quadruple in 2 years Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
- Kagoshima tea exports hit record ¥333M Google News — Matcha / Tea Industry
- Kagoshima green tea exports hit record 332M yen Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Kagoshima co-op revenue up on tea, exports Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Gion Tsujiri launches tea-tin gift series PR TIMES — Japanese Tea
- Horiguchi Tea joins Kagoshima basketball club management Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Kagoshima first-flush prices double on matcha boom Google News — Harvest / Competitions / Market
- Kagoshima first-flush prices double on matcha boom Google News — Harvest / Competitions / Market
- Kagoshima first-flush prices double on matcha boom Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Kagoshima tea vision committee holds first meeting Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Kagoshima launches tea industry vision committee Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
May 2026
- Students' Dubai-style chocolate uses Chiran tea cream Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima
- Tanegashima second-flush tea price doubles year-on-year Shizuoka Shimbun — Tea
- Kagoshima Tea Map Charts Regional Terroir Kagoshima Pref. — National Tea Competition
- Empty tea association information page, no posts Kagoshima Tea Council — Competition
- Kagoshima's 63rd National Tea Competition results posted Kagoshima Tea Council — Competition
- Matcha boom is destroying Japan's tea industry PR TIMES — Japanese Tea
April 2026
- 6th Reiwa New Tea Festival in Kagoshima Kagoshima Tea Council
September 2025
- 79th National Tea Competition Results Published Kagoshima Tea Council
August 2025
- Kagoshima Wins 22nd Straight National Tea Title Kagoshima Pref. — National Tea Competition
- Disease-resistant 'Rinmei' cultivar suits matcha, export NARO — Press Releases
October 2021
- Kagoshima Prefecture Tea Competition Results Published Kagoshima Tea Council — Competition
January 2008
- Kagoshima wins 22nd straight national sencha title Kagoshima Pref. — National Tea Competition
The rest of the desk
Subscribers are reading 27 more Kagoshima stories from the last month — every story open the morning it lands, in full English. See what a subscription gets you →
More desks: Shizuoka · Kyoto & Uji · the whole open archive · The Weekly. Matcha Wire is an Ooika publication.