With the blessing of Master Sakamoto, I have taken the liberty of translating his speech about the current state of Japanese tea agriculture.

"Hello everyone, my name is Sakamoto, and I am the owner of Godo Kaisha Sakamoto. I know we are going through a difficult period right now, but I would like to talk to you about the current state and future of Japanese tea. Today, we're starting a series of three videos. In the second part, we will focus on the organic cultivation of Gyokuro tea, and in the third part, we will discuss exporting Japanese tea overseas. So, let's begin with today's episode on the current situation and future of Japanese tea.

I'd like to share some thoughts with you about the current state and the future of Japanese tea.

The way we drink tea has changed over the years. It's fascinating, but tea has its roots in China, where it has been consumed for 4700 years. It arrived in Japan 1200 years ago, thanks to Buddhist monks who traveled to China for study and brought tea back with them.

1200 years ago, in the Heian period, monks like Saicho, Enchin, and Kukai brought tea seeds from China and started drinking it. However, the tea that these monks brought was what is called "Dan-cha" (沱茶), which is today's Puerh tea. They boiled the tea leaves and pressed them into a cake shape, dried them, and then grated them to brew a decoction. So, originally, tea was boiled. Therefore, even today, the character for "sen-cha" (煎茶 - tea that is infused) is used, but it isn't actually tea that is boiled. The custom of drinking boiled tea has been preserved to this day, and that is why tea is called "sen-cha." I see, so that's why it's called "sen-cha"! Yes, that's why. But in Japan, we no longer find "hei-cha" (餅茶). Probably because it didn't taste good, so it didn't catch on.

After another 400 years, in the Kamakura period, 800 years ago, the monk Eisai came up with the "ten-cha" (点茶) method, which is ground tea, matcha, which is so popular today. Sen no Rikyu popularized it, and warlords like Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi drank it as a leisure beverage. After another 400 years, Hasegawa Soen improved the "ten-cha" (点茶) method and created the current "sen-cha" (煎茶), or hand-rolled tea in the shape of needles. This became the foundation of today's tea.

That became the common tea. And now, after another 400 years, what is the situation? What does it look like today? Well, people don't drink sen-cha as much anymore. Brewing tea from leaves has become outdated. About 30 years ago, tea began to be produced in PET bottles, and this became mainstream. Most people switched to PET bottles and stopped drinking loose leaf tea. Actually, the highest quality teas are not used for producing tea in PET bottles. They are mass-produced, and PET bottle tea has a long shelf life, which leads to overproduction and stockpiling. Currently, many tea farmers are struggling to survive on thin ice. Their businesses are not profitable, and that is why they have gotten into this situation. I hear from young people that tea in PET bottles is what they consider "tea," and that they don't have a teapot at home. Ah, I see. That's why it was said that when the baby boomer generation got older, more loose-leaf tea would be drunk. But that didn't happen. As people get older, they don't want to brew tea. And then there is the problem with organic waste. So, it is easier to drink tea from a PET bottle. That is the reality.

The shift to PET bottle tea has led to increased stockpiles and increased material costs, making it difficult for Japanese tea farmers. But recently, there have also been positive aspects. The Covid-19 pandemic caused economic damage, but with the waning of the pandemic and the increase in inbound tourism, Japanese tea is selling very well overseas. Tourists from abroad are buying matcha and taking it home with them. They are buying matcha ice cream and sweets. There is a boom in Japanese tea overseas.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a lot of talk about the immune effects of tea. Therefore, people tried to quickly inform people overseas about tea as well. Recently, Japanese tea has been recognized. Japanese tea is being valued as a "super drink." It is thought to be effective against Covid-19, boosts immunity, and extends life. Recently, it has also been said to be effective in preventing Alzheimer's disease and restoring cognitive function. That means rejuvenation! Rejuvenate by drinking tea? I don't think there are many drinks that can do that. That is true.

In addition, it is effective against high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer prevention, relieves stress, promotes weight loss, and improves the skin. Is there any other drink that can do that? I don't think so. Some people get dizzy after drinking coffee. I know people who feel sick after drinking coffee. But that doesn't happen with tea. Yes, that is true. In both Europe and America, coffee is drunk as a healthy drink, but so is tea. After all, they drink what they don't have in their country. So, even in Europe, where they have tea, it is popular to drink green tea as a super drink. It's natural. It's strange that we haven't been exporting coffee and tea that we import and can't grow in our country until now. Now is the time to overcome borders and introduce a national policy that will support the export of Japanese tea and thus earn foreign currency. Tea is a crop with great potential that could become a flagship export. You're saying that the current situation is difficult, but the future looks very promising. Yes, that is what I think.

The recent matcha boom is amazing. Matcha lattes are popular in New York. Information about this is also reaching us. Matcha has a very good image as a Japanese export product. Green drinks, such as matcha, are perceived as healthy. Even though we know that vegetable smoothies are healthy, if they don't taste good, we don't want to drink them. Matcha is delicious, so it is ideal for people overseas. Ah, I see. So, you could say that matcha has become popular as an extension of smoothies. Yes. Matcha is very popular in America. It started when a young man opened a matcha bar. Originally, he drank coffee, but it made him feel worse. He wanted to drink vegetable smoothies, but he didn't like the taste, so he didn't drink them. He remembered drinking matcha on a school trip to Japan when he was in high school. And he thought he could contribute to the health of Americans with matcha. Based on his experience, he opened a matcha bar. Is that how it was? Yes. And eventually, Starbucks and others started offering matcha lattes. Green drinks are good for your health, so I think the transition from vegetable smoothies to matcha is the right move. I understand. The world associates health with the color green. Yes, that is true. It is no longer just a boom; it is a steady trend.

Today, we talked about the history of drinking tea and the future of tea cultivation. Young people are worried about the future of the industry and whether or not they should continue in it. They make their own fertilizers, grow tea, process it, finish it, sell it, and do everything themselves. They want to know what the future of the industry is so that they can decide whether to invest in it and whether they will be motivated. Given the current difficult situation, we would like to think about the future of Japanese tea cultivation. First, we would like to think about what the future of agriculture in general will be like. One of the key factors is the declining population in Japan. Currently, we have a population of 120 million people, but in 20 years, it will fall below 100 million. The number of farmers has also decreased significantly. 20 years ago, there were 2 million farming households, but now there are less than 1 million, and the number has decreased to 800,000. In another 10 or 20 years, the number of farming households will decrease by 20%.

There is talk about self-sufficiency and production capacity, but the reason why the number of farmers is decreasing so much is that you can't make a living from farming. How can you recommend continuing with something that doesn't make money? Parents tell their children not to continue in agriculture because it is hard and they don't want their children to suffer. This is the biggest problem. If agriculture were prosperous and young people saw hope in it, then they would really continue in it. But the current situation is not ideal. This leads to a decline in the number of farmers. Next, I want to think about agricultural policy and strategy. Currently, we have 120 million people, but in 20 years, the population will fall below 100 million. 20 years ago, there were 2 million farming households, but now there are only 800,000. In another 10 or 20 years, the number of farming households will decrease by 20%. It is a big problem that the number of people producing food is decreasing.

Even though it is said that self-sufficiency is important, the biggest problem is that farmers don't make money. That's true. That is why parents don't want their children to continue in agriculture. And young people can't get married, raise children, and can't cope with their wife's complaints. If you could make a living from farming, young people would come to rural areas and the number of young farmers would increase. The main problem is that farmers don't make money. Rural areas are being depleted because agriculture is being depleted. Decline in the domestic market. If the population decreases, sales will also decrease. In order to sell excellent Japanese agricultural products, we must focus on 8 billion people around the world, not just 100 million in Japan. That is why the revised basic law on agriculture last year talked about selling excellent Japanese agricultural products overseas.

Let's talk about agricultural policy. In order to understand how the current agricultural system works, we need to think about what it will look like in the future. The agricultural system after the war was not created in Japan. Really? Yes, it wasn't. After losing the Pacific War, the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers, led by General MacArthur, came to Japan. They created a complex, mutually supportive agricultural cooperative. Originally, it was an industrial association for the production of silk and tea, which was transformed into the JA agricultural cooperative. So that's where it came from. Yes, that's how it was. It will be 80 years ago. The Japanese government did not create this agricultural system, so it is missing what should be there. Do you know what operations are missing? What operations are missing? There are operations that provide advice to farmers, credit operations, purchasing and sales operations, and mutual aid operations. Credit operations are like a bank. Yes, credit operations function like a bank. But among them, what should be there is missing. An enterprise connected to agriculture is missing. Yes, an export enterprise is missing. What does it mean that there is no export enterprise? Don't you think this is a disadvantageous condition imposed on Japan by the GHQ after losing the war? For example, in order for Japan to restore its agriculture, America could sell its surplus grain to Japan. To this end, they would import grain into Japan and manufacture products in Japan. In this way, it would not be necessary to produce feed, but only to feed animals, streamlining and compacting agriculture. At first, they sold grain cheaply. But how is it now? Yes, it only grows. I hear that many farmers are complaining about expensive feed and raw materials. So, if I order them to change it immediately, it won't work. Food is a weapon. There are weapons that are used in war, but if food runs out, then even developed countries will have to surrender. It is often said that America rules Japan, but the reason is also this mechanism created by the GHQ at the time of the lost war. I realize that now and understand it. I understand. Is it difficult to change it? Yes. The rate of self-sufficiency is calculated based on calories, but if we don't import fertilizers, feed, and seeds, what is the actual rate of self-sufficiency? That is worrying. I'm afraid. I think that if agriculture doesn't work, then the rate of self-sufficiency will be less than 10%. Really? Yes. But from a positive point of view, if young people take into account that the number of farmers is decreasing and that there will be no imports from overseas, then I think that Japanese agriculture will become more and more important. And what is meaningful about Japanese agriculture? I think that the time will come when Japanese agriculture will receive a lot of attention and will be meaningful. That's true. Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the rising price of cabbage, but farmers should get rich from that. Yes, that's right.

When foreigners come to Japan, they are surprised at how cheap things are. Last year, in the Reiwa era, the price of rice rose, but that was also due to natural disasters such as the Nankai Trough and other climatic problems. Even so, rice worth 100 billion yen was exported. This means that farmers can prosper even through exports. They are beginning to realize that it is better to export than to sell in Japan. If more is exported than sold, Japanese consumers will not be able to buy enough. Therefore, I think it is very important to support farmers so that we can eat safe Japanese food. We need to make sure that farmers can earn enough to make a living. Japan values cheap things, but I think it is necessary to look at it from the point of view of those who produce something. That's true.

Thirdly, I would like to talk about geographical conditions. A few years ago, the area of Washoku was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. What do you think about this? Can we just be happy about it? I thought it was good news. Yes. The word heritage suggests something that a person leaves behind after death. This means that Washoku is in decline, and therefore we must protect it. That's why we have to register it. At the time of the registration of Washoku with UNESCO, I was wondering if it was possible that it was registered because it is feared that Washoku will disappear in the future. Therefore, I think we should know that Washoku is rich and that it should not be registered because Japanese longevity is related to Washoku. Japanese longevity has become known worldwide. I never lie that it's from food. We must make sure that Washoku is safe.

I think that the Japanese mentality and climate are related to food. One of the reasons is that it is an island country. We can consume seafood, fish, and seaweed, which contain many minerals. Japan is rainy, and nutrients are easily washed away. Japanese soil is acidic volcanic soil. This means that if we consume a lot of fish, seaweed, and seafood, then by adding manure to the fields, we return the minerals. Acidic soil easily dissolves minerals, so they can be easily absorbed. Japanese people consume a lot of minerals, which are important for metabolism. Is that the difference between Europe, America, and Japan? Yes. Most of the European and American terrain is limestone. This means that it is alkaline. Alkaline soil does not dissolve minerals. The crops that are grown there are, for example, grapes and olives, which are resistant to alkaline soil. We don't have much of an image of them being grown in Japan. Growing them in Japan could be difficult. That's true.

Delicious tea is made in acidic soil. In addition, Japan has winter. The conditions for growing tea in Japan are 30 to 35 degrees north latitude. Yakushima, Tanegashima, Saitama, and Ibaraki on the Pacific side. Because Japan is the northernmost tea-growing country, it has a long winter, which allows the leaves to store nutrients and minerals. Even though there are many areas in Southeast Asia and China where tea can be grown, Japanese tea is special. In order to produce tea that cannot be compared with overseas, we must produce tea that can only be grown in Japan. Unique breeding is carried out in Japan. We can make black tea, oolong tea, and tuchi tea. Matcha is drunk overseas with sugar and milk. Like we used to do with coffee. Originally, I don't think anyone could drink bitter coffee, and that's why they added sugar and milk. Once they get used to it, they will want to buy good and expensive coffee. When you invest time in brewing good coffee, do you add sugar and milk to it? They don't add it. They don't add it. There are many types of tea, but in Japan, it is not customary to add sugar and milk. Therefore, I think that even overseas, the way of drinking tea without sugar and milk will be popular. So, I think the most important thing for Japan is to produce delicious and high-quality tea that is only possible in Japan. This also applies to other crops. I think that the most important thing is for Japanese agriculture to survive, and it is important to create what can only be grown in Japan. Japanese agriculture is highly valued worldwide.

The Japanese mentality is developing in this direction. That's why we produce good products. We make things artistically. Even if we copy foreign methods, as I mentioned earlier, even if the GHQ comes and teaches American methods, I don't think we can do agriculture in that style. Do you think it's difficult in Japan? Yes, I think so. First of all, we have intermediate land. Basically, it is important to protect family farming. For businesses that will become larger, it may be good that we legalize agriculture because we are running out of farmers. The most important thing is that we protect family farming and produce things that we can only produce in Japan.

In conclusion, as I mentioned earlier, we produce special tea only in Japan. Japanese tea exports have begun, but if we look at the global situation, they only account for 4-5%. That's little. That's very low. Japan should produce tea on acidic soil. Japan is a country that matches the northernmost countries that grow tea. Therefore, I think that we produce special tea here. In Japan, we also produce black tea and oolong tea, but we should specialize in the production of green tea, such as sencha and matcha. Green tea. Green tea means that it has been steamed and its oxidation has been stopped. This is unfermented tea. Black tea is 100% fermented tea, and that is why black tea is black tea. So, oolong tea is partially fermented. Oolong tea has a huge spectrum. Partially fermented means that the tea is fermented 1% to 99%. There is a wide variety of oolong tea. Partially fermented tea uses the oxidase enzyme from polyphenols in tea leaves to ferment. What happens when we use the oxidase enzyme? Polyphenols have a component called theaflavin. During the process of polymerization and increasing thearubigin, the color gradually turns red.

Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish tea. In China, they divide tea by color. Really? Yes. If there are 1000 types of tea, it is difficult to distinguish them. That's why they divide them by color. White tea and black tea are one of the types of oolong. If we use polyphenols to ferment tea, the astringency of polyphenols will disappear. The most important property of polyphenols is the antioxidant effect. They have a good effect on health. If the body oxidizes, the lifespan is shortened and health deteriorates. Therefore, even if the astringency disappears by fermenting polyphenols, important nutrients and minerals will also disappear. Japanese tourists abroad say that Japanese green tea has more minerals and ingredients than any other. Therefore, I think that Japanese green tea is considered a super drink. Currently, unfermented tea is popular all over the world. Green tea with the highest content of polyphenols is currently recognized worldwide. Difficult times are coming, but what will happen next? Yes.

PET bottles are important because they can be bought everywhere. Many countries in the world do not have vending machines, and some countries prohibit PET bottles. Do you think that PET bottles will spread overseas? I think that they will only spread in Southeast Asian countries. It is difficult in Europe and America. Drinking green drinks, such as matcha, has become easier. Of course, there are people in Japan who like tea. Therefore, I think that domestic agriculture is important. Another reason is that the Covid pandemic has subsided, and the matcha boom has started overseas as well. Producing tea for the overseas market will reduce the status of tea and improve the existing difficult situation. You should stick to growing and produce good tea with confidence. That's the most important thing. Thank you, thank you. In today's first part, we talked about the current situation and future of Japanese tea. In the next second part, we will talk about the organic cultivation of Gyokuro tea. I will introduce you to our efforts. Finally, we will talk about today's summary.

Japanese tea cultivation is experiencing a difficult period, but tea is a beverage that has historically never disappeared. And we should produce Japanese tea, various types of tea, and unique tea that we can only grow in Japan, and make people all over the world healthy and happy. Japanese tea is very rare on a global scale. I believe that we should work together to make Japanese tea attractive and reduce healthcare costs around the world. And I hope that the industry of prosperous tea growers will become the future. Thank you for today. Thank you.