2017 Japanese Tea Comprehensive Study Tour (free of charge)

The deadline for applying to this tour was July 20th 2017 and therefore the application form is no longer available.We will post information about similar tours and other courses in the future.

Overview
Participants will be able to visit Shizuoka and Kagoshima, Japan's main tea growing regions. During the tour we will visit a number of tea farmers and tea refiners (wholesalers) to learn about all the stages of Japanese tea cultivation and production, from the tea garden to the final products. Japanese tea experts will also offer you profound knowledge of how to distinguish high grade Japanese tea, a skill that may prove to be useful for your tea business.

Date
September 27th to October 5th 2017
Schedule(PDF)

Requirements
・All participants should be involved in, or be aspiring to enter, the tea business. Those who are are having plans selling Japanese tea in the future will be prioritized in the screening process.
・20 years or older
・Fluency in English
・Basic tea knowledge
・Ability to participate during the entire tour (see schedule for details)

Important notes regarding costs
・The participants will not be charged for the tour
・The hosting organizations will cover all travel expenses and hotel costs in Japan related to the tour, from the point of gathering to the point of breaking up in Tokyo. However, all passengers are required to book their flights to Japan themselves and to cover all travel expenses from their respective country of residence to the gathering point in Tokyo, and back home from the breaking up point in Tokyo.
We strongly recommend all participants to buy a travel insurance as this will not be covered by the hosting organizations

Other notes
・In Japan, there are a lot to see and experience apart from tea. However, since the focus will be on tea studies, practically no time will be offered for sightseeing during the tour. Therefore we recommend all participants to stay in Japan a little bit longer, either before or after the tour to be able enjoy Japan fully during the stay. However, travel expenses and/or any other cost that arise during these days will not be covered by the hosting organizations.
・The course involves visiting tea farms, some of which are located in mountainous regions where it will be necessary to walk on unpaved small roads and forest paths.
・All participants will be asked to fill in a questionnaire after completing the course and to write a small report on the tour which should be published on a web page, blog or on social media
(details regarding this will be given to the selected participants).

Hosted by
Japan Tea Export Council
Shizuoka Prefectural Government
Tea Industry Chamber of Kagoshima

How to apply
The deadline for applying to this tour was July 20th 2017 and therefore the application form is no longer available.We will post information about similar tours and other courses in the future.