Uji

Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture is Japan's first major tea-producing region and the historical home of the shading technique that enables matcha and gyokuro. Tea cultivation here dates to the late 12th century when monk Eisai brought seeds from Song-dynasty China; the shading practice emerged among Uji growers in the 16th century. Tencha (matcha base) and koicha-grade matcha from Uji are the global benchmark, and Uji also produces 140 tons of gyokuro annually (per 2008 figures).