On February 1, 2026, the "Japanese Food Culture and Skills Inheritance EXPO" was held at Yamato Gakuen Kyoto Culinary College in Uzumasa, Kyoto.

This event, sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, will explore the skills that support Japan's "culinary cultural assets," such as Japanese cuisine, Kyoto cuisine, traditional sake brewing, fresh sweets with distinctive names (nerikiri and konashi), and hand-rolled tea, from a variety of perspectives, and will feature a program that allows visitors to experience the craft using all five senses.

Comprised of stage content, experience and exhibition content, and food and merchandise booths, the event was not just about "seeing and learning," but also about "learning, experiencing, and thinking," providing an opportunity to reflect on the appeal of food culture and the significance of passing on its "skills" to the next generation.

A dialogue between top craftsmen across fields

During the talk session on stage, artisans and experts active on the front lines of Japanese cuisine took to the stage to exchange opinions on the essence of the "skills" that underpin Japanese food culture, the ideas and values ​​that live within them, and how to pass them on to the future.

What became clear from the conversation at "Top Craftsmen Gather to Talk about the Chiefs Supporting Japan's Food Culture" was that "skill" is not just a matter of technique, but also the sum total of connections with people, the atmosphere of the place, and the senses cultivated over many years of experience.

In the world of Japanese cuisine, it is said that skill is expressed not only in knife skills and the techniques for making dashi, but also in the choice of tableware according to the purpose and occasion of the meal, as well as in the setting of hanging scrolls and alcove alcoves, and the entire space.

"The history and soil in which the store has grown in that area is what makes it tick. Communicating that to customers is a kind of 'skill,'" says Takaya Keita of Shioyoshiken Confectionery.

For a long time, the sake brewing industry had a system in place where brewers were migrant workers who worked away from home during the winter, when farming was off-season, but about 30 years ago, this system changed to one in which brewers and brewers are employed year-round as full-time employees.

Yukihiro Kitagawa of Kitagawa Honke said, "In the days when we were migrant workers, all the brewers slept near the brewery, so sake brewing was almost a 24-hour system. However, working styles have changed with the times, and things are no longer the same. In such a situation, what is important is what to pass on and pass on. Sake brewing is a group effort that cannot be done alone. It is important that the brewers understand the ideas of the chief brewer and that they can work in the same direction."

After this, various talk sessions were held as a special symposium for this day only, including "What is traditional sake brewing? Talking about the 'skills' that live on in the making," and "The 'skills' of fresh sweets that embody the four seasons of Japan - A dialogue between artisans about sweet names, bean paste, and tools."

This time, we focused on Japanese tea, which is gaining attention worldwide, and covered content that delves into the appeal of tea and the craftsmanship that lives within Uji tea.

The art of hand-rolling that lives on in Uji tea

The talk session, "Producers and Tea Masters Discuss the 'Art' of Japanese Tea Production - Tea Recommendations," featured Toshikazu Yoshida, 16th-generation representative of Marutoshi Yoshida Meichaen, and Koji Tachikai, Director of Kyoei Tea's Kyoto Techno Center. They discussed the traditional production methods of Uji tea, which has a history of approximately 800 years, as well as modern tea production techniques.

"Uji tea" is widely known as a synonym for high-quality tea, but in fact it only accounts for a mere 3% of the tea production in Japan. The reason it boasts such high quality despite its small production volume is said to be due to a cultivation method unique to Uji called "honzu Ohishita cultivation."

This technique, which involves covering bamboo trellises made above the fields with reed screens and straw to provide shade, has been practiced since the Muromachi period. Theanine, the umami component in tea, changes into catechin, the bitter component, when exposed to sunlight, so covering the new buds brings out a mellow flavor with less bitterness. Marutoshi Yoshida Meichaen has inherited this traditional tea-making technique and is using it to make tencha and gyokuro.

Nowadays, tea is made mainly using machines, but before that, the "hand-rolled" method was used, in which artisans rolled the tea leaves by hand. A charcoal fire is placed under a table about the size of one tatami mat called a hoiro, and the tea leaves are rolled by hand over the heat, drying them and turning them into needle-like tea leaves. There are several steps to complete the process, and it is a painstaking process that takes a total of 4 to 5 hours to complete.

Machine-made tea also applies this hand-rolling technique. It is divided into three stages: initial rolling, intermediate rolling, and fine rolling, and the senses cultivated through hand-rolling are essential to determine the condition of the tea leaves at each stage. "I touch the tea leaves with my hands and check their dryness. I can tell by my sense that it's time to move on to the next stage," says Yoshida.

At the end of the session, Yoshida left the following message: "Bottled tea is fine for quenching your thirst, but tea brewed in a teapot soothes the soul. It takes a little effort, but I hope you will enjoy delicious tea."

Tachikai also suggested various ways to enjoy tea, saying, "By tasting a wide variety of teas, including different types, brewing methods, and how they pair with food and sweets, and discovering your own preferences, I believe tea culture will spread and become even more fulfilling."

Experience the art of tea making through tea brewed in a teapot

I also participated in the workshop-style content "Exploring the Techniques and Flavors of Tea - A Tea Tasting Experience." The content involved tasting four types of tea - Gyokuro, Tencha, Sencha, and Genmaicha - and experiencing the differences in their flavors.

With guidance from a member of the Kyoto Prefecture Tea Cooperative, we were able to appreciate the depth of Japanese tea as we carefully examined the differences in the tea leaves and the changes in the color, aroma, taste, and aftertaste of the infused tea.

After the tasting, we were given a lesson on how to brew gyokuro.

The tea leaves used are luxuriously hand-rolled gyokuro. The first brew is extracted at a low temperature of 40-50°C to allow you to fully enjoy the sweetness and aroma. The key is to extract the umami component theanine while suppressing the extraction of bitter catechins and caffeine.

After placing the tea leaves in the teapot, pour the boiling water into the yuzamashi. The temperature of the water will drop by 5 to 10°C each time it is transferred to a vessel, so it is recommended to cool it by transferring it in the following order: yuzamashi → teacup → teapot. After pouring the hot water into the teapot, let it steep for about 1 to 2 minutes, then pour it into the teapot, leaving every last drop.

When you put it in your mouth, the rich sweetness and flavor, as well as the plump aroma, spread, and you can enjoy the lingering aftertaste of umami that slowly permeates your mouth.

From the second brew onwards, it seems that the tea will taste even better if you raise the temperature of the water. Since the tea leaves are in an opened state, the steeping time should be shorter. I was told that it is best to steep for about 30 seconds for the second brew, and pour the third brew into a teacup immediately.

What I felt through this experience was that each step of brewing tea - touching the tea leaves, smelling the aroma, and checking the temperature - is an extension of the techniques that have been passed down for hundreds of years.

The craftsmen spare no effort, work closely with the materials, and continue to hone their skills and sensibilities.

To pass this on to the future, it is important not only for the creators but also for us, the recipients, to take an interest in, appreciate, and choose. The choices each of us makes will shape the culture of the future. With this in mind, I felt that I needed to reexamine my lifestyle going forward.

Text by Erina Nomura

Erina Nomura
A writer living in Kyoto. After graduating from university, she worked at a production company involved in a variety of media, including publishing, advertising, and the web. In 2020, she went independent and is now working as a freelancer. Her areas of interest include craftsmanship, traditional culture, lifestyle, and travel. As a Kyoto correspondent for Premium Japan, she reports on the latest happenings in Kyoto through the "Kyoto News" section of the editorial department's blog.