In Ishidera, Wazuka Town, Kyoto Prefecture, where tea plantations spread all over the mountainside, Yukie Yano (44 years old) runs Wazukaya, a shop that specializes in tea soba noodles made with tea grown in Wazuka Town. This is an old folk house built about 150 years ago, and there are seats inside that overlook the tea plantation. During the spring tea-picking season, this popular shop attracts more than 50 people during lunch hours.
She is from Osaka Prefecture, and about five years ago she moved to Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture. She visits the tea plantations almost every week, and she says with a laugh that she is ''soothed by the greenery.'' However, she was concerned about the lack of restaurants as she visited many times, and she thought, ''Maybe there should be more places where you can fill your stomach after seeing the beautiful scenery.'' She started thinking.
We opened in February 2021 as a soba making experience shop because we wanted to do something using local tea. Later, in response to customer requests, the restaurant began serving lunch in May 2022.
She was particular about tea soba. Sencha made by a local farmer is used in two different types of powder with different coarseness. The trial production was repeated more than 10 times by changing the amount of flour and mixture to achieve the ideal flavor. She is particularly proud of the amount of sencha, saying, ''I've put a lot of effort into it.'' The set, which can be enjoyed with Kujo green onions and grated yam, is the most popular menu item, with customers commenting that ''you can enjoy the taste of tea.''
After the opening, my impression of Wazuka Town changed. Some local residents bring shishito peppers and sweet potatoes, which they sometimes use in assorted vegetable tempura. ''There are a lot of people who care about the store.I feel like the people are really kind,'' she says with a smile.
In the fall of 2023, we will set up shelves inside the store and begin selling roasted green tea and Japanese black tea made by tea farmers in Wazuka Town. There is no listing fee. ''Customers come to us because we have tea plantations and specialty tea. That's why we're able to open a shop here,'' he says, never forgetting his gratitude to the region.
Lunch tickets and soba making experience are return gifts for the town's hometown tax. ''I hope that by getting them interested in the store, I can get them to come to Wazuka.I would be happy if I could contribute even just a little bit to the town.''
