Where is Shizuoka?

As we touched on in the previous post, LITTLE LEAF is a Japanese tea brand focused on micro tea farms in Shizuoka.
If you’re reading this, I’m curious—what comes to mind when you hear the word “Shizuoka”?
And how many of you know where it is on the map? Somewhere between Tokyo and Osaka… maybe? (Feel free to tell us in the comments!)

Shizuoka is one of Japan’s larger prefectures, located right in the middle of the country. It’s a place blessed with mountains, rivers, and the sea—nature in all directions. For decades, it proudly held the position of Japan’s No.1 tea-producing region, and even today it remains one of the most well-known origins in the country.

For people who live there, tea isn’t something special. It’s just there—part of everyday life.
Most households have a favorite tea shop, and when the new harvest season arrives, the whole prefecture feels a little excited, like spring is carrying something good with it. Beyond tea, the region is also famous for things like unagi (freshwater eel), mikan oranges, wasabi, hot springs… and of course, Mt. Fuji.

But things are changing. In 2024, Shizuoka’s production volume was overtaken by Kagoshima, making it now the second-largest tea region in Japan. There are many reasons, but one important factor is this: Shizuoka has a higher percentage of small-scale farms.
With aging farmers, fewer successors, and limited land for expansion or mechanization, it’s difficult to compete on volume alone.

However—if you flip that perspective, something beautiful appears.
Shizuoka’s tea is incredibly diverse.
Small-scale farming allows for individuality, careful handwork, and the personality of each grower to come through. Growing methods, aromas, and flavors all vary; once you start learning, you realize there’s an entire world hidden inside each leaf.

Know the farm, know the process, and unearth the tea story.
Through LITTLE LEAF, we hope you’ll discover teas from farmers you rarely meet in everyday life—and that your ippuku time becomes a little richer, a little slower, and a little more your own.