The 2013 World Tea Festival was celebrated with great fanfare in Japan.

Appearing at the World Tea Festival held this month is a myriad of different tea-making utensils, from Japanese earthenware teapots to English bone china tea sets, from samovars that have become familiar images in Russian novels to delicate Turkish teacups.

At tea tasting events, Japanese tea experts introduce visitors to a wide variety of teas with rich flavors, grown on the hillsides of Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan, some as expensive as 300,000 yen per kilogram (approximately $1,500). The most exceptional tea is meticulously produced by the Kakegawa Jonan Tea Industry Federation, requiring 50 workers per day to harvest just 4 kilograms of fresh tea buds.

In addition, visitors can enjoy the "tea ceremony" culture, deeply rooted in Japanese tradition, from the movements of the tea maker's hands to the manner of drinking tea, and even the colors of the accompanying pastries hold symbolic meaning. Today, green tea, chosen by millions of Japanese people, has become a popular beverage in homes and offices, and is bottled and sold in many stores.

Tea is a vital industry in Shizuoka Prefecture, with an economic value of 44 billion yen (approximately 444 million USD). Tea plants have been cultivated there for nearly 800 years, supporting approximately 15,000 farmers and 800 businesses, providing 100,000 jobs. Shizuoka's tea production meets 40% of the needs of Japan's 128 million people. However, like farmers in other sectors, tea growers face numerous challenges.

Tea expert Hidehiro Inagaki said that three years ago, Shizuoka suffered a 60% loss in its tea harvest due to a sudden drop in temperature that prevented the tea buds from opening. Farmers there had to install heaters along the paths on the tea hills to keep the plants warm.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, radioactive clouds from the plant spread to many areas and affected tea plantations in Japan. At least 162 kg of dried tea were seized at an airport in Paris, France, after being found to contain levels of radiation exceeding safety regulations.

Currently, the Tea Research Institute of Japan is still testing tea plantation soil samples for potential radiation contamination.

The Thanh