【FIELDWORK CLUB】CHAYAMA REVITALIZATION

In a remote village in the mountains of Kyoto, there is evidence that this micro-region was once a vital tea-producing hub where community, food, cultivation, and forest, all coexisted. 

We call this place “Chayama”, tea mountain, and not tea farm, as our interest lies in realizing a bio-diverse forest where tea, bamboo, hinoki cypress, sansho pepper, persimmons, yuzu, wild boar, deer, and all other living things intermingle.

We have been bestowed stewardship of approximately one hectare. Engaging in a multi-year undertaking to reassess and program a chayama that is truly sustainable for generations to come.

The aim of this project is to activate the mountain village through regenerative utilization and to leverage its resources and ecosystem as an interactive educational tool toward place-based learning. We’ve begun pruning tea trees that have gone rouge over the decades to let more light into the forest floor and reignite the earth, identified natural waterways, and secured relationships with the local community and government agencies necessary to execute upcoming  work.

On site is also a 150 year old farmhouse and three earthen warehouses which will be repurposed or reconstructed as workroom and educational facilities.

Our approach goes beyond mere preservation. We focus on active stewardship, and conduct ongoing fieldwork and application.

Wild tea leaves foraged from this Chayama Revitalization Project are leveraged to experiment with tea dyed Workwear. 

As part of our Fieldwork Club initiative, we are revitalizing this tea mountain with members of our local community. To learn more about how your organization can help support local activation initiatives like these, please contact us via the form below. We are seeking partners who are passionate about land restoration and the sustainable utilization of tea.

To learn more about how your organization can help support out activities, please contact via the form below.