IRUMA, Saitama -- The tea-picking season has just arrived in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, known as a production area for sayama tea.
The harvest began at the end of April in a tea field owned by Yuji Shimizu, 60, chairman of the city's association for tea producers. To prevent infections with the new coronavirus, pickers wore gloves and kept their distance from one another and were seen sanitizing their hands while plucking tea leaves on Saturday.
"This year, some tea producers were unable to secure pickers, likely leaving their fields unharvested as a result. That's really unfortunate because the tea leaves grew well, with a good taste and smell, due to the warm winter and lots of rain," Shimizu said.
The tea-picking season will reach its peak after the Golden Week holiday period.
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