IN JAPANESE TEA-LANDS 61 



irons elTccts on the tctt-trade of .Japan aw on that of 

 China. 



Thci'hit'f tea-pitMhii inj;(Ui<tri<tsarcShizui»ka, — which 

 contains rather more than one fifth of the whole acreage 

 under tea in Japan, — Miye, Ibaragi, Kyoto. Kumamoto, 

 and Fukuoka. 



The tea-plant is cultivate<l on large farms, some of 

 which are of a size that entitles them to the more digni- 

 fie<l name of " plantation."* and on small plots of ^ntund 

 in connection with homesteads, (lenerally speaking, 

 the favourite site for a tea-farm is on the lower slopes 

 of the hills ; but there are some very good plantations, 

 notably the celebrated Uji tea-gardens, on the plains. 



When first we land on Japanese shores, it seems to us 

 that a Western civilization is doing its best to make 

 us feel '* at home." lUit as we get further and further 

 away from town life, and penetrate into the heart of the 

 country we discover " Old Japan." Wandering amidst 

 the tea-lands, and mixing with the country folk who 

 tend the tea, wc are brought under the fascination of 

 the land which isworld-renowned for its power to charm. 

 True, there are up to-datc factory buildings to remind 

 us that the spirit of progress has a widespread influence ; 

 but the outstanding features of our surroundings are 

 artistic rather than commercial. Indeed, we ar© 

 tempted to ignore the factories as insignificant, and 

 thereby do Japan a great injustice, so greedy are we 

 to feast on the enjoyment that is provided by the 

 magnififent hill scenery, by the sa< red .N!ount " Fuji." 

 by fairy-like btiildingH dotted aborit rural slo|X's and 

 plains amidst an atmosphere that is ehargc>il with 

 romance, and by the habits, customs and picturesque 

 national costumes of the quaint little Japs. 



