IN JAPANESE TEA-LANDS 63 



it is a signiticant fact that the bulk of Japanese tcaa 

 for homo consumption arc prepared by the old-fa«hioned 

 hand method. It is interesting to note that tliose arti«t« 

 in hfe, the Japanese, not only uphold by force of example 

 the argument that machinery tends to impair tho 

 quality of tca-lcaves, but oven when there is business 

 at stake they do not suppress their private opinion 

 on this point. In a booklet published as recently as 

 191 1 by the " Japan Central Tea Traders Association," 

 written in Knglish, and addressed from their head- 

 quarters at Tokyo to tea drijikers in general, and to 

 their best customers, the Americans, in particular, 

 the '* peculiar characteristics and strong points of Japan 

 Tea in preference to all other kinds of tea " are sum- 

 marized in a most persua^^ive manner. Herein we are 

 told that " the most modern methods of manufacture 

 by specially designed machinery succeed in retaining 

 the natural aroma of Japan Tea '' ; but a little further 

 on we come across this equally emphatic and somewhat 

 conflicting statement : *' The Japanese have been 

 acknowledged born experts in hanclicrafts from ancient 

 times. Japan Teas as first exported to America were 

 the prtxluct of .'^killed handicraft, and although modern 

 machinery methods have supplanted to a large extent 

 the old hand manufacture, the so-called ' spider legs ' 

 still exported, and ' mnlcha ' (powdered tea) and 

 *gyok'uro' (dew drops) mostly for home consumption, 

 represent the most artistic pro<luction of the tea-leaf." 

 The total amount of tea exported by Japan in IIM I 

 was 32,ls7,5"Ji kin— a kin is equal to 1 .'ll'i! lbs. avoir- 

 dupois. The area under tea cultivation is about 

 40,221 cho — a cho is equal to 24.') acres. 



