Shikoku Tea Map

Shikoku Tea Map:

Since I began doing my ‘subscription box’ which is not a subscription… due to lack of eCommerce skills… I’ve had to double down on making educational content. There is such a poor selection of resources regarding tea geography in general that I often have to make my own maps.

Shikoku is the smallest of Japan’s 4 main islands. It is the birthplace of 3 famous teas, Goishicha, Awabancha, and Tosa bancha, as well as a few lesser known ones. This map is about as good as it gets in English folks, I did my best. It isn’t perfect, but I hope you find value in it.

I visited Shikoku in April 2024 for almost a month of solo hiking on a path called ‘Shikoku Henro’ or ‘The Shikoku Pilgrimage’ which can be watched on my youtube page, here is a link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWtM9gAca1M&list=PLzWreHopjJbzu7Gq-E2-58oNh9hvVGrGj

I was surprised during my walks at the lack of tea cultivation. I saw planted tea once for sure, but maybe twice in my entire trip. I walked though a vast amount of countryside, farmland, and mountains. Awabancha, probably the most significant of all Shikoku teas isn’t really seen anywhere except at the odd ryokan trying to give its guests a special Shikoku experience. It was sad really.