Japanese Matcha Regions
Uji, Nishio, Yame, Kagoshima and Shizuoka, and what a region name does and does not tell you.
Five areas come up most often on matcha labels. Each has its own growing conditions and traditions.
- UjiKyoto PrefectureHistorically Japan's foremost tea region, known for gyokuro and tencha.
- NishioAichi PrefectureKnown for regional matcha brands promoted for export.
- YameFukuoka PrefectureA tea area in Fukuoka, in northern Kyushu. Fukuoka makes the most gyokuro in Japan.
- KagoshimaKagoshima PrefectureSouthern Kyushu. It ranks second among Japan's tea-producing prefectures.
- ShizuokaShizuoka PrefectureJapan's top tea-producing prefecture.
General descriptions, not a quality ranking. Any of these areas can make fine or ordinary matcha.
What A Region Name Tells You
A region name tells you where the tea was grown. It does not by itself tell you how good the powder is, because quality also depends on the cultivar, shading, harvest and milling.
Watch For Drink Names
Be careful with a region used only as a drink name, such as “Uji Matcha” on a menu. That may describe a flavor, not an origin. When a cafe tells us its region, we record it with the source. When it does not, we write “Not published.”
Next: How To Order Matcha
Sources
Read 2026-10-23. Our summaries are in our own words. Spot an error? Tell us.