Bozuhara Pilot Tea Garden
The Bozuhara Pilot Tea Garden is a tea farm located along the Kyushu Olle Ureshino Course from which the plantation can be viewed against a picturesque mountain backdrop. This is the only spot on the Ureshino Course where, on a clear day, hikers can see the nearby Ariake Sea.
The name Bozuhara, which literally means “bald field,” reflects the barren aspect of the land before it was converted into a tea farm. Previously, the land was thought not suitable for cultivation and left empty and undeveloped. The city of Ureshino decided to purchase the land and convert it into a tea farm. Ureshino now operates the farm as a pilot program, hence the name.
Challenges Past and Present
In the early stages of developing the farm, the city faced unforeseen challenges. Wild boars living in the nearby hills regularly uprooted the tea plants and damaged the fields, preventing a good harvest. A current problem is acquiring and retaining staff. Due to a shortage of local residents interested in tea farming, the city can only muster a workforce for the first harvest of ichibancha. The tea plants must be regularly maintained, but with a shortage of workers, some plants become overgrown. Despite these challenges, however, the ichibancha of Bozuhara is of the same high quality expected of all Ureshino tea.