Professor Lee Jolliffe, a leading academic on the topic of tea tourism, visited Ikedoki Tea last January (2025).
Professor Lee has published many articles on tea tourism and sustainable development, including being one of the leading authors on the Routledge Handbook of Tea Tourism. Professor Lee has been cheering on our project since the very beginning and it was an honour to finally welcome her to Ikedoki Tea. She has been so very kind to share her experience of our tea tour as a guest blog.

Guest Blog – A Visit to Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea
Author: Lee Jolliffe
Over the years for my research on tea tourism I have had many tea experiences in countries in
Asia, including Japan, Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and South Korea. It’s always magical to
visit tea producing areas, and to be with the tea, seeing the tea fields and tasting tea where it is
produced. I have had a few iconic tea experiences and my recent custom tea tour with Nagasaki
Ikedoki Tea will rate as one of my favourite visits.
On our tea tour we visited an over 300 year old tea tree at Ureshino, believed to have been
planted by the father of Ureshino tea, Shinbei Yoshimura. The tree is a natural monument and
local landmark. It was in a lovely rural setting, with the area surrounded by working tea fields.
Next, we visited a tea field in Higashisongi, tasting the delicious winter hojicha (produced from
these fields by Tozaka Chaen) that our tour leader and guide Marjolein Raijmakers had kindly
prepared. This was really welcome as we visited in early January and the weather was cool so
the tea was warming. Already by this stage of the tour I knew that I would soon be planning
visits to see the tea area in other seasons. After this we stopped for a lovely lunch featuring
local produce at a charming café nearby.
Then onto Ikedoki House for a tea presentation, and an expansive tasting of the teas from
different producers, ranging from green teas (tamaryokucha, special to this area), to black teas
(wakocha) and roasted ones (bohojicha). There was even a locally produced matcha (Forthees).
We learned that this region is a hidden tea area, for the tea from here is auctioned off at
Ureshino in Saga prefecture, so for the most part the origin of the tea disappears. Perhaps this
will change as Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea’s Matsumoto Yasuharu (also co-fouder at Kyoto Obobu Tea
Farms and Global Japanese Tea Association) works with producers to make the tea better
known. Last year Marjolein did several tours to Europe, attending tea festivals and giving
workshops to promote the areas tea to international customers.
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to purchase some of the teas, especially the
tamaryokucha (Ikeda Chaen). I feel so fortunate to get the tea at source, and to be able to
share it with others when I return home. It seems to taste better with knowledge of the tea’s
origin and producers. The tea can be ordered through the web site (https://ikedokitea.com/)
which welcomes wholesale orders. This is also where you can book your standard (half day) or
custom in-person or virtual tea tour, or learn when their next European product tour will be.
Our final activity on this custom tea tour was to visit another tea field at sunset. A similar image
is featured by Nasgasaki Ikedoki Tea on the website, but being there in person was even better,
strolling the path through the tea fields overlooking the sea at sunset. It does not get better
than this in terms of a tea sightseeing experience. I can highly recommend a visit to Nagasaki
Ikedoki Tea for a tour in English.





