JAPAN - Mount Fuji and tea plantations

JAPAN stamp



Location of MOUNT FUJI in JAPAN

Mount Fuji (富士山, Fuji-san) is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 m. Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains". An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji is just west of Tokyo, and can be seen on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Green tea (緑茶, Ryokucha) is ubiquitous in Japan and therefore is more commonly known simply as "tea" (お茶, ocha). It is even referred to as "Japanese tea" (日本茶, nihoncha) though it was first used in China during the Song Dynasty, and brought to Japan by Myōan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest who also introduced the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used as well as how they are processed. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Yame (八女, yame) region of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Uji region of Kyoto. Shizuoka Prefecture produces 40% of raw tea leaf.

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Postcard sent by Masako, as "hatopoppo"
Private swap - Reference JP007

Mount Fuji, in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures
and tea platations (green tea)