Green tea growers in western Japan have begun harvesting the season's first tea leaves, a week earlier than usual.

In Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, farmers cultivate tea plants in mountainous areas, where temperatures fluctuate throughout the day. The Uji Tea grown in southern Kyoto has centuries of history.

Farmer Yamazaki Tokukazu began picking tea leaves in his more than 50-hectare field on Tuesday.

He first removed black nets that had covered his plants to shield them from sunlight, a method that improves the flavor of his tea.

Yamazaki then used a machine to pick fresh, green tea leaves.
He said the tea will be tasty, as temperatures have risen and fallen sharply during the day, aided by plentiful rainfall since the beginning of April.

Yamazaki said it was the earliest harvest of his long career. He said he hopes many people will enjoy tea from his area.