The Garden · 奥八女

Grown in the mist of Oku-Yame.

Yame reaches up the Yabe River valley in southern Fukuoka. In the steep villages of Kuroki, Jōyō, Yabe and Hoshino — Oku-Yame, "deep Yame" — rainfall and a wide day-to-night swing draw mist over the leaf, softening the sun and concentrating the theanine that becomes umami. Gyokuro and tencha are shaded some twenty days before picking.

Sources: Fukuoka Prefecture · Hoshino-mura. "Oku-Yame" is a regional name, not an administrative district.

Where · 八女

Southern Japan, in the hills of Fukuoka.

Yame sits on the island of Kyushu, in the south of Japan — up the Yabe River valley, an hour inland from Fukuoka city.

The finest leaf comes from the four mountain villages of Oku-Yame:

Kuroki · 黒木 Jōyō · 上陽 Yabe · 矢部 Hoshino · 星野

Yame, Fukuoka, Japan · approx. 33.2°N, 130.6°E

A gold seal evoking six centuries of Yame tea heritage.

Heritage · 1423

Six centuries, said to begin in 1423.

Yame tea is traditionally said to date to 1423, when the Zen monk Eirin Shūzui returned from Ming China and gave tea seeds and technique to a landholder at Kasahara, in what is now Kuroki.

The temple he founded, Reiganji, is honoured as the birthplace of Yame tea; in 2023 the region marked 600 years. Every official record presents this as tradition rather than documented fact — so we keep it as a story worth telling.

Sources: Fukuoka Tea Council · City of Yame · MAFF.

The Distinction

25^yrs

Ranked Japan's №1 gyokuro-producing region for twenty-five consecutive years — the Production-Area Award, gyokuro division, 79th National Tea Competition, 2025.

GI-Protected originYame Dentō Hongyokuro · Registered Dec 2015 · MAFF No. 5

Sources: Fukuoka Tea Council — competition record · Fukuoka Prefecture (79th, 2025) · MAFF GI Register No. 5

A vivid bowl of whisked Yame matcha beside a bamboo chasen.

The Leaf

The old way, kept.

In Hoshino the gyokuro gardens are still shaded under wara-ōi — woven rice-straw — and picked by hand, the practices behind the GI-registered "Yame Dentō Hongyokuro."

The GI protects the gyokuro; the same shade-grown care carries into our tencha for matcha, slowly ground on granite stone mills so the powder stays fine and vivid — never dull, never bitter. Yame works across a small family of celebrated cultivars.

SaemidoriOkumidoriGokōSamidoriYabukitaAsatsuyu

Sources: Hoshino-mura · Fukuoka Tea Council · MAFF GI Register.

A commercial tin of Yame ceremonial matcha, made for hospitality service.

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The Tea · For Service

An object, made for your service.

A ceremonial-grade usucha in professional tins for hotels, lounges and fine cafés — a supply line your team can rely on, the same vivid green in every bowl.

GradeCeremonial usucha · single origin
FormatCommercial tins · net weight & case pack per order
Opening orderSmall first orders welcome; scales as you grow
Lead timeIn-stock grades dispatched promptly, door-to-door
SamplesComplimentary to qualified venues, with the spec sheet
DocumentationResidual-pesticide analysis & certificate of origin (EN)

At premium hospitality, a bowl's cost is a fraction of its menu price — so the room chooses on provenance, consistency and story, never on price.

For Buyers

Why beverage directors choose Yame.

A region with a record

№1 gyokuro-producing area for 25 consecutive years (79th, 2025) — provenance you can verify.

Legally protected

"Yame Dentō Hongyokuro" is a Geographical Indication (2015) — a wine appellation, enforced by Japan's MAFF.

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Built for hospitality

Stone-milled for an even, vivid pour and packed for service — the same taste in every tin.

Now onboarding founding North American accounts — hotels, lounges, restaurants and high-end cafés.

For Buyers · Practical

Importing, simply answered.

Who handles import, customs and FDA?

We can ship DDP — duties, customs and door-to-door delivery handled — or work with your nominated importer of record. US food imports are covered by FDA food-facility registration and prior notice, managed by us or your customs broker. Tell us your city and we'll confirm the cleanest route.

What documentation do you provide?

In English: residual-pesticide analysis, certificate of origin, and an allergen / specification sheet. Additional certificates (radiation, organic where applicable) on request, so the tea passes your venue's onboarding and food-safety review.

How is it packed, and what is the shelf life?

Matcha is light- and air-sensitive, so it ships sealed in commercial tins; store cool, dry and away from light. Each tin is best-before dated. We can advise par levels so your service always pours fresh, vivid green.

Minimum order and lead times?

Small opening orders are welcome — we'd rather start you right than oversell. In-stock grades dispatch promptly; reorders ship from Japan via our Saga logistics partner. Exact case packs and timing are confirmed with your quote.

Payment and terms?

A proforma invoice on the opening order, with terms by arrangement thereafter. Incoterms typically DDP for a turnkey experience, or EXW / FOB if you prefer to run your own freight.

Correspondence

Request an introduction.

For hotels, lounges, restaurants and high-end cafés in North America. Tell us about your service and we'll send grade details and a sample.

Direct: wholesale@matchayame.com
Supplied by: [Your Company Name] — exporter of single-origin Yame tea
Origin: Grown in Yame, Fukuoka · exported via our Saga logistics partner

Japan's most awarded gyokuro region.

A single hillside in Fukuoka, in a tin made for the rooms that ask for the very best.