"On the eighty eighth night, summer is approaching, we can see women picking tea in fields････ ". "Tya-tsumi", tea picking song, is also well-known children's hand-play song in Japan. As a child, my friends and I sang this song and did the clapping hand-play everywhere.

　　 According to the traditional Japanese calender, "Rissyun", first day of Spring, is Feburary 4th(the exact date changes every year). Eighty-eigh nights later, May 2nd is the best time for picking tea.

　　 There are several kinds of teas in Japan: Sencha(green tea) and Bancha(coarse tea) are the most common types served se the home, while matcha(finely powdered green tea) is served in the tea ceremony. Tea is a big industry and there are many tea fields in Japan.
　　 Traditionally, women wore Kimonos with red cords and half-moon shaped straw hats. They sang the song of 88th night while picking tea leaves. This traditional scene caputres the charm of early summer in old Japan.

　　 Shizuoka prefecture is famous for tea. It is my husband's hometown, and everytime I visited with him, I was moved by the beauty of tea fields. The colour of tea leaves are deep green. Thick and brilliant dark green leaves extend as far as the eye can see under the clear blue sky. In my mind, I see the red cords and Kimonos bobbing in the deep green fields. In May, you can see the crassic beauty of green tea covering the rolling hills.