Japan Matcha Market Updates

Yame Leaf Tea Decline: What Matcha Buyers Should Watch

Sep 17 2026

The Yame leaf tea decline reported in September 2026 highlights an important change behind Japan’s international matcha boom. In Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the amount of tencha handled by the local tea trading center increased by approximately 50% from the previous year, while leaf tea such as gyokuro decreased by approximately 10%. For cafes, importers, and matcha wholesale buyers, these figures show why procurement decisions should consider developments across the wider Japanese tea market rather than matcha availability alone.

The report describes strong overseas interest in Japanese matcha. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data cited in the article, the export value of powdered tea to markets including Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia increased approximately sevenfold over six years. Yame City also recorded 2.36 times as many foreign visitor stays in 2025 as in the previous year. Its rate of increase ranked first in Kyushu and fourth nationwide.

Yame Leaf Tea Decline in 2026

Yame is presented in the report as a major tea-producing area with a strong reputation for gyokuro. The city has won the top national prize for gyokuro at tea competitions for 25 consecutive years. Gyokuro is a leaf tea brewed by steeping rather than powdering.

Against this background, more farmers are shipping their harvested tea leaves as tencha in response to the matcha boom. Tencha means tea leaves shipped for matcha production. In 2026, the Yame tea trading center handled approximately 50% more tencha than in the previous year. During the same period, its handling of leaf tea, including gyokuro, fell by approximately 10%.

The report also notes that sales of bottled and other ready-to-drink green tea beverages have continued to increase, and major beverage companies have moved to secure tea leaves. According to the article, the combination of rising tencha production and demand from beverage manufacturers has reduced the amount of leaf tea reaching the market and contributed to higher leaf tea prices.

Why Tencha Growth Matters to Matcha Wholesale Buyers

The increase in tencha may appear positive for companies seeking wholesale matcha from Japan. However, the report shows that the effects are not limited to matcha. Changes in how producers sell their tea can affect the availability and pricing of gyokuro and other products traditionally sold as loose-leaf tea.

Koga Seicha Honpo, a Yame tea company with more than 100 years of history, told the broadcaster that auction prices had risen sharply since the previous year. Chairman Yusuke Koga said buyers who need tea must bid at higher prices to obtain it. He also explained that increased procurement costs made it difficult to continue supplying established customers at previous price levels.

This pressure is occurring while household consumption of leaf tea is decreasing, according to the government survey cited in the report. The article particularly notes lower consumption among younger people. Koga said it had become difficult to supply supermarkets at prices that ordinary consumers could easily afford, with some stores displaying only expensive tea or removing their tea shelves entirely.

Practical Planning for Matcha Wholesale

From the practical perspective of Matcha Wholesale Japan, the most important signal is the divergence between tea categories within one production area. A 50% increase in tencha handled in Yame does not mean that every Japanese tea product is becoming easier to source. The same trading center simultaneously recorded an approximately 10% decline in leaf tea volume.

In our export work, this supports treating each product, specification, quantity, and delivery window separately. Buyers should avoid asking only whether “Japanese tea” or “matcha” is available. A more useful purchasing discussion identifies the exact product required, expected order quantity, desired shipment period, and the length of time for which a quotation or supply allocation remains valid.

Separate forecasts by product: Do not combine matcha, gyokuro, and other leaf teas into one general tea forecast.
Share expected usage early: Cafes should communicate anticipated monthly requirements before finalizing menus or promotions.
Confirm the supply period: Ask whether the proposed quantity covers one shipment or multiple scheduled shipments.
Check quotation validity: The reported rise in auction and procurement prices makes the applicable period of each quotation an important commercial term.
Avoid assuming a nationwide shortage: The figures in the report relate specifically to tea handled by the Yame City tea trading center.

For a cafe buying from a matcha supplier in Japan, a practical approach would be to prepare a base forecast and a higher-demand forecast, then discuss both with the supplier. This does not guarantee availability or pricing, but it gives both parties a clearer basis for discussing quantities, shipment timing, and possible adjustments. The recommendation is a procurement response to the volatility described in Yame, not a claim that the report proves a nationwide matcha shortage.

Protecting Leaf Tea Alongside Matcha

The pressure on leaf tea is also affecting tea-related businesses. Tokyo Shoko Research data cited in the article shows that bankruptcies, business closures, and dissolutions among tea-related companies in Kyushu and Okinawa totaled 20 during 2025. This was the highest combined number recorded over the previous 10 years.

Koga Seicha Honpo is responding by developing tea bags made with leaf tea and pursuing certifications required to sell these products overseas. The company began strengthening its matcha product development in 2026, including matcha powder and dedicated shakers, while also emphasizing the importance of preserving the culture of preparing and drinking everyday green tea.

Chairman Koga expressed concern about maintaining Yame’s traditional hon-gyokuro, which uses a method distinctive to the region and is highly regarded in Japan. The report therefore presents the matcha boom as both an opportunity and a challenge: stronger international demand supports new products, while changes in tea-leaf distribution place pressure on established leaf tea categories and the businesses that depend on them.

For Japanese matcha wholesale buyers, the immediate lesson is to plan at product level and communicate demand before purchasing deadlines. Monitoring matcha alone may not provide a complete picture of supplier conditions when producers, leaf-tea companies, beverage manufacturers, and matcha businesses are sourcing from the same broader tea-producing economy.