In Photos: Farmer preserves Japanese hand-processed tea culture in Akita Pref.

Keiko Kajiwara hand-rolls tea leaves in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

A set of one bud and two young leaves, or "isshin niyo," essential for producing the highest-grade green teas such as those made from the first harvest, is seen at the Kajiwara tea farm in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara, right, and her husband handpick tea leaves at the Kajiwara tea farm in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara handpicks tea leaves at the Kajiwara tea farm in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Naoko Okamoto picks tea leaves at the Kajiwara tea farm in Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. She works here on Saturdays as a government-backed "Local Vitalization Cooperator." (Satoshi Takahashi)

A set of one bud and two leaves sprout on the Kajiwara tea farm in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

A sign proclaiming "Hiyama-cha" as "the tea from the northern limit" is seen at the Kajiwara tea farm in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara and Naoko Okamoto shake and drop tea leaves, part of the hand processing for green tea, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara's supporters join in the hand-processing to make green tea, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara rolls tea leaves lightly on a heated work table, part of the hand-processing for green tea, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara, left, and Koki Suzuki roll tea leaves hard on a heated work table, part of the hand-processing for green tea, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

This image shows the hands of Keiko Kajiwara, who hand-processes green tea in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara rolls green tea leaves with her hands and drops them onto a heated work table, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara mixes and rolls tea leaves on a heated work table, part of the hand-processing for green tea, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

Keiko Kajiwara dries leaves, part of the hand-processing for green tea, in the Hiyama district of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. (Satoshi Takahashi)

"Hiyama-cha" tea leaves are left to dry on a heated work table in the city of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 10, 2021. The elaborately hand-rolled leaves resemble thin needles. (Satoshi Takahashi)