A calm day wandering the historic area of Uji

A calm day wandering the historic area of Uji

Today we’re headed to Uji, about 40 min from Kyoto. Uji is known for their high quality green tea, especially matcha. It also holds a lot of significance historically so we’re excited to spend the day in Uji! The train ride to Uji is very scenic. It must be gorgeous in the fall! We arrived in Uji at around 9:40am Our first stop was Nakamura Tokichi Honten Teahouse. There was already a line forming before they opened at 10am! Nakamura Tokichi Honten was established in 1854. In addition to a cafe, they also have a large store in front We waited for a table by their beautiful garden. The wait was short because we were part of the first wave of people seated. After they sat us, they brought over some kabuse-cha to start. We both ordered the Matcha Tea Jelly set with koicha. The matcha jelly was super refreshing and paired well with the strong koicha. Koicha is a thicker, more concentrated version of enjoying matcha. We usually drink Usucha at home, a lighter and frothier way to prepare matcha. We were so energized after drinking and eating all of that matcha haha Hands are literally shaking I feel like I could run a marathon Checking out their store to pick up some matcha & treats We also tried some of their green teas. This is what we ended up purchasing! The old cameras caught our eyes! Shops lined the main road so we peeked inside some of them. This little grocer caught our attention so we walked in. We didn’t buy matcha but we did buy sesame dressing for the low! haha The main road started to get a little busy so we took a turn onto a more peaceful road. Headed towards Byodoin Temple There’s a small admission fee of ¥700 to enter This temple was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Japan National Treasure. Byōdō-in is a Buddhist temple originally built in 998 as a rural villa. In 1052, it was turned into a temple by Fujiwara no Yorimichi and they constructed the incredible Amida-dō (Phoenix Hall) in 1053. Phoenix Hall sits in the middle of a pond with a pair of phoenixes on the roof top. It is one of the few original wooden structures to survive from the Heian Period and it’s actually featured on the back of the Japanese ten yen coin. Byōdō-in also holds significance as the place where the Battle of Uji took place in 1180 which famously began the Genpei War that resulted in the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate. The temple grounds are beautiful and designed as a loop to walk around. We also visited the Hoshokan Museum which houses the 52 Bodhisattva statues that originally hung inside Phoenix Hall as well as colorful paintings and artifacts from Byōdō-in. The museum didn’t allow cameras inside. You can also view the other temples that were built after Phoenix Hall. There’s an additional ¥300 fee to see the interior of Phoenix Hall. We didn’t end up going inside but it is known to be very colorful and intricate. The whole area is lined with matcha and tea shops! We noticed this shop milling matcha with stone mills gachapan time! We started to get hungry so we stopped into a restaurant for lunch. We saw a menu outside and it looked decent so we checked it out. We had a beautiful view of the Uji River large tatami room Matcha soba with tempura The hot green tea was so comforting on this chilly day. The food was decent but we didn’t mind because we were so hungry! It was nice to rest our legs and enjoy this peaceful view. We also checked out the oldest tea house in Japan, Tsuen Chaya, which dates back to 1160. This teahouse offered tea to passerby and served as bridge guardians (shugoshoku) of Uji Bridge. We had such an incredible day in Uji but now it’s time to head back to Kyoto. There are still a lot of places here we would love to visit but we prefer to travel slower instead of “checking off boxes” off of a bucketlist. We’re already looking forward to visiting again in the future.

As a matcha lover for most of my life, it was a no brainer to visit Uji in Japan, known for its rich historical significance in tea culture, high quality tea leaves, and home to the oldest tea shop in Japan. Located near Kyoto and surrounded by scenic nature, Uji also holds an important place in Japanese history and literature with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and some of the oldest temples in Japan.

Join us on our three week trip around Japan: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL55FjY44qRX_jkLEiBNW-i564UG_sab__

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Places we mentioned:
Nakamura Tokichi Honten (Main Store) https://maps.app.goo.gl/PF5X9rLGvZ3DaDwW7
Natsuka Grocer https://maps.app.goo.gl/TKixHcBeZW791L3w7
Byōdō-in Temple https://maps.app.goo.gl/RJLxFiMgFv2wCBme6
丸吉（Marukichi) https://maps.app.goo.gl/AbUkdMeJTEWTMdMx9
Yamadaen Tea Stall https://maps.app.goo.gl/sHaNjyM9F7eCbNSp7
京料理 宇治川 https://maps.app.goo.gl/qBKrZzZrr84tXKhs6
Tsuen Chaya Main Branch 通圓本店 https://maps.app.goo.gl/sugutzaW28iCH4Un8

00:00 – Train to Uji 🍵
02:16 – Matcha at Nakamura Tokichi Honten
04:35 – walking around & shopping
05:36 – Byōdō-in Temple
07:45 – tea shops & stonemilled matcha
09:32 – Lunch by Uji River
10:44 – Oldest teahouse in Japan
11:58 – Next stop: Kyoto!

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#japantravel #uji #kyoto #matcha