Uji: Best Things to Do
SIGHTSEEING
Uji is also famous for its green tea. Located in the green valley south of Kyoto, Uji is a beautiful city with a number of stunning historical sites on the banks of the swiftly flowing Uji-gawa River. Most of these locations like Uji City Botanical Park can be easily visited in one day. The 20-minute train journey from Kyoto, Uji has two main stations, JR Uji and Keihan Uji, but for the purpose of our walking tour, Keihan Station offers better access to the sites we want to visit.
Uji City Botanical Park
DOWNTOWN
South of Kyoto is Uji, a small town famous for green tea, a World Heritage site, and its relationship to the Tale of Genji the world's first novel. You can start your day by visiting Mimuroto Temple in the downtown, offering a fresh air with gardens around it. Numerous other places can be visit throughout the city and you can take your time to stop off several places.
Mimuroto Temple
SHOPPING
Ikkyudo is a small tiny yet interesting place to visit. If you're looking for items to buy in Uji, this gift shop is the great choice to stop. You can get variety of handicrafts and gifts to buy before leaving the city.
Ikkyudo
FOOD & DRINK
In Uji, you can try various dishes. You can enjoy various types of green tea along with various desserts. One very popular item is jelly namacha (fresh tea), which many people use to visit their shops. Matcha ice cream here as well as hoji cha (roasted tea) ice cream are also highly recommended. Note that you may need to wait 30 minutes on weekdays and 60-90 minutes on weekends for you to sit down.
CULTURE
Just like any other cities in Japan, Uji is a small city in Kyoto with Japanese is the language spoken. If you speak English, you can merely find people who can speak broken English.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
During April, May and October, you will most likely experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures between 20 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius.
RESTAURANT
Tatsumiya is a tarditional Japanese restaurant in Uji with variety of cuisines served. The Japanese tea, matcha and other menus can be tried at this restaurant. You can also visit another restaurant Nakamura Tokichi Byodo-in, one of favorite in Uji. Its green tea is the popular and the foods are always having long waiting line. Yet, it is worth to try.
TATSUMIYA
Nakamura Tokichi Byodo-in
HOTEL
The informal Uji Cha-gan-ju-tei House in a residential area is an 8-minute walk from the Uji train station. And it is a 9-minute walk from the beautiful 10th-century Byōdō-in Buddhist Temple, and 2 km from the 11th-century Ujigami Shinto Shrine. Uji Daiichi Hotel is 9-minute walk from Uji train station, this direct hotel is close to casual restaurants, an 8-minute walk from Byōdō-in temple and 11 km from Fushimi Inari-taisha temple. Comfortable and simply decorated rooms have free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV and mini-fridge, as well as tea and coffee making facilities.
Uji Cha-gan-ju-tei House
Uji Daiichi Hotel
CAFE
Fukujuen Café Uji is Japanese tea specialty cafe on the banks of the Uji River. There is a seating terrace on the first floor, where you can feel the breeze, and table settings on the second floor. GOCHIO Cafe provides sweets and drinks using Matcha from the "Shimizuya tea plantations" which follow for generations in Uji. In addition, you can enjoy "Matcha espresso" with Matcha steamed and dry tea houses in UJI CITY in sequence every month in turn.
Fukujuen Café Uji
GOCHIO Cafe
BAR AND NIGHTLIFE
cafe&bar Miltons Kyoto is one of the bars that you must visit while in or around Kyoto. Decorated with Milton's paintings, he is a very talented artist and his work is displayed throughout the bar. From paintings, sculpture and even menus. KYOTO STYLE BAR SUIPON (BAR酔先) is a Japanese style bar with lots of Japanese whiskey, sake, beer, syoucyu, plum wine, liquor, and lots of Japanese delici items. You can enjoy Japanese nightlife. This bar is in the famous traditional Kyoto city-pontocho.
cafe&bar Miltons Kyoto
KYOTO STYLE BAR SUIPON (BAR酔先)
INTERESTING PLACE
The Tale of Genji is known as a masterpiece in classical Japanese literature, it depicts the story of a very handsome man and his love relationships in the Heian era, with the last 10 chapters taking place in Uji. The museum offers explanations, films and interactive games available in English, so it is fun to experience the glamorous world of Genji. The Suntory Yamazaki Distillery is the first and oldest malt whiskey refinery in Japan, founded in 1923 by Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii. Yamazaki Distillery is the birthplace of Japanese whiskey. Located proudly on the outskirts of Kyoto, this region was formerly referred to as "Minaseno", where one of the purest waters in Japan originated.
Tale of Genji Museum
Suntory Yamazaki Distillery
INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOT
Ujigami Shrine (宇 治 上 神社, Ujigami Jinja) is believed to be the oldest temple standing in Japan. Although there is no official record when it was first built, experts estimate that the Ujigami Temple was established in 1060. It is closely related to the Byodoin Temple as a "protective temple." The Byodoin Temple (平等 院, Byōdōin) is a striking example of the architecture of the Buddhist Holy Land (Jodo). Together with the park, the temple represents Heaven Pure Land and influences further temple development. Byodoin was originally built in 998 as a rural retreat villa for the powerful politician Fujiwara no Michinaga, not as a temple.
Byodoin
Ujigami Shrine
