Experience Uji’s tea culture through a traditional tea ceremony and a guided walk connecting the city’s shrines, temples, tea merchants, and riverside landscape. Designed by a Japanese tour organizer who has lived in Uji for over 30 years, this tour reveals why Uji developed into one of Japan’s renowned tea-producing regions.

Begin in a traditional tea room with a professional tea ceremony instructor trained in the Urasenke tradition. Learn how to prepare, receive, and appreciate matcha while discovering the meaning behind the utensils, movements, etiquette, and spirit of hospitality. The matcha served during the experience is included.

Continue to a historic teahouse founded in 1160, then visit Ujigami Shrine in the peaceful forest beside the Uji River. Your trained professional guide explains how religion, aristocratic life, natural spring water, and the surrounding landscape helped Uji’s tea culture develop.

Walk through the historic tea merchant district to UNESCO-listed Byodoin Temple. Explore the temple grounds and museum while learning about the art, politics, and spiritual beliefs of the Heian Period. Admission to the temple grounds and museum is included. Entry to the interior of Phoenix Hall requires a separate timed ticket, is subject to same-day availability, and cannot be guaranteed.

The tour ends at Byodoin Temple. If time permits, your guide can also recommend long-established matcha shops and traditional tea-utensil stores familiar to local residents.