Byodoin Omote Sando

Byodo-in Omotesando is a historic shopping street located about a 10-minute walk from JR Uji Station and just after crossing Uji Bridge from Keihan Uji Station. Filled with the aroma of tea and Uji’s local specialties, it is a great place to experience Uji’s tea culture. Lined with long-established tea shops such as Itohkyuemon founded in 1832, Nakamura Tokichi founded in 1854, and Izuen Meicha Honpo founded in 1624, you can not only taste signature teas but also enjoy matcha sweets that have become popular in recent years. At Mitsuboshien Kambayashi Sannyu Honten, founded in the Tensho era, you can also join a matcha-making experience in the third-floor teahouse "Sankyuan," where you grind premium Uji matcha priced at 50,000 yen per kilogram with a stone mill, whisk tea, and enjoy it with sweets. The experience fee is 1,000 yen and is popular with school trip students and international visitors. Kyo-ryori Ujigawa, located at the foot of Uji Bridge, offers meals in tatami rooms with beautiful views, and during the cormorant fishing season from late June to late September, it also offers a Ukai dining plan on a private boat. In 2017, Starbucks Coffee also opened on Byodo-in Omotesando.