Uji Matcha: History, Tea Culture and Sweets to Try in Uji
How Uji became Japan's most famous matcha town, from Zen monks and shaded tea fields to old tea merchants, plus the sweets and seasons worth planning around.
May 4, 2026·✍️ olablog·⏱ 6 min read
How Uji became Japan's most famous matcha town, from Zen monks and shaded tea fields to old tea merchants, plus the sweets and seasons worth planning around.
Uji, a small riverside city between Kyoto and Nara, is the name on matcha tins all over the world. Most visitors come for parfaits and temple views, but a little background makes the trip richer: the tea shops, shaded fields and green sweets all grow out of some eight centuries of history. Here is that story, plus what to eat, see and buy.
How tea came to Uji
Powdered tea reached Japan with Zen Buddhism. The monk Eisai returned from China in 1191 and promoted tea drinking, later writing a book on tea and health, Kissa Yojoki. Tradition says he gave tea seeds to the monk Myoe of Kozan-ji temple in Toganoo, in the hills northwest of Kyoto. Kozan-ji still keeps a small tea garden that it presents as Japan's oldest, and tea is said to have spread from there to Uji.
Uji's damp valley, river mists and well-drained slopes suited the plant. By the Muromachi period its tea was prized by the Ashikaga shoguns. Under the Tokugawa shoguns, Uji's new-season tea was carried to Edo every year in sealed jars, in a formal procession known as the Ochatsubo Dochu.
Uji also shaped other kinds of tea. In the 18th century, Nagatani Soen of Ujitawara, a tea-growing town next to Uji, developed the steaming-and-rolling method that became the basis of modern sencha. In the 19th century, applying the shading technique to leaf tea gave rise to gyokuro.
Why Uji matcha tastes the way it does
The key is shade. For a few weeks before the spring harvest, growers cover the tea bushes, a method called oishita cultivation that developed around Uji in the 16th century. With less sunlight, the leaves become darker and richer in chlorophyll and the amino acids behind umami, and less astringent. The picked leaves are steamed and dried flat, without rolling, to make tencha. Stems and veins are removed, and the tencha is ground into matcha, traditionally in slow granite stone mills.
Good matcha comes in two broad styles. Usucha, or thin tea, is whisked to a light froth and is what most cafes serve. Koicha, or thick tea, is kneaded into a glossy paste and uses the smoothest, most expensive grades. If a shop offers both, taste them side by side.
Walking Uji's tea town
The old heart of Uji sits on both banks of the Uji River. From JR Uji Station, walk to Uji Bridge. At its eastern end stands Tsuen, a tea shop that traces its founding to the 12th century. Near the western end, a statue of Murasaki Shikibu is a reminder that the last ten chapters of The Tale of Genji are set in Uji. The Tale of Genji Museum is a short walk away on the east bank.
Byodo-in Omotesando is the street of tea merchants leading to Byodo-in temple, and you will often smell hojicha roasting as you walk. Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall, finished in 1053 and pictured on the 10-yen coin, sits on a pond and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing. So is Ujigami Shrine across the river, whose main hall is considered the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan. Close to Byodo-in, on the riverbank, the city-run teahouse Taiho-an serves a bowl of matcha with a seasonal sweet in a proper tearoom. It is an easy first taste of the tea ceremony.
The town centre has few tea fields; the famous hillside tea landscapes lie further out, in Ujitawara and in Wazuka to the south-east, and you will need a bus or a car to reach them. Some Uji shops let you try grinding tencha in a stone mill yourself. It is slow work, which explains the price.
Tea sweets to try
- Cha dango: green tea dumplings on a skewer, Uji's classic souvenir sweet.
- Matcha soft serve: sold all along Byodo-in Omotesando; tea shops often offer a stronger, more bitter version too.
- Chasoba: buckwheat noodles made with green tea, served hot or cold.
- Green tea jelly and parfaits: Nakamura Tokichi, near JR Uji Station, is the best-known name. Expect queues and numbered tickets.
- Hojicha sweets: the roasted tea shows up in puddings, ice cream and lattes, a softer counterpoint to matcha.
When buying matcha to take home, ask to taste it first, choose small tins, and remember that opened matcha loses colour and aroma within weeks.
When to go
Late April to May is new-tea season, when shops sell the first flush of the year (shincha), and around late April the wisteria at Byodo-in comes into bloom. June brings hydrangeas to Mimuroto-ji, a short ride away on the Keihan line. Summer is hot, but in the evenings you can watch cormorant fishing on the river. Late November brings autumn leaves and big crowds, while winter weekdays are the quietest.
Getting there
From Kyoto Station, the JR Nara Line rapid train reaches JR Uji Station in about 17 minutes. From central Kyoto, including Gion, take the Keihan line and change at Chushojima for the Keihan Uji line, which ends by the river. The JR Nara Line also runs from Nara, so Uji fits well between the two cities. From Osaka, the Keihan line with a change at Chushojima is a convenient route.
Practical tips
Many tea shops close in the early evening, so do your shopping before late afternoon. Weekday mornings are calmest; on autumn weekends, arrive early. Entry to the Phoenix Hall interior uses separate timed tickets that can sell out on busy days, and snacks are best eaten where you buy them, not while walking through crowds.
Plan your trip
Uji works well as a half day. Combine it with Fushimi Inari, which is on the same JR line, or spend a full day there with a tea tasting and a riverside walk. Our Uji day guide covers Byodo-in, the old tea shops and the train options from Kyoto, and if you want parfait and latte ideas for Kyoto and Tokyo, see where to find a real matcha latte or parfait.
