About this tour
Explore Uji, the matcha heartland south of Kyoto, on this five-hour walking tour designed for those serious about green tea. You'll navigate historic streets, visit working tea fields and centuries-old shrines, then sit down to a traditional tea ceremony at a genuine tea house. Lunch centres on seasonal dishes built around matcha and tea-infused soba, with tastings woven throughout the day.
Highlights
- Walk through Uji's tea-growing valleys and heritage streets
- Visit Japan's oldest shrines nestled in the tea district
- Sample matcha rice cake skewers and green tea soba noodles
- Participate in an authentic tea ceremony at a traditional house
- Learn tea history from someone who knows the craft
- Taste single-origin matcha powders side by side
What to expect
The morning involves gentle walking through Uji's quiet quarters, stopping at tea fields where you'll see how matcha is grown and processed. You'll drop into a few shrines—some dating back over a thousand years—before heading to a tea house for lunch around midday. Expect kaiseki-style portions of umami-forward dishes, each one incorporating matcha or tea in some form. After eating, you'll move into a calm room where a host walks you through the ritualistic steps of preparing and whisking matcha, then drinking it properly. The pace is leisurely but involves roughly two hours on foot.
Good to know
Moderate fitness needed for walking on uneven shrine grounds and minor slopes. Wear comfortable shoes. Public transport gets you to Uji easily from central Kyoto. The tea ceremony requires sitting on the floor; spinal injury sufferers and pregnant travellers should reconsider. Children under two sit on a parent's lap.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.