If you are planning to visit Kyoto but do not want to go to crowded places such as Arashiyama bamboo forest, Kyomizu temple, or Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple, ... then Uji is a great choice for you. A peaceful city, not too crowded, but still has many ancient features of the ancient capital of Kyoto, in particular, this is considered the place that produces the highest quality teas in Japan, and is the homeland of Matcha. .
Come follow me and explore this beautiful and peaceful city in one day to see what's on offer 😉
First, about how to get there, to get to Uji by train, we can use 2 routes JR or Keihan. Depending on your departure location, choose the appropriate train route!
Station address JR Uji: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FtGpT8sCJB3d6xVn7
Station address Keihan Uji: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DbDhiU39a9pGyYbZ8
The first place to visit of the day is Uji Bridge, a large bridge spanning the Uji River, located right at the exit of Keihan Uji Station.
Right next to the bridge, there is a statue of Murasaki Shikibu, a female court writer of the Heian period in Japan, author of humanity's first modern novel: "The Tale of Genji".
Next, we will go to the temple Byodo-in, the temple is printed on the back of the 10 Yen coin, which is also the reason why many people call the temple Byodo-in is “10 Yen Pagoda”.
On the road to the "10 Yen Pagoda" are dozens of souvenir shops, restaurants, and cafes located close together, and especially, they are all related to matcha!!
Just starting to enter this street, you can already smell the aroma from the green tea roasters of the shops here.
When you come here, remember to try a matcha ice cream 😉
In addition to original matcha, there is also matcha ice cream mixed with other fruit flavors, and the decor is also very beautiful. The price is only about 600 JPY per stick, remember to try it and check in here!
After about 200 meters of matcha shops, Byodo-in Temple will be at the end of this road. Admission is 600 JPY for adults, 300 JPY for children. The temple also prohibits bringing food and drinks inside, please pay attention before entering.
The temple grounds are also extremely large, with many ancient architectural works.
In late April and early May, Byodo-in is famous for its huge wisteria garden right near the entrance. If you come to Kyoto at this time, don't miss it!
And next, is the main campus of the temple.
No matter which direction you take the photo, the temple is absolutely beautiful!
The next part of the temple is a Hoshokan museum (平等院鳳翔館), which displays national treasures, such as phoenix statues, first generation temple bells, etc. In the museum, filming, photography, etc. are prohibited. You can come directly and experience it for yourself 😉
Right at the exit of the museum, there are also many other temples and pagodas with extremely beautifully designed architecture.
At the top of the pagoda is the Phoenix symbol, the protective mascot of Buddha.
The ticket to visit the Buddha statue in the main hall of the temple is 300 JPY, you can buy it at the ticket counter inside the temple, in front of the bridge to the main hall.
So we have visited the entire "10 Yen Pagoda" Byodo-in. The time was around 12 noon, so I took a break and had lunch on the road leading to the temple.
Along the road are many restaurants, the food is also very diverse, from cakes, rice, or ramen, ...
And I chose a Ramen restaurant located right at the entrance of the street. The ramen noodles here also have the green color of matcha, along with many types of accompanying Toppings for you to choose from. In addition, I have extremely special Matcha Beer and Matcha Gyoza. Remember to try it!
Besides the ramen shop, there is also a Takoyaki shop with quite eye-catching matcha sauce.
However, in my opinion, the Takoyaki here is not as delicious as Kukuru Takoyaki in Osaka.
After eating, you can also rest and have a drink at the nearby Starbucks coffee.
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QeYVi2r2eZ5Xpr2h8
After eating and resting, let's explore the rest of Uji. The first location is Tachibanahashi Bridge.
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wa2e1rh5mBcPoqh59
The bridge spans the Uji River, to Uji Park located in the middle of the large river.
The next place I went to was Uji jinja Temple. Just go across the Asagiribashi bridge to get to the temple entrance.
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/peMcreqgYz8pG4AY9
This is a famous shrine for praying for exams, as well as good luck in all things, with the "Mikaeri rabbit" symbol decorated everywhere.
Some pictures I took inside the temple:
My last place of the day was the Asahiyaki ceramics gallery, a shop that has been around since 1600!
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JiP1aQ8nPfzA7QPW6
This is the end of my day exploring Uji city. The city has fresh air and the peace of the suburbs, but there is no shortage of beautiful places to take photos. This is definitely a suitable place for those who want to visit with a relaxed mind, enjoying the gentleness and peace right in Kyoto - one of the largest cities in Japan. If you have the opportunity, come to this beautiful city.
Thank you for reading to the end of the article. See you in the next articles!
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