Uji is also in the off-season. With the absence of visitors from overseas, it shows a quiet atmosphere before the buzz of inbound tourism. Even the Kisen Bridge is undergoing renovations. Across from that bridge, there is a shop called Kisen Chaya. Inside the shop, you can enjoy a bowl of beef rice bowl while leisurely looking out at the bridge and the island with the tower. Indeed, Uji is a tourist destination.

This restaurant was located a bit off the beaten path (but close to Byodoin Temple), so we were able to get in without waiting in line! The cold green tea soba was delicious, especially on a hot day. The tempura was crispy and freshly fried. The rice with burdock and plum dressing was also very tasty. It was nice to be able to enjoy a meal in a calm atmosphere. During lunchtime at tourist spots, all the restaurants are usually packed. Especially the popular cafes near the station were extremely crowded, with long lines. It's a shame to waste time waiting for food when you want to explore different places while sightseeing. I realized that instead of rushing to popular places, it's better to look around and explore different options.

Next to the Byodo-in Temple in Uji is the Kisen Chaya tea house. In the summer, you can also enjoy cormorant fishing, with a female cormorant master. Uji is known for its Kisen Chaya tea house. I stopped by for lunch and had matcha soba, a traditional Uji dish. For dessert, I had matcha warabi mochi.

I went on a company trip and visited places like Ujigami Shrine, had a leisurely stroll, and enjoyed lunch! I had researched beforehand and was looking forward to the matcha ice cream for dessert. For lunch, we had a kaiseki bento box (2,160 yen). Just like last time, it seems like group lunches in Kyoto are often like this. The taste was just okay. Kyoto cuisine seems to have smaller portions for younger people. After eating, everyone enjoyed the matcha ice cream. The staff offered a special deal on the ice cream today for 300 yen, but I had already paid 350 yen. I overheard and thought, "Hey, staff! You should give me back the extra 50 yen" (laughs). *The matcha ice cream image is from the restaurant's website.

Kisshoan Tea House is a souvenir shop and restaurant, and on this day they provided bento boxes for the Uji River cruise. Before boarding, they mentioned to bring your own alcohol if needed, so I bought yuzu beer and got on the boat. The average bento box was enhanced by 30% with the alcohol, the view, and the river breeze.

We visited this restaurant for lunch during a bus tour. It is a popular spot for group tours. There is a souvenir shop on the first floor, and you can also enjoy a meal on a sightseeing boat on the Uji River right next to it. I didn't have high expectations for the food since it was a bus tour meal, but it was actually quite good. The presentation may not be the best, but the taste is great. I planned to finish my meal quickly and head to Byodoin Temple, but ended up lingering because it was so enjoyable. Thank you for the meal.

The matcha soft serve ice cream was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

The deep drinking from the previous day took its toll, and I didn't feel like eating anything in the morning. I decided to visit Kyoto and took a stroll to the Byodoin Temple. The breeze along the river was pleasant. I remembered the master of the restaurant where I had dinner and drinks the night before mentioning that udon, not soba, is good in Kyoto. I happened to come across this restaurant and ordered tempura udon for 750 yen. The broth was delicious, not just soy sauce, but surprisingly tasty. The noodles were chewy and firm. The combination of Kansai's broth culture and my hunger made it a delightful meal.

Located near the south entrance of the famous Kyoto landmark "Byodoin Temple" is a tea house called "Kisen Chaya." You can enjoy a meal inside, but they also sell soft serve ice cream and shaved ice at the storefront. On this hot day, there were many people lining up to buy these treats. I decided to try their signature "Kisen Soft Serve" for 350 yen. What caught my attention was that they use a piece of "Yatsuhashi" (a type of traditional Japanese sweet) as a spoon, which was quite interesting. The matcha-flavored soft serve was delicious, and using the Yatsuhashi as a spoon was a fun touch. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

The restaurant is located right near the World Heritage Site Byodoin Temple. There are many seats with a good view inside the restaurant, where you can enjoy your meal while looking at the bridge. Some souvenirs are sold on the first floor, including matcha-flavored mochi. You can also purchase them at a slightly lower price. You can dine on the first to third floors. I'm not sure if there is a fourth floor. The food was decent. In addition to the dishes in the photos, rice, miso soup, and green tea soba were also included. If you get a seat with a good view, I would definitely visit again. Today, I drank too much, Nishinorin.

We had made a reservation for a group dinner and cormorant fishing at Kissho-Saryo, but the cormorant fishing was canceled due to dam water release. Instead, we had the bento lunch we had reserved indoors on the second floor. The "Kissho Bento Bamboo" for 2,700 yen (tax included) was a two-tiered rectangular bento box with rice and soup. The bento mainly consisted of vegetables, with simmered and fried dishes included. The soba noodles were disappointing, but everything else was surprisingly delicious. The plentiful white rice left us feeling satisfied. We accessed the second floor via stairs from the first floor souvenir shop, where we could see the river outside with increased water levels.

Located near the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Temple in Uji, Kyoto, is a tea house called "Kisen Chaya." It is a restaurant that welcomes group tours and serves traditional Japanese cuisine for lunch. Of course, you can't miss the Uji tea soba noodles. The meal also includes chopped shiba-zuke pickles with rice, a miso soup with ball-shaped fu (wheat gluten), and a two-tiered dish with various side dishes like tofu and yuba (tofu skin), all with well-prepared flavors. While the tempura could have been improved with matcha salt, overall, the meal was well put together with no shortcuts taken. It would have been nice to see a bit more emphasis on tea, considering the location in Uji. Uji is a wonderful place, and the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Temple was truly magnificent. I would love to visit again.

The restaurant has been around since the Taisho era, so it's a long-established place. When we visited, there was only one other couple in the dining area, so it felt a bit lonely. We ordered the set meal with tea soba and two pieces of shrimp tempura. The shrimp was small but crispy and delicious. It was my first time seeing shrimp fried in matcha batter, so it was a fresh experience. The tea soba was a bit on the thicker side, but still very tasty. Thank you for the meal.

Byodoin Temple Pottering Souvenir Part 2: Uji Tea Rusk from KAMANARIYA Confectionery - Gyokuro Sugar for 500 yen each. I was asked by my daughter to buy this souvenir but almost forgot about it on my way back. I had planned to stop by the main store the day before, but I completely forgot. Since I was getting ready to head home, going in the opposite direction was not an option. So, I hurriedly went to a souvenir shop called "Kisen Chaya" near the Ujibashi Bridge. Luckily, they had it! However, they didn't have the set with all the flavors, so I asked the staff which one is popular, and they recommended the Gyokuro Sugar. Each box contains 6 pieces for 500 yen. The rusk is a beautiful dark green color due to the Gyokuro tea, not too sweet with a hint of Gyokuro's astringency and a pleasant tea aroma that lingers in your nose. The texture is light and crispy, better than regular rusks. I wanted to try all the flavors, but they were too bulky to carry, so maybe next time. I think the KAMANARIYA main store might have the set with all the flavors... maybe only available for online purchase? Next time, I will visit KAMANARIYA Uji Main Store.

I wanted to visit Sanjusangendo Temple, so I used the Kyoto sightseeing bus one-day tour "Uji Byodoin Temple and Daigoji Temple - Reviving the colors of the Heian period." I later realized that there was an option for meals, and there was a price difference of about 2,000 yen, but I made a mistake in choosing. The place was near Byodoin Temple, and the restaurant was a shop affiliated with this bus company. When we arrived at the bus parking lot, the guide held a flag and led us to the restaurant. The first floor had a souvenir shop, and the second floor was the restaurant. Tables and chairs were lined up in a group setting. We all sat together at one table. There were separate tables for different tour groups, and the contents varied depending on the group, such as those from Yomiko Travel. The meal was a two-tiered "tasting set meal" with six beautifully arranged dishes (I forgot to take a photo). The tea soba and rice were garnished with seaweed. The elegant clear soup with hand-rolled wheat gluten was the most delicious. It was surprisingly filling, but it was clearly meant for a group. I left a little food uneaten. There were good reviews about the soft serve ice cream sold on the first floor, but we only had 2 hours of free time, so we had to leave quickly and didn't have time to try it.

Kyoto Uji! I was able to take the Keihan train to see cherry blossoms and two World Heritage sites (*≧◡≦*). This is my second time having ice cream here! It's still delicious v(๑◕◡◕๑)-☆ ■ Matcha Ice Cream 300 yen Enjoying matcha ice cream while gazing at the important cultural property stone pagoda is truly special (๑･`◡´･๑)✧. The matcha ice cream with authentic Uji matcha is topped with sweets, which is much appreciated (*´艸｀*)♪ The price hasn't changed since 2013 and 2015! Amazing! (ノ∇≦❤) Uji is a wonderful place! There are two World Heritage sites here, "Byodoin Temple" and "Ujigami Shrine", both designated as national treasures! Please make sure to visit regardless of the season (p≧ᴗ≦q)～♪♫ Blog: http://ameblo.jp/cicici0/entry-12013779661.html April 2015 ↑♦♥♦―――――♦♥♦―――――♦♥♦―――――♦♥♦―――――♦♥♦ March 2013 I took the Keihan train from Osaka to Uji station to see cherry blossoms (p≧ᴗ≦q)～♪♫. Crossing the Asagiri Bridge, I arrived at Uji Park, which consists of two islands, Tachibana Island and To-no-shima Island floating on the Uji River. I went past the Kisen Bridge in Uji Park and immediately got the matcha ice cream from Kisen Chaya (喜撰茶屋)♪ ■ Matcha Ice Cream 300 yen I lined up for it (*´艸`*)♪ The Uji matcha flavor is strong! The brown Yatsuhashi cracker adds a nice touch and goes well with the matcha ice cream (p≧▽≦q). It comes with a round matcha confection topping! Truly Kyoto's Uji! It's cheap and delicious (Pq’v｀✿). The matcha ice cream is popular, and other people were also ordering it~ (o>ω<o). Other flavors (peach, mango) are 350 yen, more expensive than matcha ice cream Σ(`･ω･屮)屮. It's nice that the popular matcha ice cream is the cheapest (p≧▽≦q). I fell in love with Uji more than Kyoto city itself＼(≧▽≦*)♪. Everything is delicious here! No disappointments! Many long-established shops (ノ∇≦❤). Uji is much better than Osaka, right? People are kind, business-minded, and warm-hearted (ノ∇≦❤). Uji is such a great place~ everything is delicious! No misses! The autumn leaves in Uji are beautiful too, I want to go by Keihan train (ヾ(๑◕∀◕๑)/). I will visit again! Uji~ LOVEﾟ✿+｡:.ﾟヽ(ෆ◕◡◕ෆ)ﾉﾟ.:｡+ ✿ﾟ I wanted to introduce Uji, so I uploaded some surrounding photos as well (p≧ω≦q)♪ For your reference. Blog: http://ameblo.jp/cicici0/entry-11501573360.html

New Uemon is responsible for planning and operating group tours around Kyoto at the end of March every year, with about 80-100 participants. Running out of ideas, they decided to incorporate "Kamirin Sanyu" into the itinerary, visiting the Genji Museum and exploring Uji in the afternoon. The meal location was left to the travel agency, which proposed a plan at "Kisen Chaya" for a boat ride. The chairman lightly agreed, saying it would be enjoyable. The reviewer checked the menu at the restaurant and found it to be average. They approved it with the expectation that the atmosphere and taste might improve while eating and drinking on the boat. On the day of the tour, drink order forms were distributed to participants on the bus. Each boat only had the drinks ordered in advance, so the reviewer confirmed the orders. However, after departing, it was discovered that the drinks were insufficient. The reviewer quickly contacted the restaurant to receive more drinks upstream. Only the boat with the chairman had enough drinks. After an hour of boat ride, complaints arose about the lack of drinks and food on other boats. The reviewer was disappointed by the basic mistakes made by the restaurant, which should be accustomed to handling group customers. The reviewer also criticized the overpriced bento box at 3,150 yen, which may be too much for customers who only had a few drinks during the one-hour boat ride. The reviewer advised choosing the right season, as the smell of the river water might become noticeable during warmer periods, despite the pleasant cherry blossom season.

I went to a restaurant near the Byodoin Temple in Kyoto. It was quite small. The food was quite average and had a subtle flavor, maybe because it's in Kyoto? I had a dish yesterday that, despite having a subtle flavor, was quite tasty, so maybe it's different here? The portion was small, but it seemed like it was made with care. Perhaps it was because we were a large group, so it couldn't be helped? I was expecting a bit more, so it was disappointing.