After Golden Week passed and the new tea was ready, I went out to buy it. I transferred to the Keihan train at Yodoyabashi, but I accidentally took the rapid express train, which didn't stop at Naka-Shijima for the transfer, and instead turned back at Gion-Shijo Station and went all the way to Uji, causing a time loss. I bought the new tea sencha. When I made and drank it at home, it felt like it lacked sweetness. I tried to mimic the way of brewing tea, but it seems like it will take more time to get the same taste. (^^；

On February 4, 2017, I went to Uji for a little bit. I visited the Phoenix Hall at Byodoin Temple and then strolled along the approach to the temple. I had lunch at Nakamura Tohkiti along the way, and then I also stopped by Izumi-en Meicha Honpo. I was planning to buy an original product, but since I already had purchased tea leaves, I ended up buying tea sweets instead. I bought "Houten" for 400 yen. I used to eat it a lot in the past, so I felt nostalgic and decided to buy it. Houten is a snack made by wrapping a round fried dough seed the size of a soybean in kneaded water candy, stretching it thinly into a stick shape, and cutting it. I brought it home and ate it right away. It had a tea flavor and although it tasted different from the houten I had eaten before, it was very crunchy and I finished it quickly. It was delicious!

On a clear and sunny Saturday, I went to Uji with a friend, which is less than an hour away by car. We visited the UNESCO World Heritage site "Byodoin Temple" for the first time in 3 years, then had a late lunch. Uji is famous for tea, so we strolled along Omotesando looking for tea-themed souvenirs. We bought tea dumplings, Uji matcha senbei, and hojicha with sound of geese. We also tried Uji tea three-color dumplings. We visited the old Uji tea specialty store "Suien Meicha Honpo" and bought Uji matcha soba for 2 people. This Uji matcha soba uses more than double the usual amount of stone-ground Uji matcha from "Tsujiri" in Kyoto, resulting in a balance of bitterness, smoothness, and richness. We decided to treat our friends by making a local dish from Kawatana Onsen in Yamaguchi Prefecture called "Kawara Soba" using this matcha soba. Kawatana Onsen is located about 30 minutes north by car from Shimonoseki, where I used to live, and I had visited it many times for day trips to enjoy the famous "Kawara Soba." "Kawara Soba" is made by placing stir-fried matcha soba on a hot tile, topped with sweet and savory seasoned beef, shredded omelet, chopped green onions, and grated daikon with lemon slices. Although we couldn't prepare the tiles, I am skilled at making it on a hot plate. That evening, I invited my friends over for a Kawara Soba party. We cooked the matcha soba noodles in plenty of boiling water for 4 minutes, then drained and rinsed them in cold water. After stir-frying them in a large frying pan, we transferred them to the hot plate and added the toppings. We also made a warm dipping sauce with bonito dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. We served onigiri made with shiso seaweed and crab sprouts, miso soup with seaweed and red algae, and enjoyed the rich flavor and slightly crispy texture of the Kawara Soba made with Uji matcha soba. It was a unique and delicious experience.

Wow!! The 9th installment of the Uji Byodoin Omotesando series is here!! Introducing "Sensen Meicha Honten"! The location is Uji City, Hasu 24, near the entrance of Uji Byodoin Omotesando. This shop was established in the first year of Kan'ei (1624), and has been a longstanding tea shop for 392 years, passed down through fifteen generations. They even have a tea variety that was presented to the 264th Pope (Pope John Paul II) called "Gyokuro Kenjo no Homare" (100g can for 10,800 yen)! Amazing, but expensive! The main focus of the shop is the production and sale of tea and tea sweets, but they also have a corner where you can enjoy Uji matcha at a 6-seater table. Today's order was: - Uji matcha (540 yen) - Matcha dorayaki (345 yen) The Uji matcha was delicious, with a foamy surface and a smooth taste that combined the richness and bitterness of matcha with the sweet matcha bean paste in the dorayaki. The dorayaki had a vibrant matcha color, a rich and creamy taste, and a perfect balance of sweetness with the matcha flavor. The sponge was fluffy like a pancake, and paired excellently with the creamy matcha bean paste. The staff at Sensen Meicha Honten were kind and accommodating, fulfilling my requests with kindness and precision. Thank you for the delicious meal! I will definitely come back again! March 2016