This is a cafe inside the Genji Museum. I had a matcha warabi mochi while touring the museum. It was a delicious warabi mochi that melted in my mouth. It may have become the main attraction rather than the museum tour (laughs).

Genji Museum. Even after reading the easy version of the book multiple times, the characters in Genji Monogatari still seem confusing. And the Uji Chapters are almost like an unknown world. However, after watching two films at this museum, I feel like I'm starting to understand the Uji Chapters a bit. When my head gets tired, nothing beats something sweet. So I headed to the café in this museum. Café Kasenri. Huh, Kasenri? Among the many female characters in Genji Monogatari, why choose Kasenri, I wonder. Let's dive into a world of imagination. Kasenri is one of the few women who didn't have sex with Hikaru Genji, yet she remains an important character throughout the story. She becomes the foster mother of Hikaru's child, Yūgiri. She is the number one woman who is convenient for men. But for some reason, she is well-liked by women who love Genji Monogatari as well. She seems to be a safe and famous choice for both men and women. Let the imagination run wild. I ordered a set of two types of dumplings and matcha. It's soothing. Looking around at the other customers, I noticed that many were eating udon.

This café is located inside the Genji Monogatari Museum in Uji City, but it is in an area where you can enter without paying the 500 yen admission fee. It is not explicitly mentioned on the website or brochure, but it is named "Hana Chirashi," after one of Hikaru Genji's soothing lovers. It is located next to the museum shop and information corner, so it may not be the most peaceful setting, but the tables facing the garden are relatively nice. I couldn't find any nearby places to eat, so I ordered the tea soba set as I was hungry. The set included tea soba, tea rice ball, and matcha mousse, along with a bookmark made from Japanese paper. The taste didn't leave a strong impression, and I don't remember much about it... I'm sorry. It wasn't bad, but the soba didn't have much tea flavor, if any? If I had to choose, the matcha mousse was quite delicious. By the way, the Genji Monogatari Museum was smaller than I had imagined. I was hoping to see more luxurious Heian scrolls... The short film "Bridge Princess" (20 minutes) was confusing if you didn't know the original story. A bit disappointing... I'm not factoring this into the museum's evaluation. Just to be clear.

I visited Byodoin Temple, Phoenix Hall, Uji River First Battle Monument, Uji Shrine, and Uji Shrine, and saw national treasures and world heritage sites before entering The Tale of Genji Museum. After that, I was planning to visit Itoh Kyuemon Honten, but we got caught in a persistent evening shower. We decided to wait until the rain eased up, so we went into the café inside the museum. While discussing the short film "Hashihime" which showcases the Uji Ten Teahouses in 20 minutes, we ordered green tea for 500 yen with three companions, and I had matcha with sweets for 600 yen. The film was produced by Uji City and featured familiar actors like Naoto Ogata, but the story may be confusing for those unfamiliar with it. The film director and scriptwriter seemed to lack focus, and the appearance of Hashihime with eerie storytelling didn't quite make sense. It's probably better to watch the film after gaining sufficient knowledge inside the museum. I didn't need prior knowledge as I had bought all volumes of "Asaki Yume Mishi" by Yamato Waki for my daughter's study. The sudden heavy rain didn't stop, so we spent another hour in the library. We decided to walk to the station, enduring the pouring rain despite having umbrellas. We arrived at Keihan Uji Station, where there was a significant leak from the ceiling, forcing us to use umbrellas indoors. The rain stopped 10 minutes later, making us realize we could have waited for just 20 more minutes. Overall, the tea was delicious, and the service was good at the restaurant. The restaurant and library were excellent, but the short film inside the museum was a bit lacking.