Slowly and elegantly, I took a solo trip to Arashiyama in Kyoto for 1 night and 2 days~♪ I took the subway Sakaisuji Line from Osaka to Awaji Station, then transferred to the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line Limited Express to Katsura Station, and transferred again to the Hankyu Arashiyama Line. In just 3 stations and 7 minutes, I arrived at Arashiyama Station. It took me exactly 1 hour from home, and I arrived just before 10 am! From Hankyu Arashiyama Station, I walked 1.3 km to the meat shop "Nakamuraya Sohonten" and had the customary "croquette" for my journey. Next, I visited "Kakuta Koseien" which is a homemade ground matcha shop located very close to Nakamuraya. It is a shop favored by Nanzenji, Tenryuji, and Daikakuji. Inside the shop, three mortars were grinding Uji matcha. Since I'm not a fan of matcha, I bought the following: Special roasted tea 200g for 756 yen (tax included) and Special genmaicha 200g for 864 yen (tax included). I got a bonus for the consumption tax, lucky me! At home, I usually make sencha in a teapot only 1-2 times a month. I usually brew cheap roasted tea or bancha in a kettle, let it cool, transfer it to a 2L PET bottle, chill it in the refrigerator, and drink it in a cup. The "Special roasted tea" I bought was a great deal with plenty of quantity. I boiled water in a kettle, added 2 scoops of roasted tea, let it steep, and left it for half a day to cool naturally. The color was dark, the tea aroma was good, and it was very convenient to drink it chilled during dinner or when thirsty. My friend loves genmaicha, so I bought the "Special genmaicha" as a souvenir to bring back to Tokyo. I wonder if they will be happy with it? Bon appétit! (●^o^●)

On May 9, 2015, I received a gift from a friend who had traveled to Kyoto. It was tea from "Kakuda Koseien" in Arashiyama. This shop is known for selling freshly ground matcha and is a designated supplier for Nanzenji Temple, Tenryuji Temple, and Daikakuji Temple. Knowing that I usually prefer genmaicha, my friend bought me genmaicha from this shop. I immediately brewed the tea and enjoyed its toasty aroma. It was very soothing and easy to drink. While I used to only drink barley tea in the past, in recent years, green tea and genmaicha have become my go-to choices. Thank you for the treat!

I bought Uji tea and had tea made for me! It was delicious! Thank you very much! ✨