5 Workshops in Uji City to Experience the Joy of Authentic Uji Tea

In a quiet back room of Agata Shrine, Kyoko Goto offers a unique and exquisite experience that she has masterminded. Applying her practice of traditional kodo incense appreciation, she coaches visitors in crafting matcha incense.

Although it is made from the same natural ingredients as the incense sticks you see at temples, Goto has developed a method of molding balls of bright green incense into delightful shapes like rabbits, cherry blossoms, tea motifs and symbols of Uji and Kyoto. The wooden molds are specially crafted and based on the ones used to make traditional Japanese sugar confectionary. This is the only incense with an aroma made only from matcha. Incense Kitchen is also the only place in the world where you can try your hand at making incense using wooden molds.

Heating the incense shapes with a tea light releases the relaxing aroma of matcha. The shapes remain intact and can be reused as aroma stones.

The matcha is recycled powered tea recovered from the air circulation filters of an Uji City matcha factory. It is placed in a mortar and mixed with water and powder from the Japanese Bay tree. A pestle is used to bind the material and then it is thoroughly kneaded and pushed firmly into the mold. The process is very tactile and Goto is confident that children visiting Uji will enjoy it much more than visiting another temple or shrine.

Even located centrally along the Uji sightseeing route, here you can slip away to relax in a refined and beautiful environment complete with tatami flooring and sliding doors that look out onto the lush and peaceful garden of Agata Shrine.

The incense-making experience includes a stylish incense warmer Goto designed to pack up into a pocket-sized box that’s just right for travelers. She also offers the options of adding the experience of whisking up a bowl of matcha, or savoring lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant that uses Uji tea in its dishes.
Chair seating is also available.

Open: From 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. for the basic workshop
Address: 72 Uji-renge, Uji City (in Agata Shrine)
Access: 12 minute walk from Keihan Uji Station, 10 minute walk from JR Uji Station
Website: https://incensekitchen.com

It was in Kyoto Prefecture’s Minami Yamashiro area that two key methods in the production of Japanese tea were developed. One is to shade the tea trees from sunlight for some time, and the other is the kneading of steamed tea leaves to dry them. The combination of these methods produces different types of tea.

Using both techniques creates the top-level gyokuro for which Uji tea is famous. Using just the shading method makes ten-cha tea, which is ground to make matcha. Applying only the kneading method creates sen-cha, which is the most commonly consumed tea.
At the Takumi No Yakata teahouse, you can experience all three varieties. Better still, you can make a game of it.

The name of the game is chakabuki. It’s a blind tasting of five types of tea in which players attempt to guess the different types. If you enjoy similar endeavors, such as wine tasting, this is the game for you. It is a profound education in the wonderful flavors and scents of Uji tea.

The enthusiastic staff at Takumi no Yakata are certified Japanese tea instructors. They will help you recognize the different qualities of each type of tea in the sample tasting before the competition begins. Typically these types are gyokuro, ten-cha, two different grades of sen-cha, and a more easily recognizable variety, such as the roasted green tea called hoji-cha, or genmai-cha, which includes roasted brown rice. As well as the flavor of the tea, its aroma and color are also key clues.

Chakabuki requires an advanced booking for a minimum of 10 people and is a great activity for uniting a group. (Reservations required for chakabuki)

Smaller groups and individuals can enjoy gyokuro, matcha or sen-cha in the café, where instructors will teach them how to prepare it.

Open: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (last order at 4:30 p.m.)
Closed: Wednesdays, and December 29–January 4, August 14–16
Address: 17-1 Uji Mataburi, Uji City, Kyoto 611-0021
Access: 6 minute walk from Keihan Uji Station, 14 minute walk from JR Station
Website: https://www.ujicha.or.jp/