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[Rent a Car and Explore the Southern Part of Kyoto 2] Find hidden Kyoto spots: temples, shrines, nature, and delicious food!

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Discover your own KYOTO

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Matsumoto-tei Ryokan Dining

This long-standing ryokan (traditional inn) with pheasant cuisine has been in business for more than 100 years since its founding in 1890 on Mt. Kasagi, between Kyoto and Nara. Mt. Kasagi is surrounded by historical locations and scenic spots, and Matsumoto-tei offers a family-like hospitality here.
Matsumoto-tei proudly serves its famous, carefully-prepared pheasant dishes, including stone-baked dishes, hot pot, sashimi, and more.

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Hands-on Activities at “Ujicha Kobo” of Fukujuen Uji Kobo

Fukujuen Uji Kobo offers comprehensive tea experiences on both banks of Uji River, with Ujicha Kobo on the right and Ujicha Tei on the left.
At Ujicha Kobo, there are various hands-on activities, such as making tea through a process including rolling, loosening, and kneading tea leaves. You can dry tea leaves on a ceramic plate, try making matcha green tea by grinding the tea leaves with a traditional stone mill, creating Asahiyaki pottery or painting it. Moreover, you can learn the etiquette of the tea ceremony of matcha and sencha (Japanese green tea that you brew, not whisk like matcha) in a tranquil tea-ceremony room. At the Museum and the Tea Garden area, you can visually experience the beauty of the culture of Uji tea, too.
When you get hungry, visit their cafeteria. They have various sweets and dishes made with Uji tea. You can brew and enjoy your own tea, too.
After exploring the world of Uji tea through multi-sensory experiences, visit the shop to find gifts for yourself and your loved ones, like high-quality tea, sweets made with tea, teaware including Asahiyaki pottery, and more.
(At the Ujicha Tei, you can enjoy eating, drinking and shopping, too.)

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d:matcha Kyoto CAFE & KITCHEN

d:matcha Kyoto CAFE & KITCHEN is a café where you can enjoy food, sweets, and drinks made using tea from the town of Wazuka. Though the ingredients are not limited only to tea, they are as locally-sourced as possible. The unique menu can only be found here, and includes savory food items made with tea, too. In the store, there are sweets made from tea leaves for sale. From the back of the store, you can overlook the beautiful tea fields of Mt. Kamazuka, a view that's perfect for a break from driving or cycling.

In addition to food, there is also a tea field hiking and tea harvesting tour that goes around the spectacular tea plantations.

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Rent a Car and Explore the Southern Part of Kyoto! Go on a One-Day Road Trip Around Kyoto Tea Country!

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Discover Unique Sake Breweries Across Kyoto

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Wazukacha Cafe

In the center of town visitors will find the Wazaukacha Cafe, near the Wazuka Yamanoie bus stop. This facility doubles as an inviting cafe and a visitors center, providing sightseeing maps and information for travelers. They also have a shop selling local goods and over four hundred tea items. This is a great spot to pick up some single origin Wazuka tea, allowing you to savor the rich taste of an individual farm instead of a typical mass-produced blend from multiple fields. Rental bikes are available for 1,100 yen per day. Breezing through the hillside scenery is enjoyable in any season.

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Tanaka-ya Udon: Ide-cho Main Shop

While this is a casual udon restaurant that runs on a self-service basis, the amazing quality of its dishes is evident as soon as you take a bite. The chewy and springy noodles and the deep and flavorful soup stock are so delicious that you will eat them right up.
Here, the udon noodles are made from 9 pm to 1 am, when the temperature is the most stable. For the soup stock, which the restaurant begins brewing at 6 am, four types of dried and fermented fish and Risiri kelp are used, and dried bonito shavings are added for flavor. The water that is essential for both the udon and soup stock is soft acidic water that is produced through many processes.
The most popular Bukkake Udon, the Kasu Udon that is rare in Kyoto, and the Saikyo Udon that is characteristic of Kyoto are highly recommended here.

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dan dan cafë

This is a cafe where you can enjoy the view of Wazuka-cho’s most famous "Ishitera Tea Fields."
In order to enjoy this view at a leisurely pace, this cafe was opened by a woman who worked in the restaurant business and her younger brother who is a town resident and the owner of the land.
At the cafe, the menu includes handmade lunches prepared one by one, curry, omelet with rice, Wazuka tea, gelato made with seasonal fruits (can be purchased for takeout), and parfait.
* For lunches, ordering in advance is recommended.

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Asahiyaki

Asahiyaki is a pottery that has thrived with the tea culture of Uji since its establishment in 1600. Passed down through 16 generations for over 400 years, it has a rich history.
Conveniently located on the eastern bank of Uji River within a tourist area, the pottery is within walking distance from Keihan Uji Station. As you walk along the river, enjoying the scenic views, you will arrive at the Asahiyaki Shop & Gallery. Here, you will find a stylish space with sophisticated works lined up. The works by the current head potter are likely to delight even serious collectors. At the same time, affordable options are on display, such as palm-sized teacups and small plates with a rustic charm.
Additionally, you can participate in a one-day pottery experience. Through hands-on experience, you can gain a deeper understanding of the process of their artwork. Participants can enter the building where a large nobori-gama (kiln with stepped chambers) is located. This is the only kiln of this scale in Kyoto. Furthermore, it is rare to find a nobori-gama that is still in active use in Kyoto.
Speaking of rare finds, few potteries handle the entire process from making the clay. At Asahiyaki, clay dug up from the ground of Uji over 50 years ago is slowly "aged" to make it easier to use.

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Ide Town Machizukuri Center Tsubakizaka

This facility promotes the town's charms through community gatherings, sales of local specialties, and more. Tourist brochures and maps are available, too. It's a great rest stop for those enjoying walks, historical site visits, and cycling to refresh. You can also enjoy coffee here. The building is reminiscent of a relaxing, traditional Japanese farmhouse. It has an irori (open fireplace) inside, offering a peaceful ambiance. Don’t forget to enjoy the quintessential Japanese experience of basking in the sun on the engawa (traditional wood floor veranda).
This place is located right by Tsubakizaka, a slope with a romantic tale from the Heian Period (794-1185). Legend has it that a man and a woman who once parted ways were reunited on this slope. The Ide Town Machizukuri Center Tsubakizaka was named with the hope that it would become a place where people meet, like the Tsubakizaka slope.
Nearby, a great walking path of Yamashiro-kodo Road passes. Furthermore, this area has historical sites, including a stone monument believed to be the gravestone of Ono no Komachi, who is famous as a legendary waka poet (a writer of classical Japanese poetry) and for her extraordinary beauty. The Tama River and Jizo Zen-in Temple, both famous for their cherry blossoms in spring, are also near here. This is a wonderful place where you can immerse yourself in the history and natural beauty of the area.
Consultation services for immigration and settlement are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Appointments can be made for other days as well.)