Uji — Sixteen Minutes from Kyoto, a World Heritage Site on Each Bank

Why visit

Byodoin is five minutes' walk from the west end of Uji Bridge; Ujigami Shrine is ten minutes from the east end. Two World Cultural Heritage sites sit on either side of one bridge (C012). Uji is about 16 minutes from Kyoto Station by rapid service on the JR Nara Line (C009). If you are staying in Kyoto, this is a half-day round trip.

Who it is for

• Travellers with a few days in Kyoto who want one morning away from the city crowds.
• Anyone interested in tea as an industry and a history, not just a drink.
• Readers of The Tale of Genji — its Uji chapters are set in this town.

What to do

Byodoin was created in 1052, when the regent Fujiwara no Yorimichi turned a villa inherited from his father Michinaga into a temple (C002). It was inscribed as World Cultural Heritage in 1994 (C003). Its Hoshokan museum holds and displays National Treasures (C019).

Ujigami Shrine enshrines Uji no Wakiiratsuko and the emperors Ojin and Nintoku (C004).

The Genji connection: Mimurotoji holds a historic marker for Ukifune, heroine of the Uji chapters (C005). Eshin-in is linked to the monk said to be the model for the Yokawa priest who rescues her from the river (C006). A statue of Murasaki Shikibu stands at the west end of Uji Bridge (C008), and the Uji City Tale of Genji Museum explains the world of those chapters (C007).

A town built on tea

Uji tea is said to have begun when Myoe, given seeds by Eisai, brought them here in the early Kamakura period; records confirm it from the Nanboku-cho era (C014). At first Toganoo tea from Kyoto ranked highest and Uji tea below it. By the middle of the Muromachi period, Uji tea was recognised as the finest (C015).

In the Edo period, tea masters who ran the gardens and supplied customers kept residences along the Ujibashi street. Holding privileges from the shogunate, they produced the tribute tea for the shogun and distributed it nationally (C016). The shape of the town follows the trade.

Uji tea is still produced across the Yamashiro region centred on Uji (C017). Its growers take many prizes each year at the national and Kansai tea competitions, including the agriculture minister's prize, and the area has often won the producing-area award in the tencha class (C018). Inside Byodoin's grounds there is a Japanese tea house, Toka (C020).

How to get there

• Kyoto Station → JR Uji: about 16 minutes by rapid service, JR Nara Line (C009)
• Kyobashi (Osaka) → Uji: about 51 minutes, changing to the Keihan Uji Line at Chushojima (C010)
• Central Kyoto (Sanjo, Gion-Shijo, Higashiyama-Gojo) → Uji: about 30 minutes via Chushojima (C011)
• Uji Bridge is a ten-minute walk from JR Uji Station, and right by Keihan Uji Station (C013)
• Nakanoshima in Uji Prefectural Park: ten minutes on foot from the bridge (C021)

Limitations and cautions

• Opening hours and admission for Byodoin and Ujigami Shrine were not obtained in this round. Check official sites before visiting.
• The founding date of Byodoin comes from the tourism association (Tier B); National Treasure designations for the Phoenix Hall and the Ujigami main hall are unverified.
• Shaded cultivation, gyokuro and the Uji processing method are not covered in the city pages consulted.
• The new-tea season and peak times for cherry blossom, autumn colour and the flowers of Mimurotoji are not yet researched.
• Cormorant fishing on the Uji River, tea-picking experiences and accommodation in the city are not yet researched.