Start Planning Now: Your Top Travel Destinations for Next Year
Hello everyone✨ This is Jun from the online team.
The New Year is just around the corner. I feel excited just thinking about what I'll do and where I'll go in the coming year. How about all of you?
We would be happy if you could plan a trip to Japan.
When it comes to popular tourist destinations in Japan, Shirakawa-go, Hokkaido, Tokyo...and above all, Kyoto, are surely some of the first things that come to mind. On your Kyoto trip, why not extend your trip to Uji, home to high-quality matcha, and experience authentic Uji tea?
Visit Nakamura Tokichi Honten in Uji
We operate two special locations in Uji where you can immerse yourself in tea culture:
The Byodoin Branch: Located right next to the renowned Byodoin Temple (a UNESCO World Heritage site and symbol of Uji tourism), this store offers a breathtaking view. Here, you can enjoy Matcha, premium tea while overlooking the clear, beautiful flow of the Uji River.
The Main Store (Honten): Situated in the heart of Uji, Situated in the heart of Uji, this historic store is designated as an Important Cultural Landscape. The building retains its appearance from about 170 years ago, offering a comfortable, nostalgic space for all our guests.
A Moment of Zen: The Matcha Grinding Experience
While both locations serve our recommended teas in optimal condition, the Main Store offers something truly special: a Matcha grinding and tea ceremony experience.
The time spent slowly grinding tencha leaves using a traditional stone mill is a quiet, peaceful moment—a time for self-reflection. Listen to the faint sound of leaves turning into fine powder. Feel the weight and rhythm of the rotation in your palms. The Matcha you grind while wishing, "May this be delicious," becomes a unique masterpiece.
Once ready, you proceed to the traditional tearoom, a space usually closed to the public. To enter, one must symbolically cleanse themselves of the "dust" of the mundane world.
This begins with stepping onto the garden's tobiishi (stepping stones). Each step is a process to clear the mind of daily distractions, quiet the soul, and prepare to enter the world of Chanoyu (the Way of Tea).
Inside, you can learn and emulate the Way of Tea with your mind and body. Listen closely to the sounds of the ladle, sense the subtle fragrance of the fresh tea, and watch the host's serving procedure intently. Soaking in this world of profound Zen tranquility is a priceless experience. Finally, savoring the Matcha freshly ground by your own hands, while appreciating the texture of the tea bowl, creates memories that will enrich your life long after you return home.
Enrich Your Daily Life with Uji Tea
Even if you cannot visit Uji, you can enjoy the spirit of tea anytime, anywhere. Because you have chosen to welcome tea into your life, we want you to have a delicious experience, even when brewing it yourself at home. By incorporating genuine tea from Uji—the home of Matcha—into your routine, we believe we can help add a touch of richness to your everyday life.
Nakamura Tokichi Honten will continue to deliver the inherent charm of tea, unchanged, in the coming year. We also plan to thoughtfully share ways to enjoy tea that fit into your lifestyle through our online store.
We sincerely look forward to serving you next year.
May your travels—and your tea time—be enriching.