About Kyoto

https://youtu.be/exf5Jb8BbgE

Someone gathered armfuls of fallen cherry blossoms in a nearly empty Kyoto this April.

With so few visitors this spring, who is there to pity the blossoms as they fade?

Even after seeing the scenery of Japan, I only grew more homesick—missing this year’s cherry blossoms and the people back home, with a lingering sense of regret.


Kyoto is the spiritual hometown of the Japanese people and also a top destination for travelers. Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, and Arashiyama are all famous names, but Kyoto’s appeal goes far beyond them.

Unlike the weighty sense of history in the city itself, the outskirts of Kyoto offer a more lively, natural charm. To promote tourism in the surrounding areas, the Kyoto prefectural government introduced four themes: Tea Kyoto, Bamboo Kyoto, Forest Kyoto, and Sea Kyoto (you really have to admire the Japanese for marketing—these names alone are enough to spark wanderlust).

So for this trip to greater Kyoto, let’s begin with Uji, the heart of Tea Kyoto.

Uji

Mention Uji, and most people immediately think of matcha. In fact, Uji is not far from Kyoto at all. From central Kyoto, you can take the Keihan Main Line and transfer at Chushojima to the Keihan Uji Line, reaching Uji in just half an hour. If you are not staying near the Kamo River, you can also take the JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station to Uji.

Beyond the broad countryside, Uji’s core area is actually quite compact. One main street, one temple, one shrine—its classics are all concentrated in a small, walkable area.

Right outside Uji Station is Uji Bridge, said to be one of Japan’s three great ancient bridges. Its history dates back more than 1,300 years to the Asuka period, though the current bridge was rebuilt in 1996.

Stand on the viewing platform atop the bridge, look out at the rolling green mountains in the distance and the Uji River rushing below, and it is easy to fall for this little city almost immediately.

On the bridge, you face a small but important decision: the two UNESCO World Heritage sites—Byodo-in and Ujigami Shrine—stand across the river from each other. Left or right? It is a good question.

At the western end of Uji Bridge stands a statue of the classical Japanese writer Murasaki Shikibu. The Tale of Genji, the foundational masterpiece of Japanese literature that many have heard of but few have read, sets its final ten chapters in Uji; these are known as the “Uji Chapters.”

As Kaoru, one of the story’s protagonists, says, “By the Uji River too there is the rustic charm that belongs only to mountain villages, a tranquil quality that quietly stirs the heart,” which says plenty about Uji’s allure.

Byodo-in

Cross Uji Bridge and turn left, pass through the omotesando lined with matcha shops, and you arrive at Byodo-in—the temple engraved on the 10-yen coin. Honestly, after seeing so many temples and shrines in Kyoto, Byodo-in is one of my personal favorites. It is an absolute must-visit.

If you come in April or May, you may also see the wisteria hanging in front of Byodo-in’s gate. That soft wash of pale purple is especially lovely; even before stepping inside, you can already sense its beauty.

Uji was once the territory of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family in Japanese history. Fujiwara no Michinaga, the clan’s patriarch, had three daughters who at one point simultaneously became Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress—surely a rarity in world history.

Byodo-in began as Michinaga’s private villa, later converted into a temple by his son. Its grand grounds and exquisite architecture still bear the imprint of Michinaga’s famous waka, passed down for a thousand years: “This world, I think, is indeed my world, like the full moon lacking nothing.”

Walk through a trellis of wisteria and the view suddenly opens onto a pond and the classically beautiful Phoenix Hall. This hall is the only surviving structure in all of Japan that reflects the glory of the Fujiwara family’s golden age.

Red azaleas echo the red building; the left and right sides are perfectly symmetrical, and the reflection in the pond creates symmetry above and below as well. From afar, the composition looks like a giant golden bird about to take flight.

Most of the cherry blossoms by the pond had already fallen. It makes you wonder what kind of beauty appears here in summer, when the water lilies bloom.

The interior of Phoenix Hall can be visited. In addition to the thousand-year-old Amida Buddha statue, staff also explain the history of Byodo-in. Space is limited, though, so after entering the grounds, remember to make a reservation at the office on the right side of the hall.

For more than a thousand years, Byodo-in has endured wars, storms, and time itself, yet it still stands quietly beside the Uji River. That feels like a miracle in its own right, and perhaps one reason the Japanese cherish it so deeply. Beyond its appearance on the 10-yen coin, the design on the 10,000-yen banknote also comes from the golden phoenix perched on the roof of Phoenix Hall.

A sudden downpour caught us by surprise, and sitting quietly inside the small hexagonal pavilion by the pond, watching Phoenix Hall through the veil of wind and rain, felt like another kind of encounter across the mists of history.

Underground on the left side of Byodo-in is the Hoshokan Museum, home to many national treasures. The value of the artifacts inside is described as comparable to the Dunhuang murals, making them among Japan’s finest cultural treasures and well worth seeing. The tea room above the museum is also a good place to rest your feet and sample Uji tea for the first time.

From the bell tower, you can look down on Byodo-in through the trees. The bell here, after all, is also counted among Japan’s three great bells.

On the small slope behind Phoenix Hall are four or five smaller temples of different sizes. Among them, Jodo-in and Saisho-in are branch temples of Byodo-in, roughly speaking later offshoots established as affiliated sub-temples.

Inside Jodo-in’s Buddha hall, I saw a boat-rowing Kannon for the first time, which was quite interesting.

Rakan-do is a small temple beside Jodo-in. It made me laugh the moment I saw it—it looks uncannily like the temple Sun Wukong transforms into in Journey to the West, just missing the flagpole.

Byodo-in is beautiful from every angle, impossible to tire of. On the low wall in front of Rakan-do, tender green shoots were sprouting—how many springs and autumns have they seen here?

Looking out through the old temple gate of Saisho-in, all you see is springtime in Uji. Between the two small temples is also the grave of Minamoto no Yorimasa, a senior kinsman of the famous Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Uji was where he was defeated by the Taira clan, and he is also said to have originated the samurai custom of ritual disembowelment after defeat...

One more look at the side profile of Phoenix Hall and the wisteria blooming outside the gate.

Nakamura Tokichi

After visiting Byodo-in, it was basically time to start looking for lunch. Even though matcha shops line the streets one after another, who would want to miss Nakamura Tokichi, one of Uji matcha’s signature names, now in business for 166 years?

Walk about 10 minutes uphill along a narrow street, and you’ll reach Nakamura Tokichi’s main store.

Unlike many old brands back home that live more on reputation than substance, Nakamura Tokichi has truly kept its golden reputation intact to this day. Step inside and you’ll find an astonishing range of matcha-related products—if you can think of it, they probably have it. From matcha cakes to matcha soba, from traditional Japanese sweets to matcha drinks, the selection is dazzling.

A cup in honor of Murasaki Shikibu.

At a matcha shop, the first thing you really have to order is a cup of matcha or gyokuro; otherwise, it hardly feels worthy of the “Tea Kyoto” theme.

Based on recommendations from many bloggers, worthwhile souvenirs include matcha chocolate cookies, soft and chewy matcha dango jelly, matcha warabi mochi, matcha yokan, and more.

They’re not cheap, but if you see something you like, it’s worth just buying it then and there. Once you’re back home and want it again, the price on Taobao is often nearly double.

Another venerable matcha shop almost as famous as Nakamura Tokichi—Itohkyuemon—is across from the JR station, and it’s also a good place to pick up souvenirs you like.

Ujigami Shrine

After enjoying your matcha feast, take a slow walk back and head across the Uji River to see another UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ujigami Shrine. Instead of retracing your steps over Uji Bridge, you can cross the river via two tiny islands—Tonoshima and Tachibanajima. Think of it as our own little island-hopping trip.

Walking along the Uji River, the greenery everywhere is wonderfully relaxing. Elderly locals jogging or power-walking often pass by, another reminder of the aging population in small-town Japan.

Tonoshima gets its name from the thirteen-story stone pagoda on the island. Cross Asagiri Bridge from there and you’ll arrive at the foot of the hill leading up to Ujigami Shrine. For anyone who enjoys taking photos, the quiet, mostly empty Asagiri Bridge is actually a pretty nice photo spot.

Like Byodo-in, Ujigami Shrine was built during the Heian period and is the oldest surviving shrine in Japan. Why is it called the “upper” shrine? Because it sits above Uji Shrine. Sure enough, after crossing Asagiri Bridge and walking up the steps, the first thing you see is Uji Shrine’s worship hall, Kirihara-den.

Walk around Kirihara-den and you arrive at Uji Shrine itself. It enshrines Uji no Wakiiratsuko, the son of the legendary 15th emperor, Emperor Ojin. According to legend, he took his own life in order to yield the throne to his brother—a rather extreme way to handle succession...

The shrine is small, and it doesn’t feel especially well maintained. There’s already a slight sense of wear and decline.

Continue farther uphill and you’ll reach Ujigami Shrine. This one enshrines Emperor Ojin himself, the prince who committed suicide, and the next emperor who inherited the throne. The main shrine consists of three inner shrine structures in a row, joined under a single cypress-bark roof—a very rare shrine architectural style.

After coming back down from Uji Shrine, your exploration of Tea Kyoto is nearly at an end. If you still want more and hope to see Uji’s real tea fields, you’ll need to continue south to Tawara-cho or Wazuka-cho. There you can see sweeping tea plantations, and you can also reserve tea-picking and tea-making experiences in advance. Public transportation to both places is not very convenient, though, so they’re better suited to driving yourself or hiring a car.

In Uji, sightseeing can move at a very, very slow pace. Even if you and a good friend—or someone you love—go nowhere at all, just sitting by the Uji River, watching the water flow by and chatting about old times, you can still feel the unique charm of a Japanese small town far removed from the noise of the city.

Sample Itinerary:

As mentioned above, Uji’s main sights are fairly close together, so at a normal sightseeing pace, half a day is enough. Many people have limited vacation time, though, so if you want a tighter schedule and hope to check off more places, you can also use a Keihan Railway Kyoto 1-day pass and combine the trip with Fushimi Inari Taisha and Sanjusangendo in southern Kyoto.

Personally, I’d still recommend keeping the pace as relaxed as possible if your schedule allows, so you can really take in Uji’s charm.

A sample plan might look like this:

  • Sanjo Keihan Station (depart 7:30AM) -
  • Fushimi Inari Taisha (8:00AM, get your photos at Senbon Torii before the tour groups arrive) -
  • Uji (arrive 9:30AM) - Byodo-in (start visiting at 9:45AM) -
  • Nakamura Tokichi (11:30AM, buy souvenirs; lines are usually long, so you can grab a number first and then go walk around or have lunch) -
  • Ujigami Shrine (1:00PM) -
  • Mimuroto-ji (2:30PM) -
  • Sanjusangendo (4:00PM)

Costs:

  • - Transportation: Keihan Railway Kyoto 1-day pass 600 yen; if you’re only making a round trip to Uji, it’s just 460 yen; a round trip to Uji on the JR Nara Line costs 480 yen
  • - Admission: Byodo-in 600 yen; visiting the interior of Phoenix Hall costs an additional 300 yen; Ujigami Shrine and Fushimi Inari Taisha are free; Sanjusangendo admission is 600 yen

References:

  • “This World Is Not Your World, Yet the Moon Is Still Full Without Fail.” www.douban.com/note/697727004
  • Byodo-in official website www.byodoin.or.jp
  • “The Place of Politics: The Age of Uji Byodo-in” talk.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/1323684

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