Images: An Uji Encounter with Centuries of Tea Tradition

Visitors pass through a rustic gate to reach Taihōan. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

A bowl of matcha is served at Taihōan. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

The street approaching Byōdōin is lined with tea houses and traditional confectioners. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

“Picking tea in Uji” from Nihon sankai meibutsu zue. (Courtesy National Diet Library digital collection)

Tencha, tea grown in the shade of traditionally woven straw matting, for making matcha. (© Pixta)

Chazuna features digital exhibits explaining the history of tea. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

At Chazuna, you can try using a millstone to grind tencha. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Tea fields in Uji. The plants are grown under shading to avoid direct sunlight. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Fukui Keiichi of Fukubun Seichajō explains how their historic factory uses heat and wind to produce full-flavored tencha from Uji-grown tea. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Tsūen, near Uji Bridge, is Japan’s oldest tea house, tracing its history back to 1160. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Tsūen tea house, seen in the Ujigawa ryōgan ichiran (Sights on the Banks of the Uji River), printed in 1863. (Courtesy the National Diet Library digital collection)

Matcha served with dango dumplings at Tsūen tea house, Uji. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Nakamura Tōkichi Main Store, close to JR Uji Station. The shop building was originally a tea wholesaler. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Nakamura Tōkichi Main Store offers a range of seasonal products and has a tasting corner. Visitors can compare the different colors, aromas and flavors of the teas for sale. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

The Nakamura Tōkichi Main Store café is inside a refurbished former tea processing factory. Its attractive garden is another delight. (© Fujiwara Tomoyuki)

Popular sweets at Nakamura Tōkichi Main Store include Maruto parfait (foreground) and namacha jelly. (© Matsumoto Sōichi)」