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Map of Kyoto dotted with historical sites dedicated to the culture of tea.
Kozan-ji Temple, at foot of Mt. Atago boasts the oldest tea plantation in Kyoto. Daitoku-ji Temple, in the Murasakino area saw the birth of Japanese tea culture. It was here, that Sen no Rikyu, the famous tea master laid down the rules and forms of "Cha no yu", the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Kennin-ji Temple, the home of Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism was founded by Esai who introduced green tea from China.

As a memento of your trip to Kyoto, tea would be the one of best gifts for your family or friends. It is light, convenient and stays fresh for a long time.

A great warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of three unifiers in Japan, loved Uji-Tea and the three Uji-style tea shops on Teramachi Street are closely connected to him.

IPPODO, renowned tea shop founded in 1717

Teramachi street, one of the important shopping streets in Kyoto runs from north to south, from the Imperial Palace down to Gojo Street. From Oike Street south is the bustling center filled with cafes, souvenir shops, electric shops and a wide variety of general goods. The north side stands in contrast, the atmosphere is quieter, slower paced and refined.

IPPODO is located just south of Imperial Palace and you can glimpse the outer wall from the entrance. Shop is easy to find its on the right side if you are facing north, a beautiful traditional Kyoto building with a tiled roof and fronted by Noren, traditional shop's banners announcing the company name in Japanese script.

IPPODO has branches at many major department stores and its brand name is well known nationwide. The current location is still the company's headquarters. Today's shop is a replica of the original which was built in 1717 but burnt down in the civil war of 1864.

Choosing tea leaves yourself in the store suffused with the rich aroma of fresh tea is a wonderfully evocative way to get in touch with authentic Japanese tradition tea culture.

The tea room called the "KABOKU" is next to the shop.

Here you can enjoy the carefully brewed tea and also try varied tastes of the first brew and then second brew from the leaves you chose. You can also enjoy traditional sweets, an integral part of tea ceremony.

The paper used to wrap your purchase is styled after a page from a classic piece of Chinese literature, titled Chanjin written during Tang Dynasty. Text reads "Tea is KABOKU in the south"

Different kinds of takeout tea are available for busy people and sightseers. You can enjoy hot or cold tea from a paper cup illustrated with cute birds and animals copied from picture scrolls stored at Kozan-ji Temple.

There are approximately 30 different tea items sold in the shop. For those who are worried about the preservation of tea leaves, they have 50-gram packages that can be used up to about 5 times and also green tea which sometimes is difficult to finish if you buy a big bag. However, IPPODO has stick type instant Matcha for single serving. There are a lot of well thought out items that are great as gifts for your trip.

You shouldn't miss the exclusive Sencha which is only sold at the main store. If you want to store the tea leaves you buy, the best quality tea canisters made by Kaika-do would be a great and perfect choice as a memento of your trip to Kyoto.

IPPODO sells some their original brand of Kyusu, tea pots and the off-white porcelain Tokoname-yaki tea pot which seems to go well with the Scandinavian style kitchen ware. The tea pots with their gentle color and textures caught my eye. I've decided to get an IPPODO's carafe if my cold tea pot breaks. I enjoy looking around the shop and left it after getting a takeout tea brewed with new tea leaves which a lot of people look forward to with the same enthusiasm as wine drinkers greet the release of every year's new batch of Beaujolais Nouveau. The vivid white Noren only hangs in front of this store in the summer months when the new teas start selling.
IPPODO

Goencha, the hip and fun tea shop for the younger generation

5 minutes' walk south from IPPODO, you cross Oike street to the entrance of the Tramachi shopping arcade, Kyoto Gyokuro Goencha is on your right after passing the Kyukyo-do gift shop.

With its understated modest store front, you might walk right by the shop without noticing it. Although Goencha is a new shop, opening in 2016, they serve some the best teas available including Gyokuro tea from the Yano-en tea farm that has been cultivating tea in the Uji Tawara district over 180 years.

When entering the shop, you can see a lot of colorful and trendy tea packages lining the shelves.　These pre-packaged servings are called "Greeting tea". They include messages and illustrations on the packages. The shop also sells the product called "Chayori" which is larger amount of package tea in tastefully decorated envelop. The product is intended to send directly by mail to your friends and family. They make unique and thoughtful travel gifts. Postage is not included in the price.

"Love you, mum", "Thank you always" and hundreds of other warm messages are available.

English black teas are also available with the messages written in English.　They also carry brown rice tea for the health-conscious customer.　Custom designed packages can also be ordered to suit all occasions.

They started out selling their tea from their vending case on the back of a bicycle. A lot of hard work and success led to their opening their first shop. Still, they preserve their face-to-face style business. They take pride in overseeing of tea growing process. You can taste it in their tea.

Since Goencha prides themselves as the most fun tea shop in Japan. They offer casual but exciting tea experience.

Locally made Matsukaze pastry are the perfect complement to Goencha's tea.
GOENCHA

HORAIDO, a 230-year tradition

Going further south on Teramachi Street, just past the entrance to Nishiki shopping arcade, you will see the long establish tea shop, HORAIDO on the east side of the shopping street arcade. The current owner of the store gave us a back story on the origins of the shop.

HORAIDO has been serving Kyoto tea lovers since its establishment in 1803. Last year they installed a counter where customers can enjoy sampling freshly brewed teas. The price varies depending on which tea leaves you choose but you can try all different kinds of tea including Matcha tea. The traditional style we tried was prepared by the owner himself. His skill produced unexceptional and milder tea than I expected. Unfortunately, the sampling is currently unavailable due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Before the pandemic, every time I walked past, I saw a lot of foreign customers shopping in the store. They largely rely on word of mouth and gain a great reputation among tea lovers world over.

HORAIDO is the original seller of brown rice tea which is increasingly popular among health-conscious people around the world. It is now second only to matcha in popularity. HORAIDO and IPPODO are the only two tea shops listed on the Japanese version of Michelin guide.

People from overseas ask a lot of questions about the tea and take their time to select the products. Some of the worry about what to ask but this is no problem. The staffs are knowledgeable and friendly and approachable. They are willing and able to answer about their questions. They are one go to satisfy the customer's need.

Despite being old and traditional well-established tea shop, the owner is constantly exploring new and innovative ways to serve tea. Recently He's experimented with combining French cuisine with traditional Japanese tea ceremony served in a traditional garden. He is open to the infinite possibilities of combining tea with international cuisine. You will certainly learn a lot from him if you have a chance to speak with him.

Tea leaves are sold by weight in the traditional way. They also sell elegant tea ware such as Kiyomizu-yaki tea cups and Tokoname-yaki tea pots that will enhance your enjoyment
HORAIDO

Delight in the variety of Uji tea

When I joined an online Uji-tea seminar I learned to brew Sencha by following along with an expert was great. I wanted to send some package of tea leaves to my busy friend however I wasn't able to find a good one so in the end I sent some IPPODO's tea bags. My friend was very happy to receive the tea bags which are perfect to use for busy people.

Japanese tea has all kinds of varieties that you can choose according to your taste or lifestyle. Even plastic bottled tea is an integral part of modern part of Japanese culture. They drink it for their health for a quick boost of energy and to enjoy with their meals.

Tea is different from modern soft drinks in style and taste but it's cool and enjoyable if you can talk about tea. There are a lot of great Uji-tea shops in Kyoto. Stop by and visit them if you find one while seeing the sites.