Vanessa Visits

When people think of day trips from Kyoto, Osaka and Nara tend to get most of the attention. And while those destinations are incredible and certainly worth visiting, one of my favorite excursions during my honeymoon trip to Japan was our day spent in Uji.

Located just outside of Kyoto, Uji is best known for centuries of superior quality matcha. For those unfamiliar, matcha is Japanese powdered green tea. In the last decade or so, it has become increasingly popular globally. Most popular coffee shops, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, offer their own matcha latte drinks. The matcha you’ll find in Uji, however, is the real deal! We saw some matcha shops with signs boasting their centuries-long tenure. One shop in particular was 400 years old. Uji is also home to Byodo-in Temple and the recently-opened Nintendo Museum.

Pre-Nintendo Museum lunch: conveyor belt sushi at Kappa Sushi

Kappa Sushi, located near the Nintendo Museum, is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. This is a popular genre of sushi restaurants in Japan, and it was our first time eating at one. You order small plates on a tablet or on your phone, and the food arrives at your table shortly after via conveyor belt. Ordering many dishes is encouraged, as each dish is usually only two pieces of sushi. We really enjoyed eating at Kappa Sushi. There’s just something about conveyor belt sushi restaurants that make me so giddy with excitement. It is a lot of fun getting to try so many different kinds of sushi. Visiting a restaurant like this on your trip to Japan is an absolute must if you are a sushi lover like me!

The Nintendo Museum

After our early lunch at Kappa Sushi, we headed straight to the Nintendo Museum. As lifelong Nintendo fans, this was an attraction that my husband and I were both very excited to visit. Fun fact: this museum is in a former Nintendo manufacturing plant!

The museum opened only recently, and it does an incredible job of showcasing Nintendo’s history. There were lots of interactive exhibits and opportunities to play Nintendo games, and a gift shop that sold exclusive items that you could only get at the museum. The layout and the design were very modern and pleasing to the eye, and the displays did a great job of highlighting the evolution of the company over the years.

Photography isn’t allowed in much of the museum, so I don’t have a lot of photos. You’ll have to go see for yourself! And trust me when I say that it’s more than worth a visit for any Nintendo fan. I am not always a huge fan of museums, but I had an absolute blast here.

Uji Matcha

After finishing at the Nintendo Museum, we took a bus to historic Uji, where we wandered into a cute little cafe called Rokujoan to finally sip on some world-renowned Uji matcha. We got some traditional hot matcha to try, as well as a brown sugar iced matcha latte topped with a scoop of matcha ice cream. We also shared a crepe with some fun toppings. Everything we got was delicious. I really enjoyed hanging out in a matcha cafe in historic Uji, and I recommend anyone visiting Uji find a similar place to relax and refresh for a little while. Spending some time here was the perfect little pick-me-up before continuing our sight seeing.

Our goodies from the cafe in historic Uji!

I’ve enjoyed matcha many times, but drinking it in Uji felt like a special experience. It is clear that this city takes a tremendous amount of pride in being the matcha capital of the world. There are endless tea shops and matcha related treats and souvenirs to see while you visit. While you’re here, make sure you take some time to walk the streets and pop into some of the shops. The vibes here are traditional yet modern in a uniquely Japanese way.

Byodo-in Temple

Next, we went to Byodo-in Temple and museum, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks. It’s even featured on the ten yen coin! Sadly, we arrived after ticket sales to visit the interior of the temple had closed, but we were still able to explore the grounds, admire the temple from the outside, and visit the museum. Just walking around outside was really nice. As you can see, Byodo-in Temple is quite a sight to behold!

The museum was very interesting. There were restorations of old paintings, maps of Uji created during the Edo period, statues, and other artifacts. No photos were allowed, but the exhibits offered a wonderful glimpse into the history of Uji.

And even without visiting the inside of the temple, I thought it was one of the most beautiful sights of our trip.

A sunset stroll

My favorite memories from Uji weren’t from visiting a major attraction! We left Byodo-in around sunset, wandered away from the more densely touristed areas, and explored some of the city’s side streets. Eventually, we found a bench overlooking the Uji river and a pedestrian bridge. Across the river, there were mountains visible in the distance, as well as a mix of both traditional and modern Japanese homes. The sky was pink, and the energy was quiet and reflective. I remember that during this part of our day in Uji, it hit me that I’m in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and in one of it’s most historically and culturally rich cities.

Why Uji was one of my favorite day trips

My day in Uji was packed with variety, which is one of the things that made it stand out the most. On the modern side, I got to experience conveyor belt sushi and the incredibly impressive and brand-new Nintendo Museum. On the more traditional side, I got to sip matcha in historic Uji, and I got to visit the stunning Byodo-in Temple. It was cool getting to see one of Japan’s newest major attractions before learning about centuries of history. And our evening spent at a slower pace and enjoying the sights and the sunset on the slower side streets made for a beautiful end to our day.

If you’re visiting Kyoto on your upcoming trip to Japan, I strongly recommend a day trip to Uji. It’s an easy day trip, and it combines food, culture, and history with a little bit of Nintendo magic. I don’t think you’ll regret coming to this beautiful city.

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