Akamon-chaya — Restaurant in Uji

I had a wonderful afternoon visiting Akamon-chaya. The shop itself was both elegant and intimate, relaxing and calming. I enjoyed chatting with the owner, Ms Irie: she said that she comes from a family of tea merchants which started 200 years ago. The older kiri-tea boxes on the shelves are ones her grandfather used (and show the telephone number then was just "30"!) She has been running the shop for over 50 years and focuses on top-grade Uji area local green teas. The amazing calligraphy on the walls, the no-ren, and the package labels is the work of her husband, who also designed the furniture and interior of the shop. If you have an eye for fine wood, you'll see many examples of prime Japanese lumber: keyaki, sugi, hinoki, and kiri. Her shop is a fusion between old traditions and modern relaxed and welcoming coziness. The tea ceremony isn't performed, but you do whip the matcha yourself and drink out of a large bowl while enjoying the peacefulness of the location. We also chatted about nice walks in the hills around Uji. She's lived there her entire life. Do visit if you come to the Kansai area: it's...

It was an extremely hot day—hot enough to require heatstroke precautions. After a leisurely visit around Byodoin Temple, I stopped by a nearby tea house located right next to the main entrance of the Byodoin.

Though very small, the tea house had been beautifully renovated and offered a calming atmosphere. It seemed to be a long-established tea house, with a narrow space and low ceiling that added to its old-world charm. Given the heat, I ordered the Uji Kintoki shaved ice. The vivid green Uji tea syrup poured over the ice made it visually appealing and quite appetizing. Hidden inside was a scoop of vanilla ice cream—though personally, I found it a bit too rich for my taste. It would be nice if there were an option to order it without the ice cream. The attention to detail in the choice of bowls and plates was also impressive, making for a truly refined and aesthetically pleasing tea...

元々、別の有名店で、かき氷を食べる予定でしたが、平日にもかかわらず外国人で混んでおり、諦めて店を探していたところ、客引きされた為、来店しました。 おしゃべりなおばあさんと、奥のパソコンが置いてある机から一切出てこないおばさんで切り盛りしているお店でした。 入ってびっくり値段が高い…。 正直、違う店に行こうかと思ったのですが、おばあちゃんがキラキラした瞳でずっとこちらを見て話しかけてくるので退店できず、注文。 味としては普通でした。 商品価格もですが、もっと嫌だったのは、食べてる間、ずっと売ってる商品の説明をして、売りつけようとしたことです。 うるうるした目で、話しかけられて、買わないと退店できない雰囲気でした。 試飲させてもらいましたが、不味くはないけれど、クセが強くて好みが分かれる味であんまり美味しくなかったです。 一緒に行った友達が、「調べたら、ますだ茶舗の方が量もあるし、あの店より安いじゃん…。お茶も買わされて最悪だった」って言ってました。 もう行くことはないと思います。

断りにくい人、おばあちゃんに弱い人は 商品を押し売りされるので、お勧めしません。

I had originally planned to eat shaved ice at another famous shop, but it was crowded with foreigners even though it was a weekday, so I gave up and was looking for a place to eat when someone called out to me and I ended up here. The shop is run by a chatty elderly lady, and another lady who was reluctant to come out from her desk in the back where she had her computer. When I went inside, I was surprised at how expensive the prices were... To be honest, I thought about going to another shop, but the lady kept looking at me and talking to me with sparkling eyes, so I couldn't leave the shop without ordering. The taste was average. Aside from the price, what was even more annoying was that she kept explaining her products and trying to sell me things while I was eating. She talked to me with teary eyes, so I felt like I couldn't leave the shop without buying something. I tried a sample, and while it wasn't bad, it was quite strong and not very tasty, although this may depend on your taste. My friend who went with me said, "I checked and found that Masuda Tea Shop has larger portions and is cheaper... I should have gone to Masuda Tea Shop instead of this shop." I don't think I'll go there again.

If you find it hard to say no or are sensitive to older women, I don't recommend it as you will be forced to...