Uji : Sweets at Nakamura Tokichi 中村藤吉

18th December 2012.
Uji, Japan

Uji was our next stop on our second day. Unfortunately, the Byodo-in’s main attraction, the Phoenix Hall was under renovation and there was some construction works going on at the Uji river as well. The overcast weather also didn’t help to make the sightseeing an enjoyable one.

Luckily a few attractions still looked good even under such circumstances. One such attraction is Kosho-ji, a Zen Chinese style temple established in 1648 AD. The entry is via a sloped pavement known as the Kotozaka. Its gardens were beautiful and the courtyard style temple surrounded by forested hills has a quaint atmosphere to it.

We also visited other major landmarks around Uji such as the Ujigami Shrine. Unlike Korea, Uji is still in its late autumn period. At the foot of Daikichi-yama, the trees are still dressed in colourful autumn colours.

We had our lunch/tea at Nakamura Tokichi’s main branch located near the JR Uji Station. One of the reasons was because we had to collect our reserved teas from the branch. The building itself is a worthy sight to visit while in Uji. The building’s courtyard is home to a black pine named “Horai Funamatsu” which is over 200 years old and planted by the second generation Tokichi. The tea merchant has at least 150 years of history and enjoys a distinguished reputation in Uji and Kyoto for its teas

At the back of the courtyard is Tokichi Café , a beautifully designed and elegant looking café which serves exquisite desserts and Japanese food. This is where we had our meal at Uji. I had the must-have Chilled Cha Soba Set (980 JPY) which includes their signature matcha dessert and rice with green tea furikake. This seemingly simple meal was very delicious. The furikake has a hint of tea flavour with a slight smoky flavour like seaweed.

The cha soba has a nice springy texture and doesn't stick to the teeth at all. All these was rounded up with a well-balanced and satisfying traditional Japanese dessert of green tea jelly with sweet azuki beans and mocha.

My friends ordered the hot version of the soba and other desserts such as their dessert platter which included matcha & hojicha ice cream and cakes as well as some soft-serve ice cream.

Another of my travel companion had the traditional Japanese jelly-like sweets. Instead of roasted sesame powder, Tokichi Café uses quality matcha powder. It was extremely good but very pricey.

Once again, another delicious meal completes our trip to the cha paradise of Uji.

Nakamura Tokichi
中村藤吉本店
京都府宇治市宇治壱番10