Uji Tea Ceremony and UNESCO Heritage Walking Tour

It was so much fun! She was informative and thorough, the tea ceremony was amazing! Also, the two UNESCO world heritage sites were must-visits!

Fun tour, nicely paced, good introduction to Uji. Akiko is an outstanding guide--articulate, knowledgeable, and patient. She gave us additional recommendations, based on our interests, marking them on a map that she provided. Highly recommended!

Katz was an amazing tour guide who had so much knowledge about matcha and the history of Japan. He was even able to translate for us during the tea ceremony, offering the symbolism and meaning behind each action. I would highly recommend him for any English speaking tourist ready to learn the secrets and history of shrines, temples, and ceremonies in Japan!

Dineth was calm, gentle and relaxed, and particularly patient fielding our many questions. He was relatively new to being a tour guide but was well versed in the history of Uji and took the time to source answers if needed. Booked for a 3 hour small group tour we were fortunate to be the only ones so we basically had a private tour that was memorable and full of photo and learning opportunities. Note the tea ceremony is run through the cultural centre and was nicely done however would recommend doing a similar tour with a private tea ceremony for more authentic cultural immersion. On the whole, we enjoyed spending the half day with Dineth at a relaxed pace and absolutely loved the beauty of Uji, the fantastic museum, the exquisite Byodoin Temple and the beautiful grounds.

Joseph (Josephu) was excellent. We really enjoyed his enthusiasm, candid style, and depth of knowledge. He did a great job connecting language, culture, history, and religion so everything we experienced in Uji felt richer and more meaningful. He clearly came prepared and provided excellent context throughout the tour. Uji itself was a wonderful surprise. It is a charming town that feels a bit removed from the usual Tokyo and Kyoto tourist trail. A part of us almost hesitates to write this review because we hope it stays that way. The visit to Byōdō-in was a highlight. The temple is beautiful, and the history behind it made it even more memorable. The tea ceremony was also special, especially once you understand the history, symbolism, and intentions behind why Japanese culture turned drinking tea into something so refined and ceremonial. Our one suggestion for improvement would be to include a bit more education about matcha itself: how it is grown, produced, graded, and what makes different matcha experiences unique. Overall, this was one of our favorite experiences in Japan and a great way to understand Uji beyond just seeing the sights.

The guide was great. Went with my mother and the guide was patient and took their time. Also gave us a ton of great recommendations for the rest of our trip.

The tour was great! Our tour guide was really nice and spoke great English. Highly recommend this for anyone hoping to see some historical sites and get a nice tea ceremony experience.

Our tour was fantastic and I would highly recommend this tour to everyone going to the Kyoto/Osaka area! Claudia was our tour guide and she was absolutely wonderful. She messaged us on WhatsApp a few minutes before the start time to let us know she arrived, shortly after we met her at the exact location indicated on the booking notes. Claudia was very knowledgeable about the history of Uji, the Byodo-In Temple, Matcha tea, and everything in between. She also was very helpful at answering other questions we had about Kyoto and Japan. The tea ceremony was very memorable and we loved getting to make it ourselves! Highly recommend!

The tea ceremony was amazing and beautiful as was the shrine. Eloise put up with all my photos and it was a lovely day

Excellent tour! Absolutely loved Uji - would absolutely recokmend taking a day trip or half day trip when in Kyoto. Was very cool walking around and seeing several historical sites. Also enjoyed the tea ceremony. Shingo was awesome and took lots of pictures for us too!