Uji in One Day: A Day Trip Itinerary from Kyoto

Uji is one of the best day trips from Kyoto. In one small riverside town you get a temple on the 10-yen coin, the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan, the setting of the last chapters of The Tale of Genji, and some of the best matcha in the world, all within walking distance of each other. This guide gives you a one-day plan, with times, prices and where to fit in lunch and tea.

Getting there

From Kyoto Station, take the JR Nara Line to Uji: about 17 minutes on the Miyakoji Rapid or 22 to 27 minutes on a local train, for ¥240. From Gion, take the Keihan line and change at Chushojima. Our guide on how to get from Kyoto to Uji has both routes in detail. To be at Byodo-in for opening, aim to leave Kyoto Station by about 8:00 am.

A one-day plan

8:45 am: Byodo-in

Start with Uji's most famous sight, while it's quiet. Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall was finished in 1053 as a vision of the Buddhist paradise, and it's the building on the back of the 10-yen coin. Go straight to the reception in the garden and buy a ticket to go inside the Phoenix Hall (¥300, cash only), because busy days sell out. Then walk around the pond and visit the Hoshokan museum, where the original bronze phoenixes and the carved bodhisattvas on clouds are kept. Admission is ¥700 for adults. Allow about an hour and a half. Our Byodo-in guide explains what you're looking at.

10:30 am: Byodo-in Omotesando and the river

Leave by the main gate onto Byodo-in Omotesando, the short street of tea merchants leading to the temple. It's the place to try matcha soft-serve and look at tea to buy later. Then head to the river and cross to the far bank by the bridges and islands in the middle of the Uji River.

11:00 am: Uji Shrine and Ujigami Shrine

On the east bank, two shrines sit a few minutes apart. Uji Shrine is the one with the rabbit lanterns. A short walk uphill, Ujigami Shrine looks modest, but its main hall is the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan, and both it and Byodo-in are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto”. Both shrines are free.

12:30 pm: Lunch near Uji Bridge

The streets around Uji Bridge and the tea shops near JR Uji Station are full of places to eat. Look for tea-flavoured dishes like matcha soba, or a matcha set with sweets. Popular shops such as Nakamura Tokichi often have a queue, so go a little before or after the lunch rush. On the west end of Uji Bridge, look for the statue of Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji.

2:00 pm: Choose your afternoon

Pick one or two of these, depending on what you enjoy:

• Matcha in a tea room at Taihoan. The city-run tea house by the river, near Byodo-in, serves a bowl of matcha with a seasonal sweet for ¥500, no booking needed. It's open 10 am to 4 pm. Our Uji matcha guide lists more tea experiences, including grinding your own matcha on a stone mill.
• The Tale of Genji Museum. A short walk from Ujigami Shrine, it tells the story of the novel, whose last ten chapters are set in Uji. Open 9 am to 5 pm (last entry 4:30 pm), ¥600 for adults, closed on Mondays.
• Koshoji and Kotozaka. Walk about 15 to 20 minutes upstream along the east bank to this Zen temple, approached by a 200-metre slope lined with maples. It's especially beautiful in late autumn. Reception is open 10 am to 4 pm, ¥500. See our Uji autumn leaves guide.

4:00 pm: Tea to take home

Finish where you started, among the tea shops. Tsuen, at the east end of Uji Bridge, traces its history to 1160 and is often called Japan's oldest tea shop. Many shops limit how much matcha each customer can buy, so don't count on buying a lot.

Evening: Fushimi Inari on the way back

If you still have energy, get off the JR Nara Line at Inari Station on the way back to Kyoto. The torii gates of Fushimi Inari are open at all hours and free, and after 6 pm they're far quieter than during the day. Read our guide to visiting Fushimi Inari at night.

Alternative plan: Byodo-in and the Nintendo Museum

The Nintendo Museum is also in Uji, in the Ogura area just south of the town centre. If you're a Nintendo fan, you can combine it with the classic sights in one day: see Byodo-in and the shrines in the morning, then spend the afternoon or evening at the museum.

Get your tickets first. Tickets are sold only through the museum's official website, by a random drawing. Entries open three months before your visit, and you need a free Nintendo Account to apply. Tickets are for a set entry time and must be in the name of the person visiting, as ID is checked at the door, so don't buy resold tickets. Adult tickets are ¥3,300. If you miss the drawing, check the website for leftover tickets sold first come, first served.

The museum is open 10 am to 8 pm and closed on Tuesdays (Wednesday instead when Tuesday is a public holiday) and over the New Year. You can also get there by bus, about 6 minutes from the south exit of JR Uji Station, or from Ogura Station on the Kintetsu line, a 5-minute walk. The museum asks visitors not to come by car or taxi. Our two-hour Uji walking tour fits neatly before a museum slot: take the 8:30 am or 11:30 am start.

What it costs

All prices are for adults. Add lunch and matcha sweets, and a day in Uji costs less than many days in Kyoto.

Where our tour fits in

Our two-hour Uji walking tour covers the heart of this plan: Byodo-in, Uji Shrine, Ujigami Shrine and Uji Bridge, with a guide who explains the history behind them. It starts at the statue of Murasaki Shikibu, and you can choose the start time that suits your day:

• 8:30 am: see the sights first, then have the rest of the day free for lunch, matcha and the afternoon options above.
• 11:30 am: arrive mid-morning and finish at 1:30 pm, in time for lunch.
• 2:30 pm: have lunch and matcha first, then see the sights in the afternoon. You'll finish at 4:30 pm.

Your guide will recommend good places for lunch and matcha. See tour dates and prices.

Launch price

Book this tour

Kyoto Uji: 2-Hour Byodo-in & Shrines Guided Walking Tour

Walk Uji with a guide: Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall, Japan's oldest surviving shrine building and the bridge from The Tale of Genji.

2 hours · Kyoto · Uji

¥4,500per person for 2

See dates

Tips

• Go on a weekday if you can. Weekends, especially in autumn, are the busiest time at Byodo-in.
• Check closing days. The Tale of Genji Museum is closed on Mondays, and the Nintendo Museum on Tuesdays.
• Bring cash. The Phoenix Hall ticket is cash only, and some smaller shops are too.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Everything is walkable, but you'll cover a few kilometres over the day.
• Look out of the train window. As you get close to Uji, tea fields start to appear beside the JR line.

Sources

• Byodo-in: Visitor guide (hours and fees)
• Tale of Genji Museum: Visitor information (Japanese)
• Nintendo Museum: Guide (prices and hours)
• Nintendo Museum: From ticket reservation to arrival
• Nintendo Museum: Getting here
• Koshoji: Access and visiting (Japanese)
• Kyoto Prefecture: Tea experiences in Yamashiro (Japanese)
• Ekitan: Kyoto to Uji (JR) route and fare (Japanese)

Frequently asked questions