Uji in 2-3 Hours: A Quick Guide to Byodoin Temple and Matcha Experience

Uji: A City Where World Heritage and The Tale of Genji Come Alive

Uji, Kyoto is home to numerous tourist attractions, including the World Heritage sites Byodoin Temple and Ujigami Shrine, as well as locations related to “The Ten Quires of Uji” from The Tale of Genji.

To fully experience Uji, we recommend setting aside half a day to a full day. Beyond its historical sites, Uji is also the holy ground of Japanese tea and matcha cuisine, where you can enjoy traditional tea and matcha sweets.

However, you might not always have that much time available. Sometimes you might want to do some quick sightseeing with the limited time you have.

This article introduces a compact 2-3 hour Uji sightseeing plan that focuses on visiting the World Heritage site “Byodoin Temple” while enjoying the journey. This guide will be helpful both for those short on time and those who want to use Byodoin Temple as a starting point for planning their broader Uji exploration.

Uji Bridge

When visiting Uji, most people arrive by train at either JR Uji Station or Keihan Uji Station.

The Uji Bridge is close to both stations.

Uji Bridge is counted among Japan’s three great ancient bridges and is considered the oldest bridge in Japan.

It’s one of the must-visit spots when sightseeing in Uji. You can stop by on your way to Byodoin Temple, and it takes about 20 minutes to enjoy at a leisurely pace.

Byodoin Temple

This is the main attraction of the tour. Byodoin has four main highlights: “The Garden,” “Phoenix Hall and its interior viewing,” “Byodoin Museum Hoshokan,” and “Teahouse Fujihana.”

While interior viewing of the Phoenix Hall requires same-day on-site registration, it can be popular and you might have to wait up to an hour for your turn, so make sure to register first when you arrive at Byodoin.

Assuming you can view the interior without unnecessary waiting time, you’ll need about 20 minutes for the garden, 30 minutes for the Phoenix Hall and interior viewing, and 30 minutes for the Byodoin Museum Hoshokan. This adds up to about 1 hour and 30 minutes. If you include a visit to Fujihana teahouse (café), the total time will be around 2 hours.

Enjoy Uji Tea, Matcha Sweets, and Lunch

When in Uji, you can’t miss out on Uji tea, matcha, and matcha sweets.

The Byodoin Temple Approach is lined with traditional tea shops and teahouses. Additionally, you’ll find “Uji Bridge Street” near JR Uji Station, and “Asagiri Street” and “Chazuna Tea and Uji Town Exchange Hall” near Keihan Uji Station.

Take time to explore these areas either on your way to or from Byodoin Temple to enjoy the townscape and local cuisine.

Our Complete Guide to Kyoto Uji Gourmet also introduces half-day to full-day plans that combine visiting World Heritage sites like Byodoin Temple and Ujigami Shrine with exploring Uji tea and matcha sweets, so please use it as a reference.

If you’d like to deepen your knowledge about Japanese tea, check out the following guide to enhance your enjoyment of Uji tea and matcha cuisine during your visit.

When You Have More Time

The sightseeing plan introduced here takes 3-4 hours if you explore thoroughly, or 2-3 hours if you move quickly. The time difference depends on how long you spend visiting shops for food and souvenirs. If you’re only focusing on Byodoin Temple, you can complete the visit in a minimum of 1.5-2 hours.

If you have more time available, we recommend visiting another World Heritage site, Ujigami Shrine, exploring spots related to “The Ten Quires of Uji” from The Tale of Genji, or experiencing a tea ceremony.

This article presents a minimal plan that you can use as a base to customize according to your available time.

Kyoto has so many tourist attractions that there’s never enough time to see everything in one trip. We hope this article helps you enjoy Kyoto to the fullest extent possible within your time constraints.