Visited around 12:00 ☺︎ It was quite crowded for a weekday at this time. Smooth visit because I made a reservation in advance! There is a shop near the entrance, but there is a cafe in the back. The shop felt small, but the cafe didn't feel as cramped as the shop. I ordered the Uji matcha ochazuke. Using Uji matcha, it's truly Kyoto! As a tourist, it gets me excited! Plus, it comes with dim sum so it's quite a generous portion. It came out in less than 10 minutes after ordering. The pumpkin side dish wasn't very tasty, but the Uji matcha ochazuke was delicious ♡ The tea has no bitterness, making it easy to eat and goes down smoothly. The portion is quite substantial, so it leaves you feeling full! The dim sum was hot and tasty. Both the dim sum and ochazuke were a hit! There was enough volume that you won't get hungry late into the night.

On my way back from Osaka, I stopped by Uji. Uji is known for its tea, so I went into a café. They had a variety of dishes like fried rice with tea leaves that didn't seem like typical café food. I realized that cafés don't just offer Western food, but also have a great selection of Japanese dishes.

Today I visited Uji to see the hydrangeas. For lunch, I was interested in Chinese cuisine using tea, so I went to Kazamidori Tea Cafe. Normally, they are closed on Mondays, but luckily they were open today, which was lucky. I was curious about the Mapo Matcha Tofu, but ended up choosing the Uji Tea Rice (fried rice). It was cooked with salted Uji tea leaves, which added a nice aroma and good saltiness. The side dishes of dim sum and soup were also delicious. I am interested in trying other menu items as well. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is calm, and it's fun to look around the miscellaneous goods shop attached to it.

Souvenir shops along the approach, with a cafe in the back. There are 9 tables for lunch and dinner, including Chinese cuisine. It was crowded from the morning on New Year's Day. It was lunchtime, but we only had drinks: tapioca milk tea, tapioca coconut milk, and tapioca matcha milk x2. They were slightly sweet and delicious. Both the approach to Byodoin Temple and Uji Bridge Street were packed with people. I pass by here occasionally, but it was my first time going in.

♦️Uji Matcha Dashi Chazuke▪️Assorted Dim Sum (3 types)▪️Side dishes (2 types)Price: 1100 yen This dish consists of a warm Uji matcha dashi, which is a mix of rich matcha and light Japanese broth, poured over rice and lightly stirred with a tea whisk. The crispy rice at the bottom adds a nice aroma, and the thick, moist steamed chicken breast was delicious. The juicy soup dumplings with chewy skin were also excellent! ♦️Mini Dessert & Drink▪️Almond Tofu▪️Iced CoffeePrice: 350 yen The almond tofu had a great almond aroma and a sticky texture that paired well with the matcha syrup, making it rich and delicious. This restaurant is located in a traditional house cafe in the approach to Byodo-in Temple in Uji, with the entrance behind the specialty shop "Wamuto." They also offer dishes like "Uji Matcha Mapo Tofu" and a variety of authentic Chinese and Japanese sweets.

Day 3 of the trip! Today, we visited Toji Temple and Byodoin Temple. First, we went to Toji Temple, where I completed the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It was a moving experience to successfully complete the pilgrimage. After that, we headed to Byodoin Temple. Before visiting, we decided to grab some lunch at "Wamucha Cafe." I had the Uji Matcha Dipping Udon with seared chicken dipping sauce. The Uji Matcha Dipping Udon had a strong matcha flavor, a firm texture, and was delicious.

The Byodo-in Temple is said to have been built to recreate the Pure Land of Paradise on earth. Visiting Byodo-in Temple after a long time, it is a spectacular spot for autumn leaves. The vibrant autumn leaves surround the beautiful pond, Ajisai-ike. After visiting the temple, we had lunch at Wamucha Cafe located on the Omote-sando. It is a cafe that offers a fusion of Uji tea and Chinese cuisine. I tried the seared chicken tsukemen with matcha udon noodles. The dish had a light and refreshing taste. Wamucha Cafe is located at the back of a miscellaneous goods store, making it a fun place to explore.

Lunch near Byodoin Temple. I ordered Uji matcha dashi chazuke. The matcha flavor is subtle despite the color, with a rich taste of dashi. Both the matcha dashi and tempura were served at a slightly lukewarm temperature. It would have been nicer if they were hotter, but perhaps they intentionally serve it that way?

Tea udon instead of tea soba. When it comes to Uji, it's all about tea. While Byodoin Temple is famous, there is a shop on the nearby promenade. They serve tea udon. The appearance is quite impressive, but the taste doesn't have much tea flavor, more like regular cold udon. The menu is quite extensive and seems family-friendly.

After arriving at Uji and visiting Byodoin Temple in the afternoon, I was looking for a place to eat lunch. I found a cafe space at the back of a miscellaneous goods store. The menu offered Chinese cuisine and dim sum, and after some deliberation, I ordered the tantanmen and dim sum set. The dim sum included xiaolongbao, shrimp shumai, and mugwort dumplings. The soup of the tantanmen had a rich sesame aroma and tasted delicious when mixed with the noodles, but as it cooled down, the saltiness became overpowering. It was quite crowded as it was a holiday.

I went to Wamucha Cafe in Byodoin Omotesando Shopping Street to try their Uji tea ochazuke. It's a Chinese-style matcha soup ochazuke with chicken and charred rice. It comes with three delicious dim sum pieces and a side dish (this day it was dried daikon radish) for 1000 yen.

I had lunch at "Wamuto CAFE" located at the back of the Japanese miscellaneous goods specialty store "Wamuto" on Omotesando at Byodoin Temple. It was past 1:30 pm. Some shops on Omotesando were already closing up their curtains. I hurried into this shop and managed to have lunch. Today's lunch set (1300 yen including tax) includes dim sum, side dish, rice, and soup. The main dish was "Chicken Tempura and Eggplant in Oyster Sauce". It was lightly seasoned and felt a bit lacking, maybe because I had walked a lot and sweated. There were 3 types of dim sum, very filling. The side dish was stir-fried root vegetables. The color was light but the taste was quite strong. The main oyster sauce dish was lightly seasoned, the side dish had a strong flavor, and the soup had almost no taste. I was surprised that Kyoto, known for its light flavors, actually has strong-tasting dishes. The egg drop soup had a thick texture. I thought about adding plenty of mushrooms to make it hearty and warming for this season, it might be good for dieting too. I might try making it at home. My husband had the famous Dan Dan noodles (900 yen including tax). I tasted it and it was very delicious. I slightly regretted not ordering the Dan Dan noodles myself.

I sometimes use it for a late lunch. The lunchtime is long, so it's convenient. The dishes have a Chinese-style seasoning with a Uji taste added. They are all easy to eat and delicious. I am the type who goes for the daily lunch special. It's a cozy space, so there are many couples.

Mapo noodles! I decided to order it immediately because it's a menu that you don't see often! The mapo wasn't too spicy and easy to eat. The noodles were curly noodles and tasted delicious with the mapo sauce!

Today was cold, so I had mapo tofu. The spiciness warmed me up. (´^ω^｀)

It's a lunch set of sweet and sour pork. You'll be full after eating it~

Dan dan noodles warm you up from the core of your body. The flavorful soup is so good that you'll want to slurp it all up.

There's nothing like hot and spicy mapo tofu to warm up a cold body. It boosts metabolism to the point of breaking a sweat.