Nakamura Tokichi(Uji Honten)

Visit the world heritage site of Uji Byodoin Temple and explore the hometown of matcha, Nakamura Tokichi (main store). It is very close to Byodoin Temple, and you can see Uji Bridge and Uji River from the tea seat. Ordered matcha ice cream, hot matcha, cold matcha and other drinks. [Taste] The source of matcha. [Environment] Old Japanese building with beautiful scenery. [Service] Excellent!

Nakamura Tokichi's main store is gone, and I'm back again~ The number is taken by the machine when dining in the store. It was still taken manually more than four years ago~ You need to wait for more than an hour and a half to be called manually. There is a courtyard. Tea desserts are better than noodles. The limited matcha parfait is rich in layers and delicious~ Matcha white jade balls + matcha noodles + matcha soup noodles with tofu skin~ After eating, I bought some snacks, chocolate cookies and tea leaves at the door to take away~

This place is really hard to find. I still can't figure out how to get there. Just remember it's not in the Isetan building. I got lost in Kyoto Station and Isetan department store, and finally found it with the help of an Isetan employee.

Uji Nakamura Tokichi Main Store: • Origin and Development: Nakamura Tokichi Main Store was founded in 1854, and its history can be traced back to 1819, the second year of Bunsei. The parents of the first generation of Nakamura Tokichi met here, and then his father Rokubei moved to Uji. Tokichi was an apprentice under the imperial tea master Hoshino So, and later founded the tea business "Nakamura Tokichi". • Family inheritance: After many generations of inheritance, from the first generation of Tokichi to the current contemporary owner Fujishi, the tea business has been passed down from generation to generation and run in good faith for more than 160 years. • Cultural landscape: It was selected as an important Uji cultural landscape by Japan in 2009. It retains the typical tea merchant style of the Meiji era and is one of the representative buildings of Uji. • Traditional style: A two-story old-style wooden town building, with a large curtain fluttering in the wind hanging at the door, old-style tables and chairs inside the store, and a large courtyard, full of a strong historical atmosphere. • Special desserts: such as bamboo tube desserts served in bamboo, which are made of tea jelly, glutinous rice white jade, red bean paste and matcha ice cream, with a rich taste. There are also Nakamura Tokichi logo desserts, which contain more than 10 ingredients such as ice cream, red bean paste, matcha cake, white jade, taro balls, etc. • Matcha cuisine: Matcha soba noodles incorporate the fragrance of matcha into the noodles, with a unique taste. • Tea house experience: In 2001, the tea factory was converted into a tea house, with business hours from 11:00 to 18:00. Visitors can taste various matcha delicacies and enjoy the courtyard scenery. • Mingcha store: Business hours are 10:00-18:00, selling various high-quality Uji tea and ready-made cakes, with a rich variety, it is a good place to buy souvenirs. The signature matcha parfait and wasabi cold noodles require a queue to eat in the store. The store opens at 10 a.m. and there are already 39 tables in front of you when you get a number. If you just want desserts, you can go to the Byodoin branch.

This time, I went to two Nakamura stores, one is the main store in Uji and the other is in Isetan, Kyoto Station. Overall, I prefer the main store. After all, the style is more simple and the products are more complete. You can take the Nara Line from downtown Kyoto to Uji City. After exiting the station, you can find this main store after crossing the bridge and walking a short distance. It looks very impressive, and the big LOGO shows the prestige of the first brand of matcha. After entering, I first visited the souvenir section. There are a lot of matcha products. Compared with Ito or Tsujiri, they focus more on tea, so many types of tea are very popular. I am still interested in sweets. I bought a matcha white jade ball to take away, because there are too many people in the dining area in the yard, and I don’t have time to wait so long. In addition to dining, there is also a tea room dedicated to drinking tea. It looks very noble and should be reserved in advance. The matcha raw jelly in the matcha white jade ball is super good. Although Kyoto is very cold, I am very happy to eat it. The delicate red bean paste and the Q-elastic balls are also a perfect match.

As a matcha lover, the first thing I did after coming out of Uji Station was not to visit Byodoin Temple, but to queue up at the entrance of Nakamura Tokichi to wait for the store to open. Only foodies can understand the feeling of pilgrimage. After coming out of the south exit of Uji Station, you can see Nakamura Tokichi Main Store by walking across the road. When I arrived, it was not open yet, but people had already started queuing. As soon as the door opened at 10 o'clock, they lined up in the indoor open-air courtyard. Maybe it was because it was not a holiday, there were not many people when the store opened. We were the first wave of customers when the store opened, and those who lined up behind us had to wait for the table to be turned over. The indoor environment is very good, and you can enjoy the scenery of the courtyard while drinking tea. Raw tea jelly, matcha soba noodles, matcha white jade balls, I really don't want to miss them all. After all, you have to queue for more than an hour in Hong Kong. I also wanted to order a warabi cake, but I was told that it would not be served until 11 o'clock. I've had raw tea jelly in Hong Kong before, but the difference is the utensils. Hong Kong uses silver bowls, while this place uses bamboo tubes, which feels more special. This is my first time trying matcha soba noodles, and I'm immediately fascinated by soba noodles. They're very delicious. Price: Raw tea jelly 740 yen, soba set meal 1100 yen, matcha white jade balls 780 yen Business hours: 10:00-19:00

Since we are in the hometown of matcha, we must choose the most authentic matcha flavor. Nakamura Tokichi, an old Uji matcha shop with a history of nearly 200 years, is a popular local dessert shop. Queuing is inevitable. Write the number of people and names in the registration book, and then wait patiently. During the waiting process, you can go to the merchandise shop at the door of the store to have a look. Various matcha items are sold here, including various matcha desserts, sencha, matcha powder, matcha chocolate, etc. It is a good choice as a souvenir for people. After walking around, it was almost our turn. According to the rules of eating in the store, each person must order one. We each ordered a different matcha dessert, including cake set, ice cream, matcha jelly, and exclusive ice cream dessert made from high-grade Uji tea in bamboo tubes. The rich matcha flavor and the taste are very pure. I saw many people order soba noodles. I had just eaten ramen at noon and didn’t want to eat noodles again, so I didn’t order it. Seeing others eating with relish, I guess it tastes pretty good.