Nakamura Tokichi is a famous tea shop popular with both locals and tourists. The Honten (main branch) was originally the tea factory and was designated as an Important Cultural Landscape. It now houses a shop and a restaurant. It is only a few minutes walk...from the JR Uji Station. You should definitely visit if you like matcha. We arrived around 11:30am on a weekday and immediately picked up a queuing ticket from the machine. There was a QR code on the ticket and you could check the approximate waiting time and queuing status by scanning the code. While you wait for a table, take some time to admire the 250-year-old black pine called “Horai Funamatsu” in the courtyard. It is one of the 100 famous trees of Uji. We were lucky that we only waited for around 30 minutes for a table. Shincha was offered as welcome tea once we were seated. We ordered the matcha namacha jelly and the matcha maruto parfait. Both were served in a bamboo cup which was unique to the Honten. The jelly had a rich flavour of matcha. The taste was well-balanced and not too sweet. The parfait was composed of layers of different ingredients and had complex flavours. Both desserts were absolutely delicious and portions were quite generous. The staff were very friendly. We visited the shop after enjoying the desserts. A wide range of Japanese tea and tea confections were available which made perfect souvenirs and gifts. We particularly like the Cha feuille (crepe dentelle covered with matcha chocolate) and would definitely go and get more the next time we are in Kyoto. While you are in the shop, do not forget to take a look at the haiken-mado (looking window), a traditional architectural feature associated with tea sellers. The haiken-mado could also be seen on the street side.More