Our 13 Favourite Uji Tea Tours

1.Kyoto: Tea Museum Tickets and Matcha Grinding Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 739 reviews · 1 hour · from $23Our pick

At Chazuna in Uji, an English-speaking instructor guides you through tea history, tencha grinding, and matcha preparation. You will whisk and drink your own tea, then explore interactive museum displays. Instructors including Hideko and Keiko have been praised for warm, funny teaching, while the museum adds useful context.

“The women guiding us through the Matcha experience were very warm and welcoming. From interesting facts about Matcha production to taking pictures of the participants and explaining everything in detail this was a thoroughly great and enjoyable experience we would always come back to and warmly recommend to everyone.”

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2.Uji: Green Tea Tour with Byodoin and Koshoji Temple Visits

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 72 reviews · from $111

Join an English or Spanish-speaking guide such as Bryan, David, Ferdinand, or Damien for a four-hour Uji tour. Taste prized Gyokuro, visit the oldest operating teahouse, learn tea-brewing techniques, and explore Byodoin, Ujigami Shrine, and mountain-side Koshoji Temple. Expect stairs, walking, and a rain-or-shine outing.

“Brian was our tour guide. He knew a lot about Uji history and took us to see many shrines / temples. He taught us how to do a blessing at a shrine / temple and we repeated it all throughout our trip whenever we visited a temple / shrine. The tea making lesson was fun also. We tried a tea we’ve never had before. We would book a tour with Pinpoint again. We did two tours with them. We were very happy with the quality.”

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3.Uji: UNESCO Heritage & Tea Ceremony Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 54 reviews · 3 hours · from $66

Start at JR Uji Station with an English-speaking guide, then visit Byodoin Temple, take part in a Japanese tea ceremony at Taihoan, cross two suspension bridges, and visit Uji and Ujigami shrines. Guides such as Yuko, Katsuhiko, and Nobumasa Miyake have led this tour, which ends near Uji Bridge with local matcha treats.

“amazing, not too packed. good content and really wonderful time with Miyake-san”

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4.Slow Cycling Tour at Uji’s Matcha Green Tea Fields and Heritage

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $130Top rated

Spend about four and a half hours exploring Uji by Brompton bicycle with a local English-speaking navigator, including tea culture at Chazuna, Uji and Ujigami shrines, Koshoji Temple, the Uji River, and Amagase Dam. The pace is gentle, the group is capped at six, and the route can be adjusted to your interests.

“We had an amazing tour with Takashi. He was a great guide!”

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5.Kyoto Matcha Green Tea Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · from $221

Spend about three hours in Uji, Kyoto’s tea center, with a guide who helps you find local tea shops, explains matcha-making, and translates along the way. You’ll taste matcha and hojicha, enjoy wagashi sweets, matcha ice cream, and a set lunch, then visit Uji Shrine, the Uji River area, and UNESCO-listed Byodoin Temple. The group is capped at 10 people.

“Warm welcome and gracious hospitality on our recent green tea and Japanese food tour in Uji (Kyoto).”

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6.Uji and Wazuka Matcha Farm Half Day Private Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $360

Spend four hours with Masae exploring Uji’s river, shrine, bridge, tea shops, and cafés before driving into Wazuka’s mountain tea country. Walk through a working tea farm, taste at least three local teas, enjoy a Japanese bento lunch, and see matcha production from a family and local perspective. Private transport keeps the outing easy and personal.

“Masae was very knowledgeable about matcha and very nice. We went to a farm and did a matcha tasting. She also showed us beautiful landscapes”

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7.Uji Tea Ceremony and UNESCO Heritage Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · from $70

Walk through Uji with an English-speaking guide, visiting Byodoin Temple, Uji Shrine, Ujigami Shrine, and scenic bridges before a traditional tea ceremony at Taihoan. Guides such as Naoki, Maru, and Katsuhiko are praised for clear local insight. The three-hour tour starts at Uji Station and ends near Uji Bridge.

“The tea ceremony party was very short. The rest of it was seeing the area, including temple and museum, and the guide was great!”

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8.Uji: Private immersion into Kyoto’s tea and reglious culture

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · from $162

Spend four hours in Uji with a private guide such as Ferdi, Damian, Kevin, Mika, or Lito. Taste prized Gyokuro tea, visit Ujigami Shrine, Koshoji Temple, Byodo-in Temple and Museum, then walk tea-lined streets and Uji Park. Expect stairs, a small group of up to eight, and a thoughtful look at the link between tea and Buddhism.

“Damian was an absolutely amazing tour guide. We loved Uji and the break from the Kyoto crowds. The tea tasting was unique, delicious, and informative. One thing I'd say is make sure you have cash! If you visit Kyoto, visit Uji”

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9.Kyoto tea town for matcha lovers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $157

Spend five to five and a half hours in Uji with guide Terumi, learning how tea shapes the town’s food, craft, and customs. You’ll visit historic shrines and tea shops, taste matcha treats, see tea fields, grind your own powder, enjoy tea dishes, and take part in a traditional ceremony. The group is limited to seven.

“We had a lovely time on this tour. Highly recommend if you want to learn more and experience the culture of tea.”

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10.Half Day Matcha Tour in Uji, home of culture, with a local

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 14 reviews · 4 hours · from $96

Spend four hours in Uji with a local guide such as Tom or Ryuichi, visiting Byodoin Temple, crossing Uji Bridge, and tasting matcha at a local café. You’ll learn how tea shaped this old city, with time for questions, photos, and help understanding Japanese customs. Transport is included, but temple admission and extra drinks are not.

“It was a great tour, highly recommend! I had the pleasure to meet Tom who was a great, well knowledgable and nice guide through Uji. Really enjoyed my time and learned a lot.”

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11.Utilising upcycled Matcha! Creating matcha incense (Uji, Kyoto)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $55

At Eshin-in Temple in central Uji, you’ll learn how discarded Uji matcha becomes warm, fragrant incense. A Japanese-speaking instructor explains the process and guides you in shaping 6 to 7 pieces with wooden molds. The one-hour workshop also includes a temple garden, views toward Byodoin, a gift box for each group, and discount tickets for nearby attractions.

“It's a experience to match matcha incense first of it's kind the host was nice and share with us the experience that she was the first”

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12.Kyoto: Tea Museum and Tsuen Teahouse Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 1h 30m · from $68

Meet your English or Japanese-speaking guide at Chazuna in Uji for a 90-minute private tour of tea culture. Explore the modern museum, learn how Uji tea is grown and processed, then visit Tsuen, founded in 1160, for tea and traditional sweets. Guide Teppei is noted for his kind, flexible approach.

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13.7 Hours Private Guided Tour Uji and Wazuka Matcha Farm

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $520

Meet Masae at Uji Station for a private tour of Byōdō-in, Uji’s tea streets, and the Wazuka hills. Walk a working tea farm, meet a fifth-generation farmer, taste at least three teas, whisk matcha, and enjoy a Japanese lunch in a traditional home. Vegetarian meals require advance notice.

“In depth experience of matcha and the Uji area. I wanted to understand what went into producing the best matcha in the world along as how to appreciate it and learn the different types of tea and about tea ritual. Masae really goes out of Read more”

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