Uji, Kyoto, Japan｜Nakamura Tokichi Honten (Main Store)

Totally love this place that is filled with roast tea aroma. It has a shop front that sells teas and tea flavoured snacks, including biscuits and cakes. The cafe at the back offers delicious matcha snacks, meals and drinks. Do expect a long wait.

Kind and helpful staff, amazing food and drinks. Matcha noodles and matcha parfait are a must try. The matcha cold drink was also tasty (it could have been matcha latte but I am not sure). There is a bit to wait in queue before getting a table but the wait is worth it for tasty green tea treats.

I heard that this place usually gets packed so I tried arriving a bit earlier, a little after 11am on a Tuesday. There was a 30 minute wait for the indoor seating so we opted for the outdoor seating. which had no line at that time. We tried a hot soba with mackerel and a cold soba, both were very average. The hot soba was better than the cold one but both weren’t anything too special. What really surprised me was the matcha parfait. They now have an autumn seasonal hojicha parfait and it was the best matcha dessert I’ve ever eaten on this trip. It was worth going all the way to Uji for. The whole experience was fun because of all the different flavors and textures going on inside. It also wasn’t too sweet. I’ll have to try the original matcha parfait next time. Highly recommend!!