Kyoto, Uji, experiences with exceptional Japanese locals
A journey to immerse yourself in Uji, and rediscover yourself, in the present.
Many Japanese people say that drinking Uji tea soothes them.
This can be related not only to its exquisite aroma, but also to the history, culture, environment and atmosphere of Uji.
Uji tea is a diversity of thoughts, lives, connections and realizations that are the roots of each person.
The main concept of “Roji Ura Journey” is to immerse yourself in Uji tea culture and Zen.
We offer you a moment of immersion. Soak up Uji, its tea and travel through its alleys.
![[Kyoto/Uji] Zen meditation and matcha green tea at Koshoji, the oldest Zen temple of the Soto school, plus an exceptional ink calligraphy experience taught by a renowned artist. -Kousho-ji Temple, the oldest Soto Zen temple among more than 14,000 Soto Zen temples in Japan.](https://rojiurajourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/興聖寺-1-2000-アイキャッチ-3.jpg)
[Kyoto/Uji] Zen meditation and matcha green tea at Koshoji, the oldest Zen temple of the Soto school, plus an exceptional ink calligraphy experience taught by a renowned artist. -Kousho-ji Temple, the oldest Soto Zen temple among more than 14,000 Soto Zen temples in Japan.
▶︎About this experience
"Zen", which aspires to well-being, mindfulness and meditation, is closely linked to Ujicha tea, a specialty of Uji, Kyoto.
Around 1300 AD, the samurai spirit as well as the influence of Chinese culture entered Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Zen monks had to eliminate all desires and worldliness in order to achieve enlightenment. The tea, containing a lot of caffeine, was useful as a sleep-suppressing medicine. Koshoji Temple in Uji, Kyoto was the first Zen school to adopt zazen.
During this experience, a Zen monk will teach you the practice of zazen in a place called the monks' room, where they live, and then in a room in the temple. Then you will receive instructions from a calligraphy master (who teaches in Gion, Kyoto). Live a fully-fledged Japanese calligraphy experience. At the end of the experience, you will taste Uji matcha tea prepared by the monks. Through this experience in the very heart of a Zen temple, dive into the Zen universe, disconnect from everyday life and dive into the extraordinary, through a summary of Zen experience.
▶︎What is Zen?
As a Buddhist term, it means "a state in which the mind is no longer disturbed".
It is a Japanese teaching that originated in ancient China and has become a sought-after spirit not only by Japanese people but also by individuals and professionals around the world.
-Herbal Tea- By using Kyoto’s specialty, Uji tea, you can enjoy the fragrance of the plant and make original tea leaves for tea incense burners. -Includes a pottery “tea incense burner” that you can light with candles and then enjoy the sweet scent of tea-
︎About this experience
"Chawaka" has a workshop in Uji, Kyoto, where many long-established tea shops specialize in local tea. We use Uji tea leaves as "plants", and enjoy their fragrance, in combination with beautiful flowers (preserved flowers). We create art plants and sell them in major stores.
Because Uji tea is also a food product, some tea leaves are discarded due to the strict quality control of tea gardens.
With the help of Japanese flower artisans, the ornamental plant "Chawaka", whose exquisite tea aroma you can enjoy, was born.
This product received a lot of attention in Japanese media, and in May 2023, it was promoted worldwide on NHK WORLD-JAPAN.
In this experience, you can choose your favorite flowers and plants from a large number of flowers and plants at the Chawaka workshop, create an original Chawaka with tea leaves and light a candle, to enjoy a typical Japanese aroma . We will make tea leaves used for the "tea incense burner" and you will be able to enjoy the fragrance of tea. (You will be able to keep the tea incense burner which is included in the experience fee. / The regular sale price is 4,950 yen.)
Restaurant experience learned from restoration master Yukie Kutsuwada
Ms. Yukie Kutsuwada, a restorer who has long been involved in the restoration of famous cultural properties, shrines and temples mainly in Kyoto, such as Kyoto Imperial Palace, Myoshinji, Byodo-in, Kiyomizu-dera and Yasaka-jinja, will guide for this experience.
In the work of restoring cultural properties, there are not only two-dimensional but also three-dimensional objects, which require delicate work.
This time, we will use a "tea caddy" unique to Uji, inspired by the restoration of a three-dimensional object, a torii (a Shinto shrine gate).
The subjects to be painted are the "Birds and Animals Caricatures," picture scrolls from Kozanji Temple in Kyoto City, where the first tea was produced in Japan and later brought tea to Uji, and the "Byodoin Temple Painting" from Byodoin, a World Heritage site in Uji.
Enjoy the immersion time, like drawing on a curved surface instead of a flat surface, working carefully point by point, and learning how to direct your feelings.
You can put a Ujicha tea souvenir (10 packs) in the finished tea box and take it home to enjoy it as a souvenir.
The unique spirit of “mottainai” in Japan. Experience craftsmanship at a Japanese repair shop that fixes all kinds of things. Fixing memories by fixing things.
It is said that the word "MOTTAINAI" is a uniquely Japanese spirit.
When translated into English, the Japanese express the meaning below with a single word "MOTTAINAI".
① It's wasteful. ② It's a waste of time. ③ It's too good for me. ④ How stupid of me!
And the world interprets it that way.
3R Environment + Respect = Mottainai
It not only expresses the 3Rs of environmental activities - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - in one word, but also contains respect for the irreplaceable resources of the earth. The word is "Mottainai".
▶︎About this experience
We will visit "Naoshiya", a workshop in Uji, Kyoto.
Here, a carpenter fixes a scratch, remakes an old grandma's desk so it's usable again, and more. It's a repair shop that craftsmen can rely on.
Rather than padding the board and fixing it, the craftsmanship of creating the wood grain color on the board and drawing the wood grain one by one to fix it is mind blowing.
We live in a convenient and prosperous time where it's natural to "use and throw away", but there are still many things that can be used by breathing new life into them and fixing them. Here you can spend time concentrating and immersing yourself in the actual repair.
A full-fledged Japanese painting experience by a Japanese artist who leads a renowned class in Gion, Kyoto
▶︎About this experience
Nihonga is based on a traditional Japanese painting style and techniques used for over 1,000 years, and its painting materials are also traditional materials cultivated through history. Natural paints such as ink, mineral pigments, whitewash and dyes are used on paper, silk, wood and plaster, and glue is used as an adhesive. Japanese painting materials are not easy to handle, and it takes time and perseverance to master the manufacturing method. During the approximately 3-hour experience, we will select and draw themes from Uji tea flowers unique to Uji, cormorants for cormorant fishing in the Uji River, and rabbits associated with Uji Shrine.
▶︎Instructor
You will receive direct instruction from Ms. Yukie Kutsuwada, who leads a Japanese painting class in Gion, Kyoto.
After majoring in Japanese painting in college, Mr. Kakuta was involved in the traditional Japanese culture of Nishijin kimono, and later she was involved in the restoration of famous cultural properties in Kyoto. She is an instructor with a wealth of experience and proven accomplishments.
Historically, tea has always been a touristic resource for the city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture.
“Roji ura Journey” offers immersive encounters to discover various tea producers.
You'll learn about their philosophy through experiences like tea ceremony, calligraphy,
zazen, Buddhist art, ikebana, artwork restoration, crafts, and art. With the theme of
meditation and mindfulness, deeply linked to the tea culture in Uji, discover your
“inner self”. Take advantage of this precious time to rediscover yourself and embark
on a real “local trip” through the alleys of Uji.
BACK STREET JOURNEY UJI,KYOTO,JAPAN
