Ito Kyuemon Uji Head Shop

In Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, the production center of Uji tea, which is famous as one of Japan’s three great teas, there are still several specialty stores specializing in Uji tea that boast a long history and tradition. Ito Kyuemon Uji Head Shop, introduced here, is one of them. Founded in 1832 during the Edo period (1603-1868), it will soon be 200 years old, and it is a well-known store among those in the know. The café space in the corner of the store attracts many customers every day, including local residents and young people who love sweets. I was also interested in such a store, so I headed to Uji to use the store on a certain winter day…

Just walking around the store is a pleasure… Ito Kyuemon Uji Head Shop is a store like this…

Ito Kyuemon Uji Head Shop is located a short walk north from the Uji Bridge over the Uji River. From the outside, it is a rather large building, and I was overwhelmed by the sight of this famous store that has been in business for nearly 200 years. When I entered the store, there was a vast store corner on the left side, where there were not only tea leaves but also many sweets using matcha, such as chocolates, roll cakes, and tiramisu. The selection is so extensive that just walking around and looking at the products is a fun experience.

On the other hand, there is a café space on the right as entering the store, and according to official information, this space is also quite spacious with seating for 62 customers. The customer base is wide, ranging from loners like myself to families with small children, and there are even a few foreign tourists here and there. The atmosphere is modern Japanese, without a hint of the stuffy atmosphere of a long-established restaurant. It is a perfect place to take a break during sightseeing in Uji.

Six different kinds of sweets using matcha green tea at once… How was the Tale of Genji Strawberry Matcha Plate at Ito Kuemon Uji Head Shop, when I actually tried it?

Let me introduce you to the Tale of Genji Strawberry Matcha Plate that I ordered at Ito Kuemon Uji Head Shop on this particular day. The set includes a choice of one of three drinks: matcha, matcha cappuccino, or iced green tea, and the price is 1990 yen including tax… 

After about 15 minutes of waiting for my order, a plate like this was first brought before my eyes. The sweets on this plate were ice cream (vanilla and green tea), raw chocolate (green tea and hojicha), green tea cheesecake, green tea roll cake, green tea daifuku, and strawberry green tea mini parfait. If you can enjoy all these sweets at once, what more is there to say? You should be able to spend the whole day extremely happy.

Basically, all the sweets are moderately sweet, so even if eating such a large amount of sweets at once, it is not at all greasy, and can be easily eaten. On the other hand, the cheesiness of this green tea cheesecake was amazing. The richness of the cream cheese is very heavy on the tongue, but the coolness and astringency of the green tea cancels out the excessively strong parts of the cream cheese and makes a good combination. Perhaps it is the matcha green tea that gives it such a rich cheesiness.

And then, after consuming some of these sweets, the drink matcha arrived. Compared to the matcha I had at the Tsuen Head Shop, this matcha was much lighter and had less bitterness. The sweets are originally not too sweet, so this is totally refreshing, but perhaps the bitterness has been reduced for the people of today. In this way, I feel that this store has a long history and tradition, but is also willing to change with the times. The next time I go back, there may be something new and different, and I think that is reason enough to keep coming back to Ito Kyuemon.

Examples of other menu items at Ito Kuemon Uji Head Shop (prices include tax) 

• Special well balanced green tea parfait 1690 yen 
• Special Ito Kuemon parfait 1390 yen 
• Uji tea and sweets set 1090 yen 
• Ito Kuemon parfait 1090 yen 
• Green tea bean jam 1090 yen 
• Green tea Zenzai 1090 yen 
• Three kinds of ice cream 890 yen

The online store is also open…To get to the Kyuemon Itoh Uji Head Shop, a 6-minute walk from Mimuroto Station on the Keihan Uji Line, the nearest station.

Ito Kyuemon also has an online store, where many products sold in the store can be It is possible to purchase many of the products sold in the store by mail order. As you can see from the link above, there is a truly impressive lineup of products. It is just as much fun to look around here as it is in the store. If you like matcha, you should definitely check it out.Now, here are the details of the store…