Nishinotoin Tea Shop, Marukyu Koyamaen

Among the many different types of green tea in Japan, the highest quality is matcha and gyokuro of Uji, an area of Kyoto reputed for its green tea. Both of these green teas are grown by covering the leaves to avoid damage by direct sunlight. This special care gives these teas their characteristic full-bodied flavor with little bitterness.

The green tea bags provided at Iori Machiya Stay are from Marukyu Koyamaen, an Uji green tea store with over 300 years of history. If you enjoy this green tea, we recommend you visit their teashop on Nishinotoin Street. In addition to buying tea, you can also taste freshly made matcha and green tea desserts. Not only is it a great place to drop in at tea time, there’s also a menu for light meals featuring green tea, including ochazuke (green tea over rice), Japan ’ s favorite comfort food. Our favorite here is “Koicha-no-usuha-gohan,” a dish using usuha (tea leaves before they are processed to be matcha) that can be enjoyed in three different steps. First, you get matcha tea leaves sprinkled over shiny rice, which allows you to appreciate the refreshing aroma of the tea. Next, you add small pieces of eel cooked in a sweet-and-spicy sauce. As the third and last step, you pour green tea over the rice and eel, which brings out the umami of all the ingredients. This dish is only available from 11:00-14:00 or until it’s sold out, but guests at Iori Machiya Stay’s Sanbonishi-no-toin Machiya can order it for breakfast, which is the best time to savor this dish (contact Iori Machiya).