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Major city · Japan

Uji宇治市

Give Uji half a day from Kyoto or Osaka for Byōdō-in and the tea shops; sleep here only if you want a quiet river town instead of a city.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jul–Aug (heat and humidity), Golden Week, cherry-blossom weekends at the bridge
Airports
KIX · ITM
Nights
0–1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

Uji is a compact river town 20 minutes from Kyoto, and it holds two UNESCO World Heritage sites: Byōdō-in, the temple on the ¥10 coin, and Ujigami Shrine. It has been Japan's benchmark tea town for about a thousand years, so the tea shops, tea ceremony houses and matcha desserts are the point, not a side note. Almost everything sits within a 20-minute walk of either station, so most travellers see it as a half-day trip and keep their bed in Kyoto or Osaka.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Uji, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Museum or sight ticketByōdō-in grounds and museum¥600 (≈ US$5)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person¥3,000 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥14,000 (≈ US$95)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥26,000 (≈ US$180)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥5,000 (≈ US$35) · Mid ¥9,000 (≈ US$65) · High ¥18,000 (≈ US$130)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Byōdō-in Phoenix Hall (UNESCO)Ujigami Shrine (UNESCO)Matcha and gyokuro teaTale of Genji settingsUji Bridge and river walks
Airports
KIX Kansai International (Rail to Kyoto or Osaka first, then a JR or Keihan line to Uji; allow 2–2.5 h door to door) · ITM Osaka Itami (Domestic mostly; bus or monorail into Osaka, then Keihan to Uji)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Uji: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

9°C

0°C

6 rd

Feb

10°C

0°C

7 rd

Mar

14°C

3°C

10 rd

Apr

20°C

8°C

10 rd

May

25°C

13°C

10 rd

Jun

28°C

18°C

12 rd

Jul

32°C

23°C

12 rd

Aug

34°C

24°C

9 rd

Sep

29°C

20°C

11 rd

Oct

23°C

13°C

8 rd

Nov

17°C

7°C

7 rd

Dec

12°C

2°C

6 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Walk. The sights line the river between the JR and Keihan stations, 15–25 min end to end. Buses serve Mimuroto-ji and Mampuku-ji; taxis wait at JR Uji.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Kyotogo

Door to door: About 35 min

JR Nara line from JR Uji, about 20 min

The usual pairing: Uji in the morning, Kyoto in the afternoon.

Narago

Door to door: About 50 min

JR Nara line from JR Uji, about 35 min

Deer park and the Great Buddha hall; a full day on its own.

Osakago

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Keihan line with one change at Chushojima, about 55 min

Keihan one- or two-day Kyoto–Osaka pass can beat a return ticket.

Kyotanabe

caution

Door to door: About 15–25 min

JR or Kintetsu, one or two stops

Suburban; only worth it for a specific stop.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Uji Station area (JR and Keihan)

Business hotels and the main tea shops; JR for Kyoto and Nara, Keihan for Osaka and Kyoto.

Uji River east bank

Ryokan with river views near Ujigami Shrine and the Tale of Genji Museum; quiet at night.

Kyoto or Osaka (most travellers)

Uji is 20 min from Kyoto and about 55 min from Osaka, so a day trip needs no bed here.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥5,000–8,000 (≈ US$35–55) excl. bed
Mid
¥8,000–14,000 (≈ US$55–95) excl. bed
High
¥14,000 (≈ US$95)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 1 night × ¥14,000¥14,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ¥9,000¥18,000
JR Kyoto → Uji, one way2 × ¥240¥480
Keihan Kyoto–Osaka sightseeing pass, 1 day2 × ¥700¥1,400
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥3,890
Trip total≈ ¥21,390 per person per day, bed included¥42,770≈ US$300

2026 estimate in yen; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Matcha tea ceremony at the municipal tea house¥1,000 (≈ US$7)
Longer matcha-grinding tea ceremony¥4,320 (≈ US$30)
Byōdō-in grounds and museum¥600 (≈ US$5)
Phoenix Hall timed tour, on top of entry¥300 (≈ US$3)
Mimuroto-ji entry¥500 (≈ US$4)
Nintendo Museum, adult / youth / child¥3,300 (≈ US$25) / ¥2,200 (≈ US$15) / ¥1,100 (≈ US$8)
Cha-soba or udon bowl¥700–1,500 (≈ US$5–11)
Matcha soft-serve cone¥350–600 (≈ US$3–5)
Cormorant-fishing boat, one hour¥1,800 (≈ US$13)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Very safe. The real risks are summer heat, bicycles on the river path, and slipping on wet stone steps at the shrines after rain.
  • Phoenix Hall entry is a separate timed tour, Japanese-language only with an English transcript; last tour is well before closing, so go early.
  • Many tea shops and cafés close by 17:00–18:00 and some shut one weekday; check before you build a day around one.
  • Nintendo Museum tickets are dated and sold by lottery or advance sale only; no ticket, no entry.
  • Summer is humid and the river path has little shade; carry water.
  • Small tea shops may take cash only.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Uji宇治市

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119

Embassy

No embassies in Uji; most are in Tokyo, with consulates-general in Osaka and Kyoto (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • JR Kyoto → Uji: about ¥240 (≈ US$2), 20 min
  • JR Uji → Nara: about ¥500 (≈ US$4), 35 min
  • Keihan Osaka → Uji: about ¥410 (≈ US$3) with one change, 55 min

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • 抹茶をお願いします — Matcha, please (matcha o onegaishimasu)
  • いくらですか？ — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか？ — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか？ — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)

Tourist information desks sit by Byōdō-in and at JR Uji, daily 09:00–17:00.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Uji. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jul–Aug (heat and humidity), Golden Week, cherry-blossom weekends at the bridge · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for KIX and ITM: last-train cutoffs, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: Byōdō-in and the Sankyū-an street, the river and Uji Bridge, the east bank shrines and Genji Museum.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Byōdō-in, Ujigami Shrine, Kōshō-ji, Mimuroto-ji, Mampuku-ji, Nintendo Museum) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Tea-ceremony booking fixtures so the ¥1,000 and ¥4,320 options can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Japan

Sources