The Uji Area (宇治)
The Uji area
GTK recommends you to visit the Uji area, southern part of Kyoto, about 30 minute train ride from Kyoto Station.
Uji is renowned as the producing area for the high-grade tea brand, Uji-cha and May is the season to pick new tea leaves.
In the vicinity of JR Uji and Keihan Uji station, tea shops line along the Uji River. Visitors can enjoy shopping or tasting fresh uji-cha especially this month.
Also the Uji area is famous for Byodoin Temple (平等院) and Ujigami Shrine (宇治上神社), both of which were designated as World Cultural Heritage Site.
In the Boyodoin treasure room, many of unique small statues that have musical instruments while flying on the clouds are displayed. They are worth to see and the postcards with their images are in store in the museum shop.
At the back of Ujigami Shrine, there is a small mountain and from the summit of the mountain, you can see the whole of the Uji town.
It would be a healthy one-day plan during your stay.