Uji

The matcha milling class was awesome. Our teacher is the 17th generation of the tea family and his dad, who is the 16th generation of the samurai showed us his little museum on the second floor. The genmaicha is so much more flavorful than what we can buy in Canada. After taking this class, I’ll be drinking more uschua than matcha latte as their tea was so good.

I was delighted to see the numerous Darumas at Katsuo-ji Temple. It was a shame I couldn't stay longer at Kiyomizu-dera Temple due to traffic. The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is truly beautiful, like a paradise on earth. I highly recommend taking a leisurely rickshaw ride to admire the scenery. It's definitely worth visiting Arashiyama again. I wonder if leaving earlier would have reduced the traffic.

This day trip was amazing. The tour guide Liu Sang told us a lot about the itinerary. Liu Sang, who has a beautiful singing voice, made our day not boring. He accompanied us all day to introduce all the itineraries. The Wagyu Chinese food at noon was so delicious and we also had a matcha experience. He was reluctant to leave us at the last stop and asked us to come back to see him next time. It was really a great day trip.

Our tour guide, Eve, was very friendly and explained the local specialties and local delicacies. After the bus took us to our designated destinations, we agreed on a time to board the bus and were free to explore the surroundings. There was no pushy sales pitch, and no requirement to buy tickets. However, since the stops at each location were short, those who wanted to fully explore Todai-ji Temple and Byodo-in Temple might have been a bit rushed.