Where to Buy Matcha in Kyoto and Uji: Shops, Hours, Tax-Free

You can buy a tin directly from the maker in Kyoto and Uji, often in a grade that is sold out online. This guide sticks to what each house says on its own pages: address, access, opening hours and closing days, for six houses we track. It also covers the tax-free rules that change on 1 November 2026. The pages carry no dates, so confirm hours and holiday closures before you travel.

Which matcha shops are worth visiting in central Kyoto?

Start with Ippodo's Kyoto Main Store at 52 Tokiwagi-cho on Teramachi Street, five minutes' walk from Kyoto City Hall Station, open 10:00 to 17:00 with a 44-seat Kaboku Tearoom. Marukyu Koyamaen's Nishinotoin shop and Motoan Tea House is on the west side of Nishinotoin Street south of Oike, with a shop open 9:30 to 18:00. Fukujuen's Kyoto flagship runs a tea shop on the first floor from 11:00 to 18:00, and Yugen Kyoto, 146 Kameya-cho and three minutes from the Imperial Palace, sells matcha and tea tools and runs a tea house upstairs. Nakamura Tokichi and Marukyu Koyamaen also have counters inside Kyoto stations and department stores with longer hours, such as Takashimaya, whose basement counter for Marukyu Koyamaen is open 10:30 to 20:00.

Which matcha shops are worth visiting in Uji?

Nakamura Tokichi Honten at 10 Uji Ichiban is the easiest first stop, one minute from JR Nara Line Uji Station, with a tea shop and cafe open 10:00 to 17:30 and no seat reservations. Its Byodoin store at 5-1 Uji Renge is ten minutes from JR Uji and five from Keihan Uji. Fukujuen's UjiCha Kobo at 10 Uji Yamada is seven minutes from Keihan Uji, and its stone-mortar matcha workshop is recommended to book ahead. Horii Shichimeien sells in a retail store at its head office, 84 Uji Myoraku, and says its Okunoyama tea garden is a ten-minute walk away. Marukyu Koyamaen's Makishima Plant and Shop in Uji is open 9:30 to 17:00. Those last two close on weekends.

Which days and hours should you plan around?

Plan Uji for a weekday and Kyoto around Wednesdays. Horii Shichimeien lists Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays as closed and keeps a lunch break from 12:00 to 13:30. Marukyu Koyamaen's Makishima shop is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. In central Kyoto, Marukyu Koyamaen's Motoan and Fukujuen's flagship close every Wednesday, Ippodo closes only on the second Wednesday of the month, and Yugen's tea house closes on Thursdays. Most Uji shops stop by 17:00 or 17:30, and Nakamura Tokichi's cafe stops taking orders at 16:30, so start early. Orders at Honten can stop before the last order time when it is crowded.

What does a bowl of matcha cost in the tea house?

Marukyu Koyamaen's Motoan menu lists thin tea with a Japanese sweet at 1,375 yen with the Miyabi no In matcha and 1,595 yen with Choan, and thick tea with a sweet at 1,925 yen. Ippodo's Kyoto take-out menu lists matcha at 972 yen. Those are the prices for a prepared bowl, not a tin. For what the tins cost per gram at the same houses, see our price comparison of eight Japanese tea houses, and for which grade suits which bowl, see our guide to Ippodo's grades.

How does tax-free shopping work for matcha from 1 November 2026?

The system changes on 1 November 2026. Until 31 October, tax is removed at the register. After that you pay the full tax-inclusive price at tax-free shops and the consumption tax is refunded once customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan. The Japan National Tourism Organization, in a page published on 20 July 2026, says your purchases must total 5,000 yen or more per tax-free shop per day before tax, and you must present your passport at a tax-free terminal within 90 days of purchase. Consumables such as food are no longer required to be in sealed packaging, but if you use them in Japan they are not eligible. Finish the procedure before you check in your luggage, because bags cannot be retrieved afterwards. None of the shop pages we read mention tax-free, so ask at the counter whether the shop is a tax-free shop.

Can you buy as much as you want in the shop?

Often not. Ippodo's February 2026 notice warns it "may implement temporary suspensions or purchase limits on other products" and adds that "these restrictions vary across different stores and channels." The shop pages we read for the other houses state no purchase limit, but that is not a promise of unlimited stock, and a grade can sell out during the day. For limits and how a restock works at each house, see our restock playbook. Our guides to buying matcha in Japan and buying matcha in Tokyo cover the wider market, and you can also ask staff what is actually good that day.

What should you do when you are back home and the tin runs out?

Tins bought in Kyoto often cannot be reordered easily, and the same grades sell out quickly online. Marukyu Koyamaen's Motoan online shop delivers only within Japan, so overseas buyers use the International Online Shop, which restocks at random on weekdays. Set an alert for the exact brand and grade you want before you fly home, and keep a second choice in mind for the weeks when it is gone.

Where can you watch matcha reviews and how-tos?

These videos come from the tea makers themselves and from independent reviewers who bought the tins with their own money. They show the tin and powder colour, the whisking, the foam and the tasting notes. Watching one before you order is a cheap way to judge colour, froth and flavour. Treat the opinions as one person's taste, and check the price and stock on the shop's own page.

How to prepare Usucha (thin matcha)Ippodo Tea (official channel) · YouTube

• How to prepare Usucha (thin matcha)Ippodo Tea (official channel)
• How to prepare Koicha (thick matcha)Ippodo Tea (official channel)
• Matcha taste test: Ippodo Tea reviewemily wada

Is there a video to help plan the Uji trip?

A walk-through helps before a first visit, because Uji's shops are spread along one street and the riverside. This independent day-trip video covers getting there from Kyoto and shopping for matcha in Uji. It is one traveller's route, so use our table for current hours and closing days, and check each shop's own page before you go.

Day trip to Uji: matcha shopping guide from KyotoSam and Victor · YouTube

FAQ