The beauty of the Kansai region lies in its traditions and history. As I made my way through Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka, I was enchanted by the old architecture and the way of life. Compared to Tokyo, the region felt much quieter—almost too quiet.
That morning, I visited several famous tourist sites around Kyoto, most notably the Golden Pavilion and Nijō Castle. Both were uniquely beautiful and represented the traditional aesthetic that makes Kyoto so special.
For lunch, we went to Nishiki Market and Teramachi Street to eat and explore the area. The streets were beautiful, blending traditional architecture with modern shops in a compact network of alleys and streets. The area was also less crowded than I expected. By this point, I had been importing Ippodo matcha into the United States for several months, so I was especially excited to visit the company's flagship store, which was located near Nishiki Market.
As soon as we arrived at the market, I set out toward the tea shop, exploring the market along the way. Unfortunately, I did not find anything particularly interesting to buy on the walk there. After a while, my friends grew tired of walking and began to doubt that we would ever reach the store. But this was the tea shop I had wanted to visit most in Japan, so we continued on.
When we finally arrived, the Ippodo store was tucked just off Teramachi Street in a quiet area. The interior was beautiful and largely wooden, with a café on one side and a large central area filled with tea and a checkout counter. I ordered a bowl of matcha and bought some Kanro Gyokuro, which remains some of the best gyokuro I have ever had.
Sadly, Ippodo had run out of their matcha containers during my visit in April 2025, so my friends and I were unable to buy any matcha powder. Even so, I found the store to be one of the most beautiful tea shops I had ever visited.
We quickly bought some Chinese food from the market and rushed to our train, which we were on the verge of missing.
The rest of the day was spent exploring Mount Inari and Fushimi Inari Shrine. As I hiked through the mountains, meeting people from around the world and even encountering cats along the way, the tea I had bought remained in the back of my mind: a drink to bring home and share as a memento of my travels.
