During a day trip to Uji, my class with the Global Japanese Tea Association managed to squeeze in a quick shopping trip to Tsuen. This is a place that was on many of our wishlists because it is the oldest continuously running tea house in Japan. It is a must-visit place if you’re ever nearby.
About Tsuen
Tsuen was founded in 1160 by Furukawa Unai, a samurai vassal of Minamoto no Yorimasa. After his retirement, he became a monk and adopted the name Tsuen Masahisa. He settled at the eastern end of Uji Bridge, and his descendants continued to bear the Tsuen name while serving as guardians of the bridge. This role included offering tea to travelers.
The 7th-generation Tsuen had a close relationship with Ikkyu, a monk who significantly influenced the development of Chanoyu. The 10th and 11th generations were responsible for supplying water for tea to Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The 24th generation of the family is currently running Tsuen.
Address: Higashiuchi-1 Uji, Kyoto 611-0021
Hours: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm
Website: https://tsuentea.ca/
Specialty: Japan’s oldest continuously operating tea shop
I was glad that we arrived right as they opened because the inside of the shop was fairly small with tight corners. The warm and friendly staff greeted us with much-needed cups of iced sencha. I was immediately drawn to a display of tea storage jars. The wooden statue in the case depicts the 7th Tsuen. Something about the clutter of teaware around it made it feel more like visiting a home than a store.
The shelves were lined with a variety of Japanese teas, as well as souvenirs such as t-shirts and stickers. Most of the price tag signs were in both Japanese and English, which was helpful when making our selections. The refrigerator where they kept their matcha had a laminated card to help decode which tea to purchase based on its color. Many of the other customers were asking about matcha. They didn’t seem to know much about it, and I heard a few say they were looking at the request of friends or family.
The teaware selection was small but well organized, and very tempting. I didn’t purchase any here because we still had a full day ahead of us in Uji and a whole other week left in Japan. However, I did come home with a beautiful tin of their Masaki Selection sencha. It is something that I can treasure as a memory of my visit, even after the tea is long gone.
The view from Uji Bridge leading to Tsuen is stunning. I was delighted to see that rows of tea plants lined the sides of the roadway. It was originally built in 646 and has been rebuilt numerous times since then, most recently in 1996. It is also significant in tea history because it marked the first stage of the journey to transport the new tea harvest to the shogunate capital during the Edo Period. Every October, a water drawing ceremony is held on the bridge during the Uji Tea Festival to honor its past.
I did not think I would get to see Tsuen during this trip to Japan, but I’m so glad that I did. It was a fun contrast to the modern experimental cafe at Baisa Nakamura. There is so much more to explore in Uji, which tells me that I definitely need to go back in the near future.
Have you ever visited Tsuen? What teas did you purchase? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Help Support This Site
Please support my work in tea by joining my Patreon community. For $2-$5 a month, you’ll receive access to exclusive behind-the-scenes content, my private Discord server, surprise quarterly packages, and more!