Gion Tsujiri is a long-established Uji green tea specialty store established in 1860. We will introduce the history and background of Gion Tsujiri in detail. Don’t miss out on the recommended products for souvenirs and take-out.
What is Gion Tsujiri?
The history of Gion Tsujiri dates back to 1860 when the store was named Tsujiri after its founder, Tsujiriemon Tsujiri, and began producing and selling Uji tea in Uji Village, Yamashiro Province (now Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture).
Later, the name was changed to Gion Tsujiri because of its foundation in Gion, Kyoto.
When it comes to tea in Kyoto, Gion Tsujiri is the name you can trust. Tsujiri tea is now well known throughout Japan.
Gion Tsujiri’s Uji tea, which has a strong brand name, is made from the finest quality tea leaves carefully selected from among hundreds of varieties of Uji tea leaves with a history of approximately 800 years, using a process called gogumi.
“Our mission is to pursue the best Uji tea flavor. We continue to pursue this mission every day.
We have two stores in Kyoto: the Gion Honten Store located in Gion Shijo, the main street where you can feel the atmosphere of Kyoto, and the Kyoto Station Hachijo-guchi Store located inside Kyoto Station, the gateway to Kyoto.
-From the official website of Gion Tsujiri
The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa is a 10-minute walk from the Gion main store, where you can stop by while enjoying the streets of Gion Shijo.
History of Gion Tsujiri
Gion Tsujiri’s history began in 1860 when Riemon Tsuji I and Tokujiro II began producing and selling tea in Uji, Kyoto. This was at the end of the Edo period, when the footsteps of modernization were just beginning to be heard.
In the Meiji era (1868-1912), Tokusaburo Miyoshi, the third generation of the Tsujiri family, went to Taiwan and opened the Tsujiri Tea Shop in Taipei. The store grew to become a favorite of many people in Taipei.
In 1948, after the war ended, the wife of the fourth generation, Masao Miyoshi, after returning from Taiwan, expressed her wish to do business in this town, where many people come and go, in the neighborhood of Yasaka Shrine. In 1978, the fifth generation, Masao Miyoshi and his wife, Kiku, opened a store in Gion, Kyoto, soon after the war’s end, and have lived with the town and its people for more than 70 years.
In 1978, Michihiro Miyoshi, the fifth generation owner, opened Saryo Tsujiri, a tea-drinking dojo that was popular among maiko (apprentice geisha) as a place where they could easily enjoy tea.
Uji tea, with its long history, became familiar to more and more people, and the name Gion Tsujiri became a national brand.
Saryo Tsujiri, a cafe where you can enjoy Uji tea in an authentic style
Saryo Tsujiri was started with the idea of changing the way of enjoying Uji tea from just drinking it to eating it.
Saryo Tsujiri offers a wide variety of sweets, from Western sweets such as parfaits and ice cream to Japanese sweets and light meals, all of which are rich in Uji tea.
Gion Tsujiri’s recommended products
1. Tsujiri-no-Sato/Gion-no-Sato – 756 yen each (tax included)
Tsujiri-no-Sato is a carefully baked rolled rice cracker filled with green tea cream, while Gion-no-Sato
is a rolled rice cracker filled with Uji green tea and white cream.
They are the store’s most popular matcha confectionery.
2. Cold sencha green tea, 205~1,836 yen (tax included)
Cold sencha is a green tea leaf that can be enjoyed by anyone because it is made with water and has almost no astringency. Enjoy it in an affordable teabag type.
3. Gatobubu matcha and hojicha financier, 3 pieces each, 1,512 yen (tax included)
Gion Tsujiri’s signature Uji matcha and hojicha teas are combined with gyuhi (a softer version of mochi) to create an unprecedentedly chewy and flavorful confectionary.
Connection with The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa
The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa offers Gion Tsujiri’s sencha and hojicha teas in all guest rooms. Sencha and hojicha teas with the Gion Tsujiri mark are available in the main building, and sencha and hojicha teas named Ichi Sen are available in the schoolhouse building.
Anchor Kyoto, a restaurant on the 8th floor of the hotel, also offers a tea set using Gion Tsujiri’s Tenkaichi tea leaves.
We hope you will enjoy this tea set as an accompaniment to your brief stay at our hotel.
About the store
In addition to the Gion Tsujiri stores in Kyoto mentioned above, Gion Tsujiri also has a store in Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi (Sumida-ku, Tokyo) and a store at Osaka International (Itami) Airport Tabi-SORA (Toyonaka-shi, Osaka), where you can enjoy authentic Uji green tea.
Find your favorite product from a variety of tea leaves and buy it as a souvenir to remember Kyoto.
Online store also available
We have a wide variety of online store-exclusive products and gift items.
SHOP DATA
| Address | 573-3,Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0074 |
| TEL | 075-551-1122 |
| Business hours | 10:00 – 21:00 (for the time being, however, the hours are shortened to 11:00 – 18:00. Please check the website for details) |
| Regular holidays | Unscheduled holidays |
*For the latest information on business hours, holidays, etc., please contact the store directly.
