Nakamura Tokichi Honten (Main Store)

It is a long wait but we think that it's worth it. It was raining and cold so wait time for inside seating was at least one hour. However, wait time for outside seating was definitely faster. We highly recommend their Maruto Matcha Parfait (contains granolas inside along with red bean and whipped matcha). We also highly recommend their other assorted matcha recipes as they were delicious! You can order soba as a "set", which comes with matcha jelly, red bean paste, and mochi balls. The staffs were also very friendly and polite. English menus are also provided.

Yesc the wait was over 2 hours. But honestly, it didn’t feel long at all. You can come early, get a queue number, and come back later. They also let you monitor your spot in real time on your phone, made everything so much easier. The cafe itself is actually huge, which made the long wait even more surprising. That’s how popular this place is. The desserts are a bit on the expensive side, but for a good reason. The portions are massive, and their matcha parfait was probably the best I’ve ever had. Everything was just done so well. They even serve free tea, and in winter they put a seat warmer on the chairs, which I really appreciated. I really, really like this place. It’s 100% worth the wait and the price. They also serve proper meals, so I’d definitely come back next time to try the food too.

Like most reviews said, the most frustrating part of visiting this shop is it's queue. We arrived around 10.40am on a weekend and still have to wait for 1.5 hours. Pro tip, do also ask how long is the queue for the outside seating, for reference - we waited around 1.5 hrs being the 4th in line. The outside seating has an incredible view, even better when paired with the chilly weather, you can also take great photos with the garden as a backdrop. Despite the quality food, I had to drop a star because of their queuing system. We were waiting there impatiently so we could observe how fast the queue was going for the outside seating. We had the number 55, and when they realised the outside seating queue was going too fast, they deliberately waited a long while to clear the tables, and seat in new customers. That's so our number won't be called toi early when the inside seatings are only seating in customers with queue numbers around 30+. Rant about their queuing system aside. Me and my friend both agreed that their desserts and matcha are worth waiting 1.5 hours for. When we visited on December 2025, the winter limited specialty is the Gyokuro green tea. They gave us a welcoming set of Gyokuro tea which is quite good. A really light and fragrant tea. For the desserts we had - Matcha parfait, gyokuro parfait, and hot matcha milk. Matcha Parfait - Overall very delicious. Highlights are the extremely delicious matcha ice cream, the crunchy okoshidane, and the best red beans I ever had. - Overall the entire parfait blends together well, the berries are just a tad bit sour. Gyokuro Parfait - I only tried a few bits and pieces but I definitely prefer this version over mine. - The gyokuro cream is insanely good. There's also some cream along the bamboo walls that is very appetising. - The matcha ice cream is still better imo, we didn't really enjoy the yuzu in there but that might just be personal taste. Matcha milk - Not a matcha connoisseur myself, but my friend who enjoys matcha said hat it was one of the highest quality matcha he had. I tried some and it definitely set a standard. Overall 4/5. Good food, horrible queuing logistics, arrive early.

Finally tried my very first matcha in Uji, Kyoto, n it was such a lovely experience. The matcha tasted rich, smooth, and comforting especially perfect during winter. On top of that, the café it self is cute n cozy, they also have a small shop by the river where you can buy matcha products to bring home. Definitely worth visiting if you’re in Uji. 🥰

This restaurant is a must! Line is long so take a ticket and walk around. I would do the line over and over just to have the matcha parfait & hot matcha with milk. Matcha parfait is a dessert served inside a bamboo, it has strawberries, cream and other flavors that make this dessert unique. Worth the hype! Food is ok, nothing extraordinary.

The first thing you should do when you arrive is to get a queue number (near the door to the courtyard). When we arrive at 10 am sharp, there were 31 groups in queue before us and we opted instead to sit outside (3 groups before us). The wait is pretty long but you can actually use the QR code to check how long it is, and go out and do other stuff before coming back! ◡̈ the food takes pretty long to serve as well. About 10-20 mins wait on average and the lovely team would serve you some free gyukuro tea while waiting. If you go to their tea shop to buy their products, then they would also give you free snacks and tea to keep you occupied. Their tea products are packaged to be travel friendly, and I really appreciate this thought process that they imbued into their products. Their matcha parfait is just drop dead pretty. Please note that you have to order at least one item per person! There’s a free shop tour every Tuesday also, if you are interested. The 200 year old bonsai tree in the shop’s garden is specifically structured (through the frames setup to guide the branches) to look

We got a ticket after lunch and the wait was about two hours.. crazy. We went on for sightseeing and returned in about two hours and was seated in about 5 mins. We ordered the Parfeit set with iced milk green tea and another seasonal special with chestnut. The Parfeit set was really good. Highly recommended if you are visiting Uji area..

Had to take queue number, and the wait was more than an hour even though it was a Monday. Ordered the seasonal food - Chicken matcha soba. Quite interesting taste. The desserts, especially the Maruto Parfait was delicious, but also pricey. I would eat here again just for the dessert and if price is more reasonable, and I will take a queue number, walk around the town and come back later. The have also a shop selling all kinds of tea products. The shop is very popular