2026 Soraku District Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in August)

Wazuka Town in Kyoto Prefecture is one of Japan's leading tencha (powdered green tea) producing areas, boasting beautiful landscapes of mountain-topped tea plantations. This time, I visited "Oke-riki Tea Shop," a hojicha (roasted green tea) specialty shop housed in a former inn. Here, they package hojicha produced by Wazuka's tea farmers, selling it by weight starting from 30g. During my visit, they had 15 varieties across 8 brands. With such a wide variety, it's hard to choose, but you can sample several teas while chatting with the staff, ensuring you find your perfect cup. Because they provide such attentive service to each customer, you might have to wait 30 minutes to an hour or more depending on the time of day. Be sure to go with plenty of time and patience. Since this was my first visit, I sampled several hojicha recommended by the staff. It's interesting to learn about the characteristics and background of the tea while drinking it, from the roasting process to the farmers involved. ☺️ The 15 varieties range from those easy to use daily to premium teas that require time and effort to prepare, and some even feature rare tea varieties and parts, resulting in unique and distinctive teas. From these, I chose "Haku - Deep Umami" and "Kurenai - Obsidian Camellia." If you want to compare different teas, I recommend buying 30g portions so you can enjoy them while they're still fresh. ✍️ The tea maker at Haku is apparently a specialist in sencha (green tea), and the depth of flavor was surprisingly unique—the aroma was that of roasted green tea, but the umami of sencha spread throughout. 😮 The Kokuyo Tsubaki tea is an accidental product created when tea leaves intended for tencha (powdered green tea) fermented. It had a slight acidity characteristic of light fermentation, yet retained the umami of tencha, making it a very easy-to-drink tea. ✨️ I made a reservation in advance and visited on a weekday, but on weekends, you can relax on the veranda and enjoy hojicha shaved ice during this season, so I highly recommend that too! 🍧 Spending a leisurely holiday in a peaceful old house in Wazuka town, enjoying the process of choosing hojicha, sounds wonderful. 😌 It's not too close or too far from Nara, making it a great drive destination. 【Innroom】 📍 43-1 Nakahirata, Wazuka-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto Prefecture 🚗 12 minutes from JR Kamo Station 🕙 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM 🗓 Weekdays (Open by prior reservation) 🅿️ Parking available ⁡. ⁡ ⁡. #WazukaTown #WazukaTea #Hojicha #KyotoOuting #KyotoTourism

#japanitinerary Beautiful tea town. The Mausoleum of Imperial Prince Asaka, located on top of a small hill, offers a panoramic view of the Wazuka area. Gyokuro tea leaves are covered with a black net to protect them from the sun, so you can tell at a glance. There are also Uji tea cafes where you can buy directly from the manufacturer, so please come and visit us. Take the bus from the west exit of JR Kamo Station. Most of the attractions are concentrated around the "Heshu Mountain Home" bus station.

🏖️Overview: Kasagiyama stands at an elevation of 288 meters and has long been a place of ascetic training and worship. The mountain is dotted with numerous large and unusual rocks🪨. Near the summit, Kasagi Temple卍 is a famous spot for autumn foliage🍁, and there are well-maintained hiking trails within the temple grounds. This area is also historically significant, known for the Genko War involving Emperor Go-Daigo as depicted in the 'Taiheiki,' making it a place where you can feel the history. 💞Recommended Reasons: The hiking trails are well-maintained, featuring stone Buddhas and unusual rocks. The large rocks and cliff-carved Buddhas🪨 are impressively large. Near the summit, there is a temple卍 where you can tour ascetic training sites🧘. Note that there is an entrance fee💰. Along the way, you will find a large rock called Kaibuki-iwa, where loyalist warriors blew conch shells🐚 to encourage their comrades🤛, allowing you to reflect on history. Given its historical significance, it's more interesting to visit after some prior study. 📍Location: Kasagi-cho, Sōraku-gun, Kyoto Prefecture 📍Access: 🚃: 5-minute walk from JR Kansai Main Line Kasagi Station 🚙: 14 km from Route 24 and Route 163 from Yamashiro About 30 minutes from Keinawa Expressway Yamada-gawa IC