◎SAN-NO-MA OF UJI BRIDGE Uji tea festival is held every autumn to remember and give thanks to the three great men owing to whom the tea industry of Uji was born and developed. They are Zen priest of Eisai who brought tea seeds from China, High priest Myoe who planted the seeds at Uji and finally Rikyu Sen who pursued the art of tea ceremony to its utmost refinement and completion. After the seal of a new tea pot is taken off, the water is ladled up from the river on the bridge at the point called San-No-Ma according to the ancient custom, which evokes in those who observe the ceremony the times long past.
	◎OBAKUZAN MANPUKUJI This is the head temple of Obakuzan Zen school founded by Ingen who came to spread his teachings from China under Ming dynasty. An exotic style of the gate of the temple and the famous Haiku engraved on the stone in front of the gate will be sure to draw your attention. "I opned the gate The song of tea pickers was there to greet me Spring is here in Japan" July 16 is the day when a priest of Zempukuji nicknamed "Priest, the old tea seller" died. He lived entirely on his earnings from selling tea. On this day of the anniversary of his death, Sencha tea ceremony is held in the precincts of the temple.
	◎THE UJI RIVER "Early morning fog floats over the Uji river. Here and there I see bamboo fish traps unveiled. The fog is lifting." (One of one hundred famous ancient poems of Japan, Hyakunin-Isshu.) The climate in the Uji river region is ideal for the cultivation of Tea in that it is cool and moist with river fog but not frosty, which is why High Priest Myoe chose this place to plant his seedlings, marking the beginning of a long history of Uji tea.
	◎THE MONUMNET OF "HOOF PRINTS" At the temple gate of Manpukuji Temple is a stone monument on which is engraved a poem written by High Priest Myoe. "Onto the Hillside of Toganoo 　Lead a horse and where it leaves hoof prints 　We will plant tea seedlings 　One at each" This instruction given in a poetic form was followed with much appreciation evidently to become the legend we see today.
	◎KOUSHOJI TEMPLE The temple was founded by Zen priest Dogen of Soto Zen school, its architectural design showing a strong Chinese Zen school influence. As you walk along the slope leading from the stone gate to the Chinese styled two story gate, the burbling of the streams on both sides of the slope travels its way through the woods to your ear like the sound of Koto harp. Hence comes the name of Koto slope. The first Sunday of October is the annual festival day when offerings of tea are made in honor of Hideyoshi.
	◎HEIAN JINGU Heian Jingu shrine is the head shrine of all shrines in Kyoto and was constrcted in 1896 to commemorate 1100th anniversary of the building of the capital in Kyoto. It is a reproduction of the Imperial Palace of the Heian period made in five eighths of the original scale. Of the red lacqered buildings that tell of the grandeur of the Heian period. two do so particularly well. One is Daikokuden where the throne used to be and the other is Shaden that is the present main building of the shrine. Tea offering festival is held there every year on July 15. Jidai Matsuri Festival (October 22) procession which starts at the present Imperial Palace "Gosho" ends here at Heian Jingu. To the spectators along the route it is a colorful picture scroll of the glorious past put in motion once a year.