Uji matcha tea specialist from Edo period releases a range of sweets for hydrangea season

1 day ago 9

Ever since matcha began to boom in popularity around the globe, green tea lovers from overseas have had Uji in Kyoto on their bucket list. This region is renowned for its top-quality matcha, and one of the oldest tea purveyors in the area is Itohkyuemon, which can trace its history back to 1832, towards the end of the Edo period (1603-1868) when samurai roamed the land.

In the centuries since its founding, Itohkyuemon has been constantly adapting to meet the changing demands of customers, and these days it’s become particularly well known for its matcha ice creams and seasonal parfaits. Its most popular seasonal offering is the Hydrangea Parfait, created in honour of Uji’s famous Mimurotoji, commonly known as “Hydrangea Temple” due to its abundance of flowers.

▼ Hydrangeas, or ajisai as they’re known in Japanese, bloom during the rainy season.

Image: Pakutaso

This year, to mark the 13th anniversary of the Hydrangea Parfait, Itohkyuemon is going all out with a campaign called the “Uji Matcha × Hydrangea Festival 2025”. The highlight of the festival is the Hydrangea Parfait (1,390 yen) which features ingredients like matcha kinton (a sweet bean confection), hydrangea-hued crushed jelly, leaf-shaped matcha cookies and blueberries — all inspired by hydrangeas glistening with raindrops.

▼ Joining the parfait is a limited-time Hydrangea flavor (740 yen) in the popular “Matcha Parfait Ice Cream Bar” series.

There’ll also be a “Hydrangea Mini Parfait”, which can be upgraded from the regular mini matcha parfait for an additional 200 yen when ordered with a meal…

▼ …and a Hydrangea Panna Cotta (590 yen) and Hydrangea Kinton (two for 990 yen).

All items can be purchased at the Uji Main Store and the JR Uji Ekimae Store, except for the Panna Cotta, which is only available at the Main Store. The Mini Parfait and the Hydrangea Parfait will also be available at the Gion Shijo Store, while the Parfait Ice Cream Bar will have a wider release, available at the Gion Shijo location, as well as the branches at Kiyomizuzaka, Sanjo Teramachi, Byodoin, JR Uji Ekimae, and Kyoto Ekimae.

The parfaits and ice cream bars and Kinton are currently on sale, while the Panna Cotta will be available from June 1. That’s a whole lot of matcha hydrangea sweets to choose from, but they’ll only be available in limited numbers while stocks last, so you’ll want to stop by the festival soon to avoid missing out.

Source, images: Press release (unless otherwise stated)