Uji matcha tea specialist from the Edo period releases a range of sweets for hydrangea season
Itohkyuemon leads the way when it comes to matcha ice creams and parfaits.
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 [US$9.69]) 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 flavour (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 will be available from 23 May, while the Kinton will be available from 26 May and the Panna Cotta from 1 June. 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!
Related: Itohkyuemon store locations
Source, images: Press release (unless otherwise stated)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Nintendo family office invests in indie Japan film studio K2 Pictures
TOKYO -- An asset management firm for Nintendo's founding family is backing K2 Pictures, a fledgling Japanese film studio that seeks to shake up the domestic movie industry with an alternative financing model. K2 Pictures said Tuesday that it entered into a capital partnership with the Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office.
5 hours ago
PM Ishiba Mourns Death of Baseball Legend Nagashima
News from Japan Politics Jun 3, 2025 22:17 (JST) Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday mourned the death of Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima, who played for and then served as manager of the Yomiuri Giants. "I really admired Nagashima. He was the symbol of the golden age of the Giants," Ishiba told reporters at the prime minister's office. He expressed his sorrow for "the end of an era." The prime minister said that Nagashima deserved the People's Honor Award, which he received in 2013, saying that he was "as bright as the sun." "Nagashima was a rising star, and he lit up everyone around him," Ishiba added. Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who attended Nagashima's award ceremony as chief cabinet secretary, said, "As a fan, I was so happy to see him receive the award at the time." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
SoraNews24
5 hours ago
- SoraNews24
Elon Musk didn't have a baby with J-pop legend Ayumi Hamasaki, she'd like you to know
'It's just not true.' Ayumi Hamasaki is the best-selling solo artist in the history of the Japanese music industry, and having built up a massive fanbase in her nearly 30-year career means she sometimes pops up in some surprising projects. In December, for example, she had a creative collaboration with none other than Sailor Moon, and a year before that she was dabbling in baum cakes. ▼ She also still performs, too, and is on tour right now. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ayumi hamasaki (@ However, the 46-year-old J-pop songstress and mother of two took a moment this week to inform everyone that, whatever her myriad ventures may be, they have not included making a baby with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Hamasaki (known as 'Ayu' among her fans) didn't make her statement simply because Musk's well-known proclivity for prodigious procreation makes him a perennial fatherhood suspect. In an interview with The New York Times in late May, Ashley St. Clair, one of Musk's former romantic partners who claims to have given birth to one of his children in 2024, said that he had told her that he'd fathered the child of 'a Japanese pop star.' It's important to note that the claim has not been substantiated in any form. However, once word of it reached Japan, public/online speculation started soon after, with Hamasaki's name coming up frequently enough that she felt the need to respond, posting the following to her Instagram account on June 2. 'I've been keeping an eye on this, and I guess it's time for me to speak up. Elon Musk is not the father of [either of] my children.' Though firm in her manner of speaking, Hamasaki didn't come off as angry. 'Hahaha I mean, I can understand if someone were to think it seems like the sort of thing I'd do,' she added. 'Even my mom laughed when she heard the rumors, saying, 'This seems kind of Ayu-like,' and if I were someone else, I'd probably be saying 'Ayu is the pop star [St. Claire] was talking about, right?'' Hamasaki didn't go into the specifics of why she could understand people jumping to the conclusion that she had Musk's baby, but odds are she was indirectly referring to her personal romantic resume. Hamasaki has been married twice, both times to non-Japanese men, and has been living in Los Angeles for several years. She's given birth to two children following her second divorce, without publicly revealing who the father/fathers is/are. 'But it's just not true,' Hamasaki said of the rumor that Musk fathered one of her children. 'Setting aside my personal image, when my kids are old enough to start Googling things I don't want them to run into the rumors and think they're true, so I'm firmly denying them.' ▼ Hamasaki's choice of car for her 'Next Level' video is about as far as you can get from a Tesla, also. Somewhat counter to Hamasaki's stated intention of preventing future misunderstandings, she posted her statement as an Instagram Story, meaning that the message disappeared after 24 hours and is no longer visible. So if you're reading this article 10 or 20 years in the future, Ayu's kids, we'll repeat it one more time: Elon Musk is not your daddy. Oh, and tell your mom hi for us! Source: Narinari, People Top image: Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
