Uji "The Tale of Genji" City (1/3)
Length: 9:43
Description: THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF THREE VIDEOS. Uji City [宇治市] is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
Uji is located between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. In the 4th century the son of Emperor Ōjin established a palace in Uji.
Uji is the source of "Uji Tea", a very high quality Japanese tea. Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358--1408) promoted cultivation of green tea in the Uji area, and since that time Uji has been an important production and distribution centre of superior quality green tea (including Tsuen tea, served since 1160 and sold in what is the oldest tea shop in Japan, and possibly the world--the Tsuen tea shop).
The final chapters of the Tale of Genji are set in Uji, attracting visiting literature buffs from all over the world.
Uji has many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, such as the Ujigami Shrine, one of the sites listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto". The Byōdō-in (with its Amida Hall or Phoenix Hall) was built in 1053. Another famous temple is Mampuku-ji, the head temple of the Ōbaku Zen sect, built in Chinese Ming style in 1661. Also in the city is the Zen temple Kōshō-ji, constructed in 1648, with its famous Kotozaka entrance (framed with dense thickets of cherry, kerria, azalea, and maple trees, each of which dramatically changes colour with the seasons). Mimurodo-ji is famous for its abundance of purple hydrangeas, which can be viewed at night.
The city was founded on March 1, 1951. As of February 1, 2007, Uji has an estimated population of 192,921.Uji has an area of 67.55 km², giving it a density of 2,856 persons per km².
Author: DHODHOTT
Source: YouTube
