This guide covers how to reach Nishio, the castle park, Iwase Bunko, the tea country and the practical details for a visit.
Nearly all of the tea grown in Nishio City is tencha, the raw material for matcha. The sections below follow the way in, the castle park, Iwase Bunko, the tea country, the tea rooms and the practical details.
Getting to Nishio
From Nishio Station on the Meitetsu Nishio Line, the Aiya Matcha Museum is a short taxi ride away. Nishio City Historical Park, where the castle stands, is a walk from the station.
Iwase Bunko is a longer walk from the station, or a short taxi ride. Aoi Seicha is a long walk from the station, but a short taxi ride. The Nishio Tourist Information Center keeps its own opening times, listed in the tables at the end of this guide.
| From | Line and operator | Time or fare |
|---|---|---|
| Nishio Station (for the Historical Park) | On foot | About 15 minutes |
| Nishio Station (for Iwase Bunko, walking) | On foot | About 20 minutes |
| Nishio Station (for Iwase Bunko, by taxi) | Taxi | About 10 minutes |
| Nishio Station (for the Aiya Matcha Museum) | Taxi from the Meitetsu Nishio Line station | About 10 minutes |
| Nishio Station (for Aoi Seicha, walking) | On foot | About 34 minutes |
| Nishio Station (for Aoi Seicha, by taxi) | Taxi | About 6 minutes |
Nishio Castle and the Historical Park
Nishio Castle was the castle of the Nishio domain in the Edo period. The Ushitora-yagura turret and the folding-screen-shaped earthen wall were completed in the Reiwa era. The Nishio City Museum, which shows materials from the castle's time, stands in a corner of the park.
The former Konoe residence has a shoin study and a tea room, built by the Shimazu family. Matcha service there comes with a seasonal sweet, priced in the last table below. A set of the highest-grade Nishio matcha with a fresh sweet is also served there.
Free parking is available at the Nishio City Historical Park lot. The interior of the Ushitora-yagura turret is open to visitors during set hours, listed in the tables at the end of this guide.
Iwase Bunko
The shop and rest room at Iwase Bunko sell exhibition catalogs and original goods. The reading room closes earlier than the rest of the building. Iwase Bunko shares its parking lot with the city library.
Iwase Bunko is closed on Mondays, but it opens when Monday is a national holiday. It also closes over the year-end and New Year period, and on a monthly organizing day that falls on a Thursday, except in July and August.
Compare options
See partner pricing and availability →
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Matcha Country
Tea leaves grown in shade, away from sunlight, become sweeter, richer in umami and a vivid green. From early April to May, tea fields covered with black coverings can be viewed near Inariyama tea garden. Nishio's matcha accounts for a sizeable share of production across Japan.
Tea growing in Nishio goes back to the founder Shoichi Kokushi, who sowed tea seeds within the grounds of Jissoji temple. Inariyama tea garden covers a wide area.
Tea Rooms and Factory Visits
Many stone mills turn together in the Aoi Seicha factory, in a space filled with the aroma of tea. The tea room at Aoi Seicha serves a thin tea set with sweets. It also serves a thick tea set with sweets.
Matcha Lab's Nishio shop is closed on Mondays, with the closing moving to the following Tuesday when Monday is a public holiday. The shop is open on Sundays.
The Nishio Tourism Association runs a weekend matcha program that begins at Aoi Seicha. The program starts with a tea field visit. A photo session in tea-picking costume follows. Next come a factory tour and stone-mill grinding. It ends with a matcha whisking experience with Japanese sweets.
Visitors who would like a matcha factory visit with tea tasting can arrange it ahead of time. If that suits your plans, a Nishio matcha factory tour with tea tasting is listed here.
Hours and Fees
Each place keeps its own opening times and closing days, as listed in the tables below. The Aiya Matcha Museum is closed at New Year and on a set Thursday each month.
Nishio City Historical Park closes from the end of December into early January. The former Konoe residence follows the same year-end closing.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Nishio City Historical Park, opening times | 9:00 to 18:00, or until 17:00 from October to March |
| Nishio City Historical Park, closing days | Mondays (open if the Monday is a holiday) and December 29 to January 3 |
| Ushitora-yagura turret interior | 9:30 to 16:00 |
| Tea service in the park | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Iwase Bunko, opening times | 9:00 to 17:00, with the reading room until 16:00 |
| Iwase Bunko, closing days | Mondays (open if a national holiday), the year-end and New Year period, and the third Thursday except July and August |
| Former Konoe residence, opening times | 9:00 to 18:00 from April to September and 9:00 to 17:00 from October to March |
| Nishio Tourist Information Center | 9:30 to 16:30, closed over the year-end and New Year period |
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Aiya Matcha Museum, 1 to 6 people (75-minute plan) | 2,500 yen |
| Nishio Tourism Association weekend matcha program | 3,000 yen for adults and children |
| Aoi Seicha factory tour, start times | 10:00, 11:00, 13:30 and 14:30 |
| Aoi Seicha factory tour, phone reception | 9:00 to 17:00 |
| Aiya Matcha Museum, tour start times | 10:00, 13:00 and 15:00 |
| Tea room thin tea set | 1,100 yen including tax |
| Tea room thick tea set | 1,680 yen including tax |
| Former Konoe residence, matcha service with a seasonal sweet | 600 yen per serving |