Tea Ceremony and Kimono Experience Kyoto (Gion Shijo Station)
We celebrate our most recent award from TripAdvisor as Best Travelers’ Choice Experiences in Japan. We are the only tea ceremony venue in Japan receiving this award. To mark this special achievement, we now offer free kimono rental for all of our guests in case you want to go sightseeing along the historic streets of Gion in a kimono.
Our tea ceremony is held in a beautiful traditional Japanese tea room conveniently located in central Kyoto, walking distance from the Gion-Shijo Station, Kawaramachi, Nishiki Market and Kiyomizu Temple (OUR LOCATION). We have many beautiful kimonos to choose from and our friendly staff will explain everything in plain English.
This once-in-a-lifetime traditional Japanese activity includes:
- Traditional Japanese tea ceremony experience
- Wearing a beautiful kimono including hairdo and hairpins for ladies
- Drinking matcha green tea
- Eating wagashi Japanese sweets
- *FREE Kimono rental
- Discovering the hidden meanings and symbolism associated with this ancient tradition
- Opportunities to take memorable photos
- A unique traditional experience with the combination of kimono wearing, zen, harmony, perfectionism, minimalism, meditation, Japanese green tea, and Japanese sweets
*This reservation includes free kimono rental. Please show up at the time slot you reserved for. The staff will help you put on the kimono and do your hair without any fee and lead you to the traditional tea room. After the tea ceremony, most of our guests just take pictures inside our venue and finish their experience. Some of our guests enjoy free kimono rental by going outside in kimono and visit the nearby temples and shrines. If you chose to go out, you must return the kimono before 6:30 p.m.
You will make a green tea (Matcha) in an ancient style Japanese tea ceremony room wearing Kimono. In this workshop, a qualified instructor will walk you through step by step of the traditional tea ceremony. This is a ritual-like activity where ceremonial tea is prepared and presented to promote physical and mental well-being, mindfulness and harmony. It is also called the Way of the Tea. You will learn the foundations of the zen philosophy: Wa, kei, sei, jaku, which roughly translate as harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. You will observe how your host perfectly and harmoniously use all the traditional utensils to make the perfect cup of tea in a way that has been done the same for about 400 years. And, finally, you will make your own tea and enjoy Japanese traditional sweets.
Your tea ceremony experience will include:
- An introduction to the Japanese tea ceremony and associated rituals
- This is taught by a friendly instructor who speaks English
- You will be encouraged to try traditional green matcha tea and Japanese styled sweets
- Only the traditional tea ceremony utensils will be used
- The workshop will be taught to a small class of 6 or so people
- Relax in a classroom decorated in traditional Japanese décor and architecture
- Explanations of the ceremony’s history and technique in simple English
- Not only watching the demonstration but actually performing the ritual
- Friendly staff will help you chose the best kimono and wear it in a traditional way
- For ladies, we will give you the simple hairstyle matching with kimono
- If you are interested, many photo ops in front of a number of backdrops in our facility before or after the ceremony
- We also have tea ceremony artifacts and displays with detailed explanations in English that will help you better understand the subtle meanings and the rich history behind this unique tradition
Learn Japanese culture with all of your senses – especially your sense of wonder!
Just in case if you were wondering:
- You are allowed to take pictures in the tea ceremony room after the ceremony as well as the other rooms and in front of our unique backdrops
- You are allowed to sit comfortably on the floor (without sitting on your knees on the tatami mat). We also provide bamboo chairs for those who prefer not to sit on the floor
We are confident that this experience will be your best souvenir from Japan. You can easily make a reservation now by choosing the best date for you. Additionally, if you’d like you can reserve a PRIVATE tea ceremony here , or a tea ceremony session without wearing the kimono here .
It’s a feast to the eyes, to your ears and mind when a person preparing the hot water. Listening as the water dancing against the hot cast iron. It’s like a river murmuring. Incense would be lit and the smoke travels across your eyes like a silver dragon flying across the sky. She paused briefly as she flexed her wrist signifying the end of cleansing the bamboo ladle. So beautiful and therapeutic to gaze at. Her every move freezes time, space in all dimensions. You forget all your earthly frivolous needs.
Book Memorable Tea Ceremony Experince in Kyoto Now
P.S.: We do our best to preserve centuries-old traditions of Kyoto in a professional and affordable way. However, the free kimono rental service outside our building will be temporarily unavailable between the dates of March 15 ~ April 30. You can, of course, enjoy the convenience of wearing the kimono inside our teahouse anytime of the year.
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