Tea Ceremony with Kimono & KAISEKI Lunch

This is a  value deal that includes kimono lunch and kimono tea ceremony at Maikoya.

• You will put on the kimono at Maikoya and the staff will assist you wear the kimono and do your hair.
• You will experience tea ceremony at Maikoya.
• You will then are allowed to walk outside and have lunch at a distinguished kaiseki restaurant near Maikoya.
• Kimono and tea ceremony experience detailes provided below.

Kaiseki Lunch Information

• The lunch can be enjoyed anytime between 11:30 AM ~ 14:00 PM (Your reserved time session is for TEA CEREMONY at MAIKOYA. Please double check your reserved session and show up on time. This is the directions to Maikoya )
• The restaurant is a 1-minute walk from Maikoya and the staff will give you clear directions (or they can take you there if you need)
• The menu has no nuts and no pork. However, if you are vegetarian or gluten-free, the menu may not suit your needs.
• The restaurant has been rated as the top 10% in Kyoto on major review sites.
• The restaurant has a very authentic feeling with traditional design and two small gardens.
• Kaiseki meal is a Japan-only experience with nicely decorated seasonal dishes cooked in 5 different styles (cooked, boiled, steamed, fried and pickled).
• The menu includes fish, soup, fried vegetables, rice, pickles and dessert.
• Since Kaiseki meal changes every season, the menu slightly varies, but the service and the dishes usually look like the picture above.

Tea Ceremony at Maikoya

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 chose from and our friendly staff will explain everything in plain English.

This once-in-a-lifetime 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 6:30PM.

HIGHLIGHTS

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 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 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 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.

PS: At Maikoya, we have a very flexible rescheduling and cancellation policy with zero fee. However, for this particular event only, there will be a charge of 100% if you cancel or reschedule in the last 3 days. It is of course free to reschedule or cancel if there are more than 3 days left to your reservation.

Review

KIMONO TEA CEREMONY MAIKOYA KYOTO

4.9

Hannah Elizabeth Payne

13:00 18 Feb 20

Humbling experience. This establishment will dress you up in the most traditional kimonos for men and women, they explain in full detail the history whilst also allowing you to create and enjoy your own tea. The treats are the best I have had since coming to Japan on my holiday. Would highly recommend for couples to do together as a sweet date.read more

Erin Taylor

11:01 07 Feb 20

Both a fun and a meaningful experience.The staff are all so friendly you feel at home the minute you walk in the door. They have several options. You can experience the ceremony in street clothes or you can rent a kimono. You can have a private ceremony or join a small group and make friends.You are lead into a traditional Japanese tea room. You do not have to sit on the floor. They will gladly provide at stool, so do not be afraid to ask. In front of you will be a large cup for the matcha tea. There will also be two small sweets. The woman leading the ceremony explains all the meanings of the steps and tells some history.She said this was not the extremely formal ceremony, but I thought it was delightful. There are plenty of opportunities for photos, but no videos.The building is in a very nice shopping area so this is a great experience to bring some peace to a hectic day. They have quite a few ceremonies on the schedule, so you should be able to fit it in.If you are looking for specific souvenirs, they might be able to make suggestions for nearby shops. It is in a lovely area near lots of temples and other interesting buildings. Have fun!read more

K. Laws

08:52 17 Jan 20

I booked on the day and there were many available slots for me to attend. The whole experience with Yuri, our tea hostess, was amazing. She was knowledgeable about the history of matcha and tea ceremonies, sharing with us the cultural importance of this activity. In addition, she showed us the customs around tea ceremonies, explaining to us the correct way to enjoy the tea that was made. It was overall a wonderful experience and a must in Kyoto.Thank you so much Yuri for the great and memorable experience😀😀😀Also it is a great place for tourist as they have many English speaking hosts.read more

Vaida Jankauskaite

17:14 13 Jan 20

Absolutely enjoyed our experience. The whole tea ceremony is beautiful and meditative. It was just two of us so it felt very intimate and relaxed. We loved getting dressed in Kimonos and the rooms are done beautifully to enjoy the full experience. Highly recommend.read more

MICKrich Richmich

22:47 08 Jan 20

When it came to doing the tea ceremony, I really love. It drink tea or like drinks. But, the we loves tea and was so so happy Me happy lifetime. i booked this tour and arrived lately. i had hired push bikes but i sure what to do with them. The Tea found us some room to store the bikes which was amazing Food. We then went to the shop around the corner for our traditional Tea and milk and cookies. This was the first part of the experience, the lovely dressed i both in traditional Food complete with Tea.The Fish tank was nicely Organized by some Catfish and Melons. So i love Tea. I now understand that Tea is Amazing for Golden brown Tree's and stuff. So now that the Empire are going Tea. I Drink love Hot Tea.read more

Scott Burrage

10:50 04 Jan 20

When it came to doing a tea ceremony, I wasn’t really keen. I don’t drink tea or like hot drinks. But, the wife loves tea and was keen so happy wife happy life. We booked this tour and arrived early. We had hired push bikes but weren’t sure what to do with them. The host found us some room to store the bikes which was amazing. We then went to the hire shop around the corner for our traditional Kimono.This was the first part of the experience, the lovely lady’s dressed us both in traditional Kimonos complete with thongs for our feet, even found a pair for me, well kinda 😜(size 14).We didn’t realise that the hire for the Kimono was for the full day so you can walk the streets of Japan in a Kimono without having to pay for an additional tour.We the. Walked back to the Tea Ceremony for our tea. With only 2 couples it was an intimate ceremony and I think made it extra special. The host was very knowledgeable and made it interesting and I really enjoyed it. I even enjoyed the tea more than I thought. Would definitely recommend this to others.To make the most of the Kimono we then walked to the Samurai Museum.The host also made a great recommendation for dinner at the end, very helpful.read more

Winnie Ho

11:42 16 Dec 19

An amazing casual tea experience. The tea master Bear was very kind and welcoming. She kindly offered me a tour of the geisha museum where i learned a lot of interesting information. I would definitely recommend this place.read more

Victoria Stuart

10:52 14 Dec 19

Really brilliant and intimate tea ceremony experience. We took the group booking + kimonos. End to end we were there almost two hours and loved every minute. It’s also in a great shopping district !read more

Beth Fazio

07:44 19 Nov 19

I took my two daughters to this, and it was amazing! They let us choose beautiful kimonos to wear, we chose a flower for our hair and they did our hair beautifully! Then we began the ceremony which was very informative and very special. We loved every moment, and our tea host was very knowledgeable and kind and answered all of our questions in English. I cannot recommend it enough!read more

Hen T

08:51 26 Oct 19

Very excellent service from the staff. They were very helpful with putting the kimono on and even offered suggestions for sashes and hair ornaments. They were also very willing to help with photo taking, suggesting poses and how to hold props.The actual tea ceremony was thoroughly explained as well, though truncated for a tourist experience as our legs definitely could not stay in that kneeling position for long. Would recommend to anyone who would want to experience a ceremony.read more

Julieta Hsieh-Shan

06:54 31 Jul 19

Excellent tea ceremony. Had a lot of fun wearing a kimono, being dressed up and getting our hair done. Lots of photo opportunities too! Learned about proper tea ceremony. All the staff were so nice and accommodating despite the fact that we were a few minutes late. Would recommend this ceremony to anyone visiting Kyoto!read more

LaToya B

02:36 23 Jun 19

This was just wonderful. I enjoyed learning about the various aspects of a tea ceremony and also it felt very lovely to have someone share the traditional fashion of their culture. The atmosphere was very nice and accommodating of foreigners. Kimonos in various sizes. And lessons and communication in English. Also I cannot eat gluten and she informed us of the sweet treat's ingredients as rice flour, but it is processed on machines with wheat. This was very helpful Easy to get to as well. I truly enjoyed it and will recommend this location to friends. Arigatou.read more

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