When is the Japanese Tea Ceremony Held?

Tea ceremony is usually performed when guests are invited to someone’s tea room. Guests are invited to celebrate special occasions such as the cherry blossom, fall leaves, the arrival of the freshest tea leaves of the season and etc..

Nowadays most Japanese drink boiled tea leaves rather than ground matcha tea and most Japanese do not have a special tea ceremony room in their houses. Tea ceremony is mainly practiced by tea ceremony enthusiasts (less than %5 of the population) and the members of tea ceremony circles at schools. Many local community members and the elderly also gather at local temples to join seasonal tea ceremony events. While chakai can be participated by beginners, the formal tea ceremony followed by kaiseki meal (chaji) cannot be joined by amateurs.