A 90 min. Tea ceremony Workshop In The Authentic Tea Room

Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: Japanese, English
A cup of cherry-blossom tea, two kinds of matcha tea, and three kinds of Japanese confections.

Overview

Chado, a tea ceremony that has roots in Zen, was established in Japan more than 400 years ago. Its fundamental form and style has never changed, and there are still many people studying and enjoying the culture worldwide. A Tea room is a space in which people experience mindfulness, and the tea-making process provides spiritual discipline. This is a chado school licensed from Urasenke Chado School in Kyoto, one of the biggest chado schools in the world. Ms. Mika Soka Haneishi, the owner of the school is a first degree instructor of Urasenke. She has been practicing Chado for over 25 years. This is not tourism—it is rather an immersion in culture.

Meeting points

4-chōme-19-9 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan

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Directions: 13 min. walk from Asakusa Station (Tobu line, Ginza Line and Toei Transportation). 10 min min. walk from Asakusa Station (Tsukuba Express)

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

THE WORKSHOP PRESENTATION SAKURA TEA A cup of Sakura tea (Cherry blossom) served by the host as a welcome drink. AN INTRODUCTION VIDEO A 10-minute video to learn the history and the core concepts of Chado. TEA ROOM Learn about the tearoom and enjoy the meditative time in it. CONFECTION Enjoy a traditional Japanese confection. MEDITATION Let’s leave all the mundane affairs of the world behind. CEREMONY The formal performance for making koicha, the main matcha tea in the ceremony. KOICHA Let’s taste the strong matcha tea, koicha, the original form drunk by samurai. TEA BOWL Learn the variety of tea bowls from different regions and how different shapes yield different tastes and experiences. A HANDS-ON LESSON A hands-on lesson to make a bowl of usucha, a thin matcha tea with a thick foam on top. DRY SWEETS Enjoy dry sweets before drinking usucha. USUCHA Enjoy a bowl of usucha. MATCHA Learn about matcha powder. DRESS CODE: Miniskirts and tight pants are NOT recommended. No bare feet are allowed in the tea room. Please bring your socks.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please note that the tea room is located on the second floor. Since the house is an old Japanese style building built in 1940s, the staircase is very steep. Unfortunately, we are not equipped guests with machinery to assist going up.
Since this is an old Japanese house built in 1940s, there is a certain weight capacity. Despite the number of people we indicated (8 people), there might be a situation that we may ask your group to change the time schedule in order to balance the weight limitation for your safety. Please let us know if you would like to discuss this further by email
Please note that this workshop is designed for participants 10 years old and above.
Socks are required in the tea room.
You don't have to sit with "Seiza (Sitting with bending the knee)" style on tatami-mats.
If you cannot sit on the tatami-mats in any ways, we can provid you a chair.

Non Refundable

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.9

151 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

5 stars

141
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We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 141 reviews with 5 stars

Tea ceremony

Published on Nov, 2024

The very relaxing educational aspect.The surrounding was great and the teacher was very knowledgeable.Highly recommended

Excellent trip, value for money, informative

Published on Nov, 2024

Excellent introductory workshop into the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Informative video introduction and very knowledgeable tea master detailing the history, culture practice of the tea ceremony. Not only does the host provide Matcha tea in accordance with beautiful art of tea ceremony but you also get the opportunity to make you own too

Make time for tea

Published on Nov, 2024

Looking for a fun time in Tokyo? This was an absolutely unforgettable and amazingly spiritual experience!

Great education

Published on Nov, 2024

Very educational!! Teacher was great! School located conveniently near our airbnb in Asakusa. Treats were beautiful and delicious!

A peaceful break

Published on Nov, 2024

I highly recommend this experience. A friend and I went and enjoyed it very much. Mika performs the tea ceremony in her tearoom in Asakusa. She sent excellent directions. It’s a fun 15 min walk from the train station, through neighborhood streets and past a large and busy shrine with streets full of shops. Mika’s tearoom is two stories. You enter on the ground floor, take off shoes and put on slippers. Mika served us a cup of flower tea, and we watched a short video about the origins of the tea ceremony. We then went upstairs to the tearoom where Mika performed the ceremony. She explained the process first, then reverently performed it. Very soothing experience. We were served the matcha tea. We then each made our own matcha tea. Also had yummy treats. An excellent experience! It made such a peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. On the way back to the station, I visited the shrine and shopped the streets around it. Super fun. I pretty much spent the day in Asakusa after the tea ceremony, shopping around. Because, if you’re into kitchenware like I am, within a few minutes walk is the Kappabashi area, which is shop after shop of kitchenware, knives, pottery etc. A terrific day from start to finish.