Reopening after renovation on May 2024 !!
Afternoon Tea Ceremony Experience Course (A / B) in Kyoto
■Usucha or thin powdered green tea
It is the most common way to drink matcha and it is whisked into a fine foam on top.
■Higashi or dried sweets
These sweets are usually made with sugar and sometimes with flour etc.
■Light Meal
Rice, Soup, Mukouzuke, Azukebachi, Kounomono Read More
| A course | Thin powdered green tea and dried sweets |
| Days | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Time | 14:00 / 15:30 / 17:00 |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Participants | 2～5 people |
| Price | ￥3,000 per person |
| B course | Thin powdered green tea , dried sweets , and Light Meal |
| Days | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Time | 13:00 |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Participants | 2～5 people |
| Price | ￥6,000 per person |
Cancellation Cancellation is possible up to 48 hours before the reserved time.
If a cancellation is made on the day before the reserved day, half of the total cost will be refunded.
If a cancellation is made on the appointed day, there is no refund.
Payment We can not accept credit cards, so please pay with cash instead.
Private Course A solo guest can have a private course, but the cost is double the normal price.
Small groups can also arrange private (not shared with other guests) tea ceremonies.
Please contact me for prices.
Evening Tea Ceremony Experience Course (C / D / E) in Kyoto
■Koicha or Thick tea
The host puts the tea powder for the number of guests (about 3 scoops of good quality tea powder per person) into the tea bowl.
■Omogashi or main moist sweet
The main moist sweet is conventionally served before drinking a koicha.
■Usucha and Higashi or dried sweet
■Kosuimono, clear soup
Kosuimono is a small clear soup which is also called “hashiarai”.
■Hassun (two kinds of dishes) and Japanese sake
Food from “sea” and from “land”, together with a metal sake pourer.
■Light meal, Japanese Sake Read More
| C course | Thick tea and thin tea with sweets (moist and dry) |
| Days | Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Time | 18:30 |
| Duration | 1.5 hour |
| Participants | 2～5 people |
| Price | ￥5,000 per person |
| D course | Thin tea with dried sweets, Kosuimono, Hassun and Sake |
| Days | Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Time | 18:30 |
| Duration | 1.5 hour |
| Participants | 2～5 people |
| Price | ￥5,000 per person |
| E course | Light meal, Hassun and Sake, Thick tea and thin tea with sweets (moist and dry) |
| Days | Thursday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Time | 18:30 |
| Duration | 2.5 hour |
| Participants | 2～5 people |
| Price | ￥12,000 per person |
Haiken <a viewing of the utensils >
In the tea ceremony, after tea is served, there is a viewing of the utensils. We call it Haiken in Japanese. Some of the utensils can be very old or valuable, and a host may have a lot of feelings or stories about them. It is important to treat the utensils with the same care as people. For the guests who do not know, I will explain how to view the utensils and show them how to do so. For those who wish to enjoy a Haiken, an additional ¥1,000 will be added to the price of the tea ceremony.
About
I opened my tea room Joukeian in Kyoto, so that others could experience the world of tea that has touched my life deeply.
I want to invite you to into this world of tea. I have been learning the way of tea since my childhood, being taught by my mother and other accomplished teachers. Although the tea ceremony has many rules, it is important that beginners relax and enjoy themselves. There are only a few things to remember, the most important being the expression of gratitude and respect for the host and other guests.
Everyone enjoys the aspects of the ceremony, which the host has carefully prepared, such as the tea room, tea garden, flower arrangement, tea utensils, tea, sweets and meal. The sweets are colorful, pretty, and reflects seasonal events. The taste of the sweets complements the bitterness of the tea.
Please come and experience the way of tea, an art which we have inherited from our ancestors, with your five senses.
I sincerely hope that you will be able to touch the heart of tea and that your visit here will stay with you as a memorable experience. Thank you.
JOUKEIAN host < Matsumoto Souko >
Tea Ceremony (The way of Tea)
Tea ceremony is a one of Japan’s traditional culture, and it is connected with various fields of art and a highly developed spiritual culture has matured through a bowl of tea.
It is connected with various fields of art, including calligraphy, scroll mounting, flowers, ceramics, metal and iron work, bamboo and wood work, lacquerware, architecture, gardening, cooking, textiles. We might say that Chado is Japanese culture in condensed form.
Chado in Japanese is translated as “the way of tea” in English.
The spiritual aspect is important. The basic principles of Chado are expressed in Japanese “Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku”. By learning these aspects, we seek to obtain peace of mind.
A temae in Japanese is a series of precise procedures followed to make a bowl of powdered green tea, serve it to a guest, and then to put the things away. It is one reason why the way of tea is recognized as a form of art. It is important to achieve gracefulness in the series of movements and one’s posture during the process.
However the temae is not merely a procedure for making and serving tea. Through the manners and movements of the temae, the practitioner deeply realizes the meaning of pursuing spiritual insight and deepening appreciation of art through the Chado.
The tea ceremony is not only about drinking tea. The heart of tea is also important. Through a bowl of tea, we do everything we can for the guest. The heart of tea is the heart of hospitality.