[Downtown Asakusa] A historical guided tour

[Downtown Asakusa] A historical guided tour

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 23 years.

This is not tourism—it is rather an immersion in culture.

Itinerary

This 90-minute workshop is designed to introduce the basic aspects of chado (the way of tea) as well as to provide an experience of it in an authentic tea room. Also, we provide a short movie to introduce chado so that participants can comprehend its essence in a short time. In the hands-on experience, not only do participants learn how to prepare a bowl of matcha tea but also they experience the roles of host and guest as well.

An authentic tea room with tatami mats (We provide you a cushion to sit on and a little table for the hands on lesson upon request) .

OUTLINE OF THE PROGRAM:

10-minute introduction video while sipping a cup of cherry-blossom tea.

20-minute tea ceremony in which you will:

observe the tea ceremony conducted by the tea instructor,

enjoy a Japanese confection and matcha tea (koicha) served by the instructor, and

learn to appreciate the utensils and tea bowls used in the ceremony.

45-minute hands-on lesson on how to make a bowl of matcha tea and serve to a guest as a host and to associate with the host as a guest.

DRESS CODE: Miniskirts and tight pants are NOT recommended. No bare feet are allowed in the tea room. Please bring your socks.


Stop At:

• Tokyo Prefecture, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto
• Asakusa, Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanto