Nighttime Tea Ceremony Experience at a Tea Room in Nagoya — With Optional Kimono Dressing

Familiarize Yourself with the Japanese Spirit at a Tea Room in a Historic Shopping District

Despite only being around 15 minutes on foot — or 10 minutes by train — from Nagoya Station, the old-school Endoji Shopping Street, considered Nagoya's oldest shopping street, is filled with the nostalgic ambiance of traditional Japan. Diagonally across Endoji Temple, the namesake of the street, is Nagomi Koan, a tearoom that serves as the venue for this experience. Here, you can experience an Omotesenke-style tea ceremony.

A tea room with such a refined ambiance that one would not imagine it to be located near a bustling shopping street

Your instructor for this experience will be Jyoken Kagawa, owner of Nagomi Koan. After training to be proprietress at Kyoto's historic Mankamero restaurant, she served as the successor-in-training of Nagoya's longest-running ryotei (high-end restaurant) for 11 years. Working tirelessly to introduce Japanese culture and sensibilities, she is also the director of Cultural Path Shumoku Museum — a Tangible Cultural Property of Nagoya City, as well as a part-time university lecturer.

Ms. Kagawa gives participants a warm and gentle welcome

Learn Basic Tea-Ceremony Etiquette

Tea-ceremony etiquette is not just limited to drinking tea. There are various protocols such as how to enter and walk into the tea room, how to sit in the kneeling seiza position, how to bow, how to open and close the sliding doors, how to behave before and after entering the tea room, and more. Under Ms. Kagawa's careful guidance, you will learn these and more.

Before entering the tea room, wash your hands and mouth at the tsukubai (washbasin) by the entrance

The word "etiquette" may sound rather formal, but there is a significance behind these manners. Omotesenke is one of the tea-ceremony schools that branched off directly from the Way of Tea established by the master Sen no Rikyu. But at heart, the Japanese tea ceremony is all about letting guests enjoy tea. A tea-ceremony host wishes for guests to enjoy not only the moment of drinking tea, but also the entire time spent in the tea room.

Various elements of traditional Japanese culture can be found in the tea ceremony, which is why it is regarded as a comprehensive art form in itself

In this sense, you can think of these etiquette pointers as ways to enrich your time in the tea room and enhance your enjoyment of tea. By keeping the relevant etiquette in mind, you can gain a deeper understanding of the tea ceremony and immerse yourself further in the world of tea.

Enjoy Your Meal While Keeping the Right Etiquette in Mind

After learning about the tea ceremony and basic etiquette, it's time to move on to the etiquette for your one-soup, two-dish meal. Learn how to receive your tray and hold it, as well as how to hold chopsticks and bowls. This is a valuable opportunity to learn about Japanese culture through food, so partake in your light meal of one soup and two dishes while practicing proper etiquette.

The soup and dishes served make use of a variety of local ingredients; exact dishes vary depending on the season

Not only is each etiquette pointer graceful and refined, but also, there is a rationale behind it. Historically speaking, the tea room was originally a place for entertaining important national figures. As a result, even the most casual-looking gestures related to the tea ceremony are actually ways to show hospitality to guests and serve them delicious tea. If you take the time to reflect on the meanings and thoughtfulness behind your host's actions, you will be able to connect with the tea ceremony on a deeper level.

A Leisurely Tea Time

After the meal, Ms. Kagawa will prepare tea in front of you. You might find her flowing motions to be reminiscent of performing arts. As you take your time appreciating her elegant but efficient gestures, you will surely become all the more excited to receive your tea.

One just cannot help but admire Ms. Kagawa's fluid movements

Before making the tea, first, taste the wagashi sweets. Then, when you are offered tea, raise your bowl, thank the host, and finish your tea in a few sips. Ms. Kagawa will teach you how to handle tea bowls and appreciate them, so just relax and enjoy the mellow taste and refreshing aftertaste of matcha green tea.

As you savor your tea, pay attention to the designs on your tea bowl

Challenge Yourself by Making Your Own Tea

This plan wraps up with the experience of preparing tea yourself, then drinking what you made. Ms. Kagawa will prepare a new set of tea bowls, utensils, and sweets for this portion of the experience, so go right ahead and practice Omotesenke-style tea preparation.

Created by wagashi designer Midori Morohoshi, the sweets served during this experience are exclusive to Nagomi Koan

Try to remember how Ms. Kagawa went about with the tea ceremony as you pour hot water into a bowl and use a chasen (tea whisk) to make your own tea. The time spent preparing and drinking your bowl of tea is a precious moment of tranquility — a time to forget about the hustle and bustle of daily life. By the time you're done with your tea, you'll definitely feel at ease.

Part of the fun of this experience is comparing the tea you made yourself with tea prepared by Ms. Kagawa

With this plan, you'll experience a Japanese-style tea ceremony while learning in detail the etiquette involved, thanks to Ms. Kagawa's credentials as an Omotesenke tea-ceremony instructor and her extensive experience at a long-running ryotei. Additionally, you'll enjoy a meal of one soup and two side dishes, in addition to the matcha and sweets served during the tea ceremony. If you book the optional add-on, you can even wear a kimono to this experience.

As an optional add-on, get dressed in kimono for the occasion

Come to the tranquil Nagomi Koan for an evening filled with Japanese hospitality and an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the Japanese tea ceremony.