Special Experience
Nagoya
Nighttime Tea Ceremony Experience at a Tea Room in Nagoya — With Optional Kimono Dressing
Overview
In this Wabunka-exclusive plan, experience an Omotesenke-style evening tea ceremony at Nagomi Koan, a tranquil space for learning the Japanese tea ceremony in Nagoya. Your instructor will be Jyoken Kagawa, the former successor-in-training of Nagoya's oldest ryotei restaurant, which has been in business for around 400 years. Ms. Kagawa will teach you basic etiquette for the occasion, including how to enter the tearoom and how to receive your tea and sweets. After a meal of one soup and two side dishes, you can also try making tea yourself.
Key Features
・Enjoy a light meal, matcha green tea, and sweets in a tea room in Nagoya
・A Wabunka-exclusive plan that includes a meal of one soup and two dishes, which can serve as your dinner
・A beginner-friendly experience thanks to the careful guidance of your instructor, who was the successor-to-be of a long-running high-end restaurant
・As an optional add-on, get dressed in kimono (additional charges apply) for the occasion
*For those interested in bonsai and Japanese moss, we recommend this experience:
Bonsai Making and Moss Planting Experience at a Tea Room in Nagoya
Nagoya
from
¥20,000 /person
1 - 6 participants
120 min
Available in English
Cancel free up to 11 days before
* If fewer than 2 participants, the minimum fee will be JPY 40,000
Details
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jyoken Kagawa
Jyoken Kagawa
An instructor of the Omotesenke tea ceremony school, Joken Kagawa was the successor-in-training of a long-running ryotei restaurant in Nagoya for 11 years before opening Nagomi Koan in 2023. Aiming to introduce traditional Japanese culture in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable way, Ms. Kagawa is involved in several related endeavors, serving as a museum curator, part-time university lecturer, and the director of Cultural Path Shumoku Museum, a Tangible Cultural Property of Nagoya City.
Location
Endoji Square
Nagoya City, Aichi
Request for booking
* Required
November 2024
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Additional Options
Please select this option if you wish to rent a kimono and book a kimono-dressing service.
Kimono Rental and Dressing (+90min) / person
JPY 25,300
0
Experience fee
Minimum fee JPY 20000 × 2 participants
JPY 40,000
*Minimum: 2 participants; JPY 20,000 × 2 will be charged for bookings below the minimum.
Price may change after date is selected.
Additional options fee
Interpretation in English
JPY 0
Other
Service fee (5%)
JPY 2,000
Total Price
JPY 42,000
tax & service fee incl.
Extra charges may apply for the following
- ・Interpretation / Dependant on experience schedule and language
- ・Optional add-ons / Souvenirs, delivery, etc.
Nagoya
from
¥20,000 /person
1 - 6 participants
120 min
Available in English
Cancel free up to 11 days before
* If fewer than 2 participants, the minimum fee will be JPY 40,000
Things to know
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