Oct 6-9 Only: Authentic Tea Ceremony, Delicious Kaiseki, Expert Commentary, at Kagawa’s Famed Ritsurin Garden

The Inspiring, Historic Ritsurin Garden of Kagawa Prefecture

In Kagawa Prefecture’s capital city of Takamatsu sits the world-famous Ritsurin Garden. This scenic wonder 750,000 square-meter park was originally completed in 1745 as a private retreat and strolling ground for the local feudal lords after a century of multigenerational development.

It is hard to overstate the parkland’s cultural significance, sitting as it does along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, the cradle of Japan’s early civilization: a historic region of travel, trade, diplomacy, and war. Kagawa was the birthplace of Kukai, a scholar monk who trained in Tang Dynasty China and returned to found Shingon Buddhism. In this rich historical milieu, Ritsurin Garden sits on what was once a riverbed, turned into dry habitable land by a massive feat of pre-modern flood control engineering.

Ritsurin Garden offers a diverse wealth of captivating, soothing views of natural beauty at its finest

The garden owes its existence in large part to the patronage of Yorishige Matsudaira, a warlord of the region and grandson of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the famed shogun who finally united the various realms of Japan into a single nation. Matsudaira was a lover and patron of culture and the arts, including tea ceremony – which gave rise to the concept of this premium experience: a modern recreation of the hospitality traditions of the Takamatsu Matsudaira line.  

The influence of Yorishige Matsudaira in the park’s history has linked its lore to tea ceremony

A Vista for Every Step, and an Unforgettable Brush with the Rich Artistic, Historical, and Philosophical Depth of Tea Ceremony

Ritsurin Garden’s beloved embodiment of Japan’s aesthetics and traditional love of nature – recognized internationally by the Michelin Green Guide in 2011 with its highest rating of three stars – has come to be celebrated with the saying “ippo, ikkei,” which literally translates to “a vista for every step.” 

Ritsurin Garden’s Commerce and Industry Hall (The “Shoko-shorei-kan”) where the event reception is held

This Premium Tea Ceremony Experience pays homage to the park’s historical association with patronage of tea ceremony by offering groups the opportunity to feast not only their eyes on the views, but their other senses on the elegant joys of tea ceremony, the artistic crafts underpinning it, and the delights of its accompanying plant-based kaiseki cuisine.

The elegant wabi-sabi plating of tea kaiseki cuisine (image for illustration purposes only, actual meal may differ)

First, get an up-close look at traditional Kagawa Prefecture lacquerware, with commentary from master lacquerware artist Yoshito Yamashita. Yamashita will be exhibiting his work in the reception hall, offering a deeper understanding of the traditional Kagawa craft of lacquerware production. Yamashita is a master craftsman working at the absolute top of the field, recognized officially as a “living national treasure” of Japan, and his pieces exude a sophisticated and subtle beauty that evinces an exceptional depth of technique and vision. Even before hearing his accessible explanations of the craft, simply seeing his work up close is apt to take your breath away.

Yamashita, recognized officially as a “living national treasure,” and his lacquerware work

Next, take a park stroll with your expert guide Alex Kerr, renowned US-born Japanologist and writer, has since 1977 been working to preserve and pass on the cultural traditions of Japan. Kerr first visited as a youth in 1964, and has since made it his life’s work to research and write what he sees as a vanishing traditional beauty. He also does restorations of historic residences. His expertise and international background make him uniquely positioned to explain the locale in a deep but accessible way.

Kerr, who also works in a variety of events promoting arts and local culture, in addition to writing and lecturing

Tea Ceremony in Macrocosm: a Powerful but Ephemeral Opportunity for Precious Connection

This limited time event offers a deep dive into not only the atmospheric beauty but also the historical and cultural significance of Ritsurin Garden through Kerr’s expert guidance. It also embodies an ephemeral moment in time and place never to be repeated, with the power to move guests and form an inspiring lifelong memory. And in that way, it has a lot in common with tea ceremony itself.

The “Kan-o-kaku” (literally “Wild Duck Overlook”), one of the countless spots in the park offering an idyllic vista worth savoring

As your group moves toward the tea ceremony dinner finale, first enjoy a toast and an aperitif as you get your fill of the park’s scenery. After a tour of its pinetree garden, complete with commentary direct from the gardener, you will move to the traditional dock from which small traditional boats are launched to travel across the park’s waterways. Step onto one of those boats and let yourself be whisked away to the final stop of the experience, for a top tier tea ceremony and a gorgeous spread of traditional plant-based tea ceremony kaiseki cuisine provided by a longstanding local fine dining restaurant.

An oarsman ferries visitors across the scenic waters of the park in a traditional flat-bottomed boat

The plant-based, tea kaiseki dinner, made of local ingredients and flavors and designed to be friendly to a wide variety of eating habits and customs, will be served in the Kikugetsu-tei hall, which is not usually accessible after dark but will be opened exclusively to participants of this event. The spread itself will be prepared and served in the customary sequence of courses by storied local ryotei fine dining restaurant Nicho (which also provided traditional Japanese vegan and Mulsim-friendly fare to the G7 Kagawa-Takamatsu Urban Ministers Meeting in 2023) along with explanations for the courses and their order.

Huge in Scale and Elaborate in Detail, Oft-visited yet Seldom Fully Experienced – Ritsurin Garden as a View of Life Itself

Though visitors from around the world flock to Ritsurin Garden for its legendary scenic beauty, its sprawling size and unparalleled level of intricate, diverse detail makes it very easy to visit and yet still miss most of the park. This premium experience offers a chance to fully take it in, and appreciate the truly Japanese view of nature that it expresses, steeped in the culture of Kagawa, and appreciate an aesthetic that it took over a century to finally give form to. You can also delight in the rich local traditions of tea ceremony and tea kaiseki cuisine, experiencing Japanese culture and spirituality with all five senses.

The Kikugetsu-tei hall, where the experience reaches its crescendo with tea ceremony and plant-based kaiseki dining