expedia
Skip to main content
People sitting on tatami mats in a traditional Japanese room. 1
A person sitting in a room with a white wall and a wooden floor. 2
A traditional Japanese building with wooden shoji screens and a signboard. 3
A person in traditional attire holding a wooden stick with a cup attached, near a traditional Japanese stove. 4
A person holding a bowl with a green liquid. 5
By Tea Ceremony Gion Kyoto

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
The previous price was €34 and current price is €27 per adult* *Get a lower price by selecting multiple adult tickets
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 45m
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

    • Enter a 90-year-old machiya rooted in Gion’s geisha culture.
    • Enjoy a private tea ceremony exclusively for your group.
    • Visit a peaceful second-floor tea room usually closed to the public.
    • Slow down and experience 45 minutes of Japanese mindfulness.
    • Feel Japan through tea, seasonal beauty, silence, and traditional rituals.

Activity location

    • Kyoto
    • Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

Meeting/Redemption Point

    • 日本、〒605-0074 京都府京都市東山区祇園町南側５７０−１２５ | Please wait in the small waiting room behind the white noren curtain. A staff member will come to pick you up at the appointed time.
    • Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

Check availability

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    What's Included
  • Inclusions
    Private use of a second-floor tea room in a 90-year-old machiya rooted in Gion’s geisha culture
  • Inclusions
    Private tea ceremony exclusively for your group
  • Inclusions
    Traditional tea ceremony demonstration by an experienced tea ceremony instructor
  • Inclusions
    Hands-on experience performing the traditional tea-making process yourself
  • Inclusions
    Matcha and traditional Japanese sweets
  • Inclusions
    Commemorative photos
  • Exclusions
    Transport to and from the meeting point

Know before you book

    • Not allowed: Bare feet
    • Not suitable for: Children under 7 years
    • In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, activities services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. Supplier cancellation policy will apply.
    • This activity is provided by a professional trader (a party acting within their trade, business or profession).

What you can expect

  • Hidden Gion Tea Ceremony in a Historic Machiya

    Step away from the crowds of Gion and enter a private tea room inside a historic machiya.

    This 90-year-old Kyoto townhouse was once an ochaya, a traditional Gion teahouse connected to geisha culture. Its second-floor tea room is usually closed to the public, offering a rare opportunity to experience tea ceremony in a historic setting away from the busy streets.

    This is more than watching a tea ceremony. You will learn about the tea room, watch your tea ceremony instructor perform the traditional tea ceremony, and then perform the tea-making process yourself.

    Your experience is private and exclusively for your group.

    Your Experience

    1. Welcome to Hidden Gion

    Enter the historic machiya and leave the bustle of Gion behind as you make your way to the private second-floor tea room.

    Your tea ceremony instructor will welcome you and introduce the experience.

    1. The Tea Room

    Discover the meaning behind the hanging scroll, seasonal flowers, and traditional tea utensils, and learn how they create the atmosphere of a Japanese tea gathering.

    1. Traditional Tea Ceremony

    Watch your tea ceremony instructor perform a traditional Japanese tea ceremony up close.

    Notice the sounds, rhythm, gestures, and careful movements behind each step.

    1. Perform the Tea Ceremony Yourself

    Now it is your turn.

    First, prepare your matcha. Then, draw hot water from the iron kettle and whisk the matcha with a traditional bamboo whisk.

    You do not need to be perfect. Take your time and experience the rhythm and quiet focus of each movement.

    1. Matcha, Japanese Sweets & Photos

    Enjoy the matcha you prepared with a traditional Japanese sweet.

    Before leaving, take photos in the historic tea room and keep a memory of your time in this hidden corner of Gion.

    A Different Kind of Kyoto Experience

    Kyoto can be busy and crowded. Here, you can step away from the crowds and slow down.

    There is no need to rush anywhere.

    Just your group, a private tea room, and the simple rituals of Japanese tea.

    For a moment, there is nowhere else you need to be.

    Pause. Breathe. Feel Japan.

    Experience the stillness of Kyoto in a historic Gion tea room.

    ※Recognised by Kyoto’s Tourism Community

    Selected by Kyoto City for its Tourism Content Development Programme for International Visitors

    Our tea ceremony experience was selected by Kyoto City as part of a programme supporting the development of authentic and meaningful tourism experiences for international visitors.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    • Kyoto
    • Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    • 日本、〒605-0074 京都府京都市東山区祇園町南側５７０−１２５ | Please wait in the small waiting room behind the white noren curtain. A staff member will come to pick you up at the appointed time.
    • Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan