Tea Ceremony Koto
Tea Ceremony Koto
4.8
About
Just a 1minute walk from Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto.You can learn traditional tea ceremony in English. The way of tea is performed by a lecture of Urasenke, one of the famous tea schools in Japan! And You can make matcha tea by yourselves! It's Authentic tea ceremony chosen by many guests invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and many other VIP guests. Also, the host had received the hand writing calligraphy by 15th grand master of Urasenke. The biggest difference between other tea houses is Not only the demonstration, but also you can join tea ceremony as a guest by learning the process in English. The host follows the traditional Urasenke school faithfully. Masks, hand sanitizer, and face seals are free to use here. And we prepare an air purifier in the room.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
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Neighborhood: Northern Kyoto
Hot springs and historic temples characterize the leafy landscapes of Northern Kyoto. Acres of tranquil residential streets are interrupted by some of Kyoto's most gorgeous architectural gems, including the majestic Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji, the serene artistry of the Ryoanji Temple rock gardens, and the bold red paint across the structures of Enryakuji Temple. Once a religious core of the city, the district now boasts some of its most remote and peaceful hot springs, as well as a few of its best family-run mom-and-pop restaurants. A blend of extremely local at its outskirts, and highly peopled at its tourist centers, Northern Kyoto nonetheless retains a halcyon air in harmony with nature.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.8
178 reviews
Excellent
159
Very good
12
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Andrew B
Singapore, Singapore1 contribution
Dec 2024 • Family
Absolutely fantastic experience, Rie Kuranaka as our Tea Master was absolutely brilliant in explaining every step of the way. We did a shared Tea Ceremony with 2x lovely Italians so a small group of 5x which was perfect. We also did the option of wearing the Kimono which was a highlight as it heightened the experience to a new level and made us feel an actual part of the ceremony rather than just observers. The Ceremony went for the full 45mins and was explained step by step in perfect English and left us wanting more. Truly great experience and well worth the visit, especially as it is right across the road from the Kinkakuji Temple (the Golden Temple), also worth seeing.
Written December 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Klara F
2 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Had a great experience with my family! The hostess is not rude at all like some people are saying, but a humble and patient woman. She explained everything perfectly and had curious anecdotes and facts to share. It was incredibly interesting to learn about Japanese he’s culture.
I can recommend this for anyone wanting to take part in Japanese culture in an accessible way! A nice break from “just” sightseeing in Kyoto.
I can recommend this for anyone wanting to take part in Japanese culture in an accessible way! A nice break from “just” sightseeing in Kyoto.
Written December 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S Farine
Amsterdam, The Netherlands80 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Amazing experience, host was really lovely and sweet and dressed beautifully. She welcomed us and explained everything about the ceremony of tea. We learned the 4 steps and each of us got to do the ritual. We received a cup of Matcha. After we learned how to make a matcha ourselves and we all made a cup. After she offered to take a picture of us. Unfortunately, some of the other guests were laughing a bit, which seemed unfair to the Tea Masteress. I would definitely recommend this, but please be respectful.
Written August 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessie
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Couples
We arrived to Tea Ceremony Koto after visiting Kinkaku-ji temple, which was located close by. Once we entered, we realized we made our reservation for the wrong day. Our host was kind enough to let us put on Kimonos quickly and join for that day, which we greatly appreciated. Once the tea ceremony began, I could tell our host was very frustrated and wasn’t very warm or welcoming. Within the group, people spoke all different languages and their English was not very strong. She became most frustrated when people were not following her directions, but it was the language barrier that made it difficult for them to do so. For someone whose first language is English, you will find it interesting to learn about the tea ceremony and its customs in a short period of time. I do wish we had a warmer welcome to join in.
Written July 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MoniB
1 contribution
Mar 2023 • Friends
I was there late March and the tea master was so rude. The ceremony was rushed, 10min it’s long. Nothing was explained, it was just eat this and then drink the tea and leave. I would find another tea house or maybe see if they have more than one tea master. After being really excited about this. It was very disappointing to have a terrible experience. We even got yelled at in Japanese by the tea master!!! Horrible experience.
Written April 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
micah_abl
Manila, Philippines66 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
Our Tea Master was very knowledgable about The Way of Tea. I have deep interest in tea and I wasn’t disappointed in how she handled our session. I loved how she explained the history of the tea ceremony and the value of every gesture involved in this ritual. I was amused knowing that the utensils used in the ceremony vary depending on the season.
Our Tea Master speaks great English, which really helped. However, our group had many non-English speaking attendees and there were three late attendees which disrupted the atmosphere of our ceremony because instructions had to be repeated over and over again. However, I still learned so much and really enjoyed my time.
Our Tea Master speaks great English, which really helped. However, our group had many non-English speaking attendees and there were three late attendees which disrupted the atmosphere of our ceremony because instructions had to be repeated over and over again. However, I still learned so much and really enjoyed my time.
Written December 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for joining tea ceremony in Koto!
I’m sorry it sometimes happens some people come late or don’t understand English very well in the group tea ceremony.
But I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed Japanese traditional culture!
I really appreciate it:)
Written December 7, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nomad00074341633
1 contribution
Sep 2023 • Family
The hostess was impatient, aggressive, frowning and unkind. She was mad every time we didn’t do something perfectly.
Written September 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ElinkaLondon
London, UK7 contributions
Mar 2019 • Solo
I went to visit tea ceremony privately and solo . Unfortunately I was late by 15 min due to traffic on the streets . Was greeted by 2 ladies at the front , you are asked to take your shoes off as you enter although no slippers are provided to you at this stage . So I had to stay barefoot on the floor for almost 5 min while I was making a payment etc . Then was offered to stand on a cushion .
From that moment everything was exceptionally rashes . I was basically expected to pay , get fitted into kimono and complete ceremony in 30 min.
Lady performing ceremony was dressing me in kimono in a very rushed away , and as for actual ceremony she was talking so fast -I could barely understand anything .
Overall even 45 min would not be enough ( if I was not late ), you really don’t want to rush when you have an experience like that .
I understand it is a busy time . But instead of trying to fit in as many clients as possible within a day , they should concentrate on providing more quality service to fewer clients .
I would not recommend , especially for the price I paid 11,640 yen
From that moment everything was exceptionally rashes . I was basically expected to pay , get fitted into kimono and complete ceremony in 30 min.
Lady performing ceremony was dressing me in kimono in a very rushed away , and as for actual ceremony she was talking so fast -I could barely understand anything .
Overall even 45 min would not be enough ( if I was not late ), you really don’t want to rush when you have an experience like that .
I understand it is a busy time . But instead of trying to fit in as many clients as possible within a day , they should concentrate on providing more quality service to fewer clients .
I would not recommend , especially for the price I paid 11,640 yen
Written March 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’m sad to hear that. We had once thought you might not come because it often happens the guests who booked without paying don’t come. But we were waiting for you. We usually accept the reservation with the payment in advance but It was the night one day before you booked, so we could not send the link. In addition, you confirmed the finish time was 11:35 by the email. We managed to perform the tea ceremony because it was the private session, but we sometimes have to refuse to enter when the guests were late 15 minutes and tea ceremony has already started in the group session, which needs the quiet atmosphere. In reality, We always try not to refuse, but unfortunately we often experience customers who are late complains about our session and write bad review. The reason is they couldn’t experience whole things. But I guess the customer will be more upset if we refuse to enter. We can flexibly work when we have no reservation after, but it’s difficult to manage it especially in cherry blossom season.
And of course we never prepare slippers for tea room. It’s the custom in Japan.
Written March 30, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michelle M
Melbourne, Australia16 contributions
Was an absolutely amazing experience, so elegant, so much detail and meticulous steps are required to perform the Tea Ceremony. The food was lovely and elegant. Could not recommend this highly enough, if you are lucky enough to be in Kyoto, do not miss it !!!!!
Written April 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kenneth C
1 contribution
Mar 2017 • Family
Rie was very knowledgeable in the art of tea ceremony. She was very fluent in english and she helped us put on our beautiful kimono. The matcha green tea was very good. The utensils were all very pretty. A great visit after Kinkaku-ji.
Written March 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for writing the message! I'm glad you liked Matcha tea and our tea utensils also! We have pretty tea utensils with spring paintings especially in March & April!
Written March 16, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi. I’m interested in learning about the art of tea. Do you provide a private tea ceremony lesson?
Written July 12, 2019
They can provide a private ceremony upon request. You'll need to contact them, most likely by email, to arrange for the lesson.
Written July 13, 2019
Hi we are planning to visit as family with 4 yrs old. Is it ok 4 yrs old?
Do we need to reserve? And can we have the kimono dress while the ceremony ?
Written April 6, 2019
Thank you very much for asking.
4 years old child can join group session but if he or she start to cry or something, we sometimes ask the customer to wait at the another room.
We recommend the Private tea Ceremony plan.
Kimono wearing is 3000yen per person as the Additional fee. We ask the customer to come 15-20 earlier than the start time of the tea ceremony to wear kimono.
It’s better to book because sometimes it’s all booked out or already reserved for the private session.
Written April 6, 2019
I have 9 adults and 1 child 1 year old, we would like to experiment the Tea Ceremony in kimono dressing. Do we need to make advance reservation? We plan to go there on April 2. How much does it cost per person.
Written March 7, 2018
Thank you very much for the question!
It’s 2700yen per person for tea ceremony. Of course, 1 Year old child is free.
Additional fee for Kimono wearing is 3000yen per person.
How about 14:15, 15:30 or 16:45 in April 2nd?
You can contact us from our website.
Please google “Tea Ceremony Koto “
Written March 7, 2018
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