Kanazawa: Private Koicha Ceremony with a Samurai Tea Master

Yuta performing tea ceremony (action shot, side angle)

Tea room interior with natural light — tatami, tokonoma, scroll visible

Close-up of matcha in a beautiful tea bowl

Jounamagashi (fresh sweets) — colorful, seasonal

Kanazawa: Private Koicha Ceremony with a Samurai Tea Master

Tea room shot showing the intimate scale

View of Nishi Chaya street (location context)

Machiya exterior — shows the 100-year-old character

Duration1h 30m

Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before

Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish

Private tourOnly your group will participate

Overview

• Receive koicha — thick tea, rarely offered to visitors
to Japan

• Prepare usucha (thin tea) with your own hands, under
the guidance of a tea master of 19 years

• Spend 90 minutes as the sole guests in a 1923 machiya —
the home where your host Yuta lives and practices

• Learn Enshu-ryu, the samurai lineage of tea founded by
Kobori Enshu, tea advisor to the Tokugawa shoguns

• Taste seasonal jounamagashi, handcrafted the morning of
your ceremony by a Kanazawa artisan

• Speak openly about tea, aesthetics, or the philosophy
of a life devoted to the way — as much as you wish

What's included

Fully private ceremony (no shared sessions)
Hands-on matcha preparation
Commemorative photo
English narration and extended Q&A
Use of a private tea room in a 100-year-old machiya
Premium seasonal jounamagashi (handcrafted fresh sweets)
Both koicha (thick tea) and usucha (thin tea)
Tea ceremony demonstration by a practitioner with 19 years of experience

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transportation to/from venue
Gratuities (not expected in Japan)

What to expect

In the samurai era, koicha was exchanged before battle,
shared only among those a master trusted. Today, it is
the rarest form of Japanese tea.

This 90-minute private ceremony takes place in a 1923
machiya in Kanazawa's Nishi Chaya district — not a
venue, not a studio, but the home where your host Yuta
lives and practices.

Yuta has studied tea for 19 years in Enshu-ryu — the
samurai lineage founded by Kobori Enshu, tea master to
the Tokugawa shoguns. Restrained, precise, and quietly
confident.

You will be received as the only guests. Koicha will
be prepared for you; you will then prepare usucha with
your own hands. Seasonal sweets from a Kanazawa artisan
accompany the tea.

Between the bowls, there is time. Yuta does not perform
tea as theatre — he offers it as conversation. Whether
you come with years of study or simple curiosity, the
ceremony meets you where you are.

By reservation only. Maximum 5 guests. English
throughout.

Nishi Chaya District
Myoryuji - Ninja Temple
Yoshiro and Yoshio Taniguchi, Museum of Architecture Kanazawa

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

Come directly to 2-3-28 Nomachi, Kanazawa. Look for a traditional wooden machiya with a small sign “TEA BASE” beside the entrance. Your host will greet you at the door. 10 min by taxi from Kanazawa Station, or 5 min walk from Nishi Chaya District. Please arrive 5 minutes early.

End point

Come directly to 2-3-28 Nomachi, Kanazawa. Look for a traditional wooden machiya with a small sign “TEA BASE” beside the entrance. Your host will greet you at the door. 10 min by taxi from Kanazawa Station, or 5 min walk from Nishi Chaya District. Please arrive 5 minutes early.

Additional information

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Reviews

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