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Tea Ceremony Experience in a Small Tea Room in Kyoto

Top rated
4.9
Activity provider: Travel Japan Together
Tea Ceremony Experience in a Small Tea Room in Kyoto
Tea Ceremony Experience in a Small Tea Room in Kyoto 2
Tea Ceremony Experience in a Small Tea Room in Kyoto 3
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1-hour tour in Kyoto, including Tea ceremony and Instructions by an experienced teacher. Run by Travel Japan Together, booked direct rather than through a reseller.

Highlights

  • Runs 1 hours
  • Tea ceremony
  • Instructions by an experienced teacher
  • Matcha tea
  • Traditional dried sweets

Tea Ceremony Experience in a Small Tea Room in Kyoto: Key Facts

PriceFrom $50.5 per person
Duration1 hours
LanguagesEnglish
Tour typeGuided Tour
BookingDirect with the local operator — no OTA markup

Full description

This is a 1-hour experience in Kyoto. It is run by Travel Japan Together, an operator we book with directly rather than through a reseller, which is why we can hold your place with them before we treat your booking as final.

Gion is Kyoto's historic entertainment district, the streets of wooden machiya houses around Hanamikoji where the geiko and maiko of the Gion Kobu district still work. They are working professionals on their way to engagements, not performers for the street, and Kyoto has banned photography in the private lanes; an evening walk with a guide who explains the ochaya system is the respectful way to see it. Tea ceremony sessions in Gion teach the basic form of matcha preparation in an hour. Kimono rental for a day, with dressing and hair, is an established business around the district and is welcomed rather than resented.

The price covers Tea ceremony, Instructions by an experienced teacher, Matcha tea and Traditional dried sweets. Everything included is listed in full on this page; if something is not on that list, assume it is not in the price.

Travel Japan Together sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed. We need at least one day's notice, and we confirm the date with Travel Japan Together before treating your booking as final. If they cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.

Includes

  • Tea ceremony
  • Instructions by an experienced teacher
  • Matcha tea
  • Traditional dried sweets

Important information

Meeting point

Travel Japan Together sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed.

Know before you go

  • Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 1 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

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Main Tour Price
Starting from $50.5
$50.5
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more

Traveler Reviews

4.9/5
based on 74 reviews
Guide
4.9/5
Value for money
4.8/5
Verified reviews from travelers on this operator’s experience
5
T
Teresa
March 27, 2025

It was a marvelous experience; a full immersion in the Japanese culture… Such a fun and wonderful moment to live!

Review photo 1
5
S
Sara
September 28, 2024

Very personal experience. Hiromi was very helpful and a wonderful hostess. I recommend this experience as it was very unique.

Review photo 1
5
S
Stefanie
September 14, 2024

We had a completely private/intimate tea ceremony. It was authentic and we felt very welcomed into their own home. What a beautiful experience that I would totally recommend to anyone wanting to experience some true traditional culture.

Review photo 1Review photo 2
5
A
Annette
April 5, 2026

Great experience learning about the rituals of the tea ceremony. The host is lovely

5
L
Luise
October 24, 2025

The host was super nice and the tea and sweets very tasty. It was a really calming and pleasant experience :)

5
R
Rania
October 2, 2025

Tea ceremony session was very informative and felt super authentic. Ms Yamazaki was very kind and knowledgeable.

5
S
Simon
April 27, 2025

Our host was so hospitable - she explained everything well, gave us a lot of information about the ceremony and it was a great peaceful start to our day

5
M
Michael
January 5, 2025

We began the ceremony not knowing anything about tea. We left with a better understanding and more appreciation for Tea Ceremony. It was a wonderful experience.

5
R
Rachel
January 2, 2025

My husband and I loved our tea ceremony experience! We were with one other group and the experience felt very authentic and we learned a lot about the process of making matcha tea as well as the tea ceremony itself. Our guide was extremely patient with answering questions and helping us learn the ceremony process. Would definetly recommend for an experience in Kyoto.

4
T
Traveller
April 18, 2026

Meget autentisk, især fordi det var i et privat hjem. Godt at man fik mulighed for at afprøve tebrygning. Værtens engelskniveau var desværre ikke så godt, hvilket var ærgerligt fordi det var rigtig spændende.

5
S
Schneider
February 6, 2026

Sehr nett. Es wird alles sehr gut erklärt!

5
M
Melisa
March 31, 2026

Ha sido un verdadero placer esta experiencia. La ternura y amor con la que explica toda la ceremonia transmite una hermosa sensación de paz. Tener la oportunidad de aprender de alguien que se nota que ama lo que hace. A veces es un poco difícil de entender pero creo que es parte de la experiencia realmente local. Recomendamos 100% esta experiencia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Travel Japan Together sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed.
Not in the private lanes of Gion, where Kyoto has banned photography, and not close up anywhere: a maiko on the street is on her way to work. Your guide will say where a photograph is acceptable. Tea ceremony and kimono sessions include photographs as part of the session.
We confirm your booking with the operator before we treat it as final, and we need at least one day's notice. Once it is confirmed you get the meeting point, the time and a contact number for the day. If the operator cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Tea ceremony, Instructions by an experienced teacher, Matcha tea, Traditional dried sweets
The duration of the Tea Ceremony Experience in a Small Tea Room in Kyoto is typically 1 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
Late March to early April for cherry blossom, or mid-to-late November for peak autumn foliage. Kyoto sits in a basin and runs hotter in summer and colder in winter than Tokyo, even at a similar latitude. Full month-by-month figures are in our best time to visit Kyoto guide.
Kyoto never built an extensive subway — just two lines (Karasuma and Tozai) — so the city bus network does most of the work, especially for Higashiyama, Kinkaku-ji and Ginkakuji. Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama are best reached by JR rail instead. See getting around Kyoto.
Three days covers the essentials well: a day for Higashiyama and Gion, a day for Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji, and a day for Fushimi Inari plus a Nara or Uji day trip. Our 3-day Kyoto itinerary has the full route with timing.
Arrive by 6:30-7am — the shrine is open 24/7 and free, and most visitors only walk the first 20-30 minutes anyway. Past that point the crowds thin out fast. Full hike details in our Fushimi Inari guide.
Yes — it's a public path with no entrance fee and no set hours. The trade-off is that it gets shoulder-to-shoulder by mid-morning; arrive before 8am for a nearly empty walk. See the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest guide.
Kyoto restricts photography on certain private alleys in Gion after complaints about tourists chasing and blocking geiko and maiko, with fines for violators. Public streets like Hanamikoji-dori remain open, but never chase, touch or block a real geiko/maiko anywhere. Full etiquette in our Gion geisha district guide.
Yudofu (simmered tofu, best near Nanzen-ji or Arashiyama), kaiseki and shojin ryori temple cuisine, and Nishiki Market's stalls of tako tamago and fresh yuba. Uji, just south of the city, is one of Japan's top matcha-growing regions. See the Kyoto food guide.
Starting from$50.5