Chitoseya, a tea ceremony experience facility for travelers from overseas, opened on October 3, 2026, in Kyoto's Teramachi area. Visitors to Japan can get a hands-on introduction to Japanese tea culture here, from putting on a kimono to taking part in a tea ceremony and having their photos taken. The program lasts about 90 minutes and is offered in English.
Guests do not just watch the tea ceremony instructor perform the tea-making procedure (temae). They also enjoy Japanese sweets (wagashi) and whisk their own matcha. Although set in a traditional Japanese space, the experience is designed so that even first-time guests can feel Japanese culture up close, rather than aiming to master every rule of tea etiquette.
Tea Ceremony in a Kimono, in a Traditional Japanese Space
The experience at Chitoseya starts with choosing a kimono. Guests pick a kimono and obi, get dressed, and then head to the tea room. While watching the tea ceremony instructor's temae, they enjoy Japanese sweets (wagashi), and then whisk matcha themselves.
Instead of simply drinking matcha, guests wear a kimono, spend time in a tea room, and make their own matcha. Over the course of about 90 minutes, they can see, touch and experience Japanese tea culture.
The experience ends with a photo session, so guests can keep their time in Kyoto as a travel memory.
Making Japanese Culture More Approachable
Tea ceremony has many forms of etiquette and customs, starting with temae. For travelers from overseas who are trying it for the first time, the etiquette and rules can feel difficult.
Chitoseya aims to offer an experience that lets guests feel traditional Japanese culture without becoming too formal. Rather than memorizing difficult etiquette perfectly, the focus is on enjoying the time itself: wearing a kimono, spending time in the tea room and whisking matcha on their own.
Many of the staff have overseas experience, and the facility aims to create a space where each guest can enjoy getting to know Japanese culture through communication with the staff.
A Memorable Time in Kyoto
The tea room inside the facility has a Japanese atmosphere and can also be enjoyed as a place for taking photos.
Guests enter the tea room in a kimono, watch the temae, and whisk their own matcha. By taking part in each step, rather than just learning about Japanese culture as knowledge, they can feel its appeal more closely.
Chitoseya aims to be a place that visitors from overseas will want to try at least once when they come to Japan. Beyond enjoying tea ceremony and kimono, it hopes to offer an experience in which the time spent there becomes a special memory of Japan.
Special Opening Price for the First Month
To mark the opening, the tea ceremony experience is offered at a special price for one month from the opening date. It is a chance for first-time guests to casually experience Japanese culture, and the facility hopes more visitors to Kyoto will enjoy their time at Chitoseya.
Facility Information
- Opening date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
- Address: 536 Tenshoji-mae-cho, Teramachi-dori Sanjo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto 604-8081
- Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM
- Experience duration: About 90 minutes
- Regular price: ¥5,000 per person
- Opening commemorative price: ¥2,000 per person
- How to book: Reservations are available through online travel agencies (OTAs) such as GetYourGuide, Klook and Tripadvisor
- Languages: Japanese and English
Access
- About 6 minutes on foot from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line
- About 8 minutes on foot from Sanjo Station on the Keihan Main Line
- About 9 minutes on foot from Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line
