Hotel Chourakukan in Kyoto's Higashiyama district (Maruyama-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto; General Manager: Shigeto Yoshida) will offer a Tea Ceremony Experience for the first time in Chorakuan, its normally private tea room, as part of the one-day-only "Art Festival in CHOURAKUKAN 2026," held on September 27 (Sunday), 2026.
This year's Art Festival takes "Architecture and Hospitality Culture" as its theme, and the Tea Ceremony Experience is one of the programs designed to let guests encounter Chourakukan's spaces, and the hospitality culture passed down within them, through traditional culture.
The Tea Ceremony Experience takes place in Chorakuan, a tea room on the 3rd floor of the Important Cultural Property Chourakukan. Chorakuan has previously been shown to the public only during special openings, as a normally private Japanese-style room; this marks the first time it will be opened as the venue for a tea ceremony program for general guests.
Offering tea to welcome guests is one of Japan's traditions of hospitality.
Experiencing tea in a tea room within Chourakukan, a building constructed in the Meiji era as a guesthouse, lets guests feel the role that the architectural space originally served, as well as Japan's distinctive culture of hospitality.
On the day, the Omotesenke Tokiwakai will prepare matcha and seasonal sweets, and will guide guests through how to enjoy the tea along with basic etiquette, making the program approachable even for those trying tea ceremony for the first time.
Chorakuan: A Normally Private Tea Room
Chourakukan (a national Important Cultural Property) is a Western-style building built in the Meiji era by businessman Kichibee Murai as a guesthouse. It has continued to welcome distinguished visitors from Japan and abroad as a space where Japanese and Western culture come together in harmony.
Chorakuan, located on its 3rd floor, is a storied tea room featuring stained glass designed with motifs of spring cherry blossoms and autumn foliage, and is said to be modeled after Zangetsu-tei, a tea room of the Omotesenke school.
In this Tea Ceremony Experience, guests will enjoy matcha and seasonal sweets in Chorakuan. Rather than simply viewing the architecture, guests will taste tea in a space originally designed as a tea room, offering an opportunity to encounter the hospitality culture passed down at Chourakukan and the tea room's original role.
Art Festival in CHOURAKUKAN 2026 Special Event: Tea Ceremony Experience Overview
- Date: September 27, 2026 (Sunday)
- ① 10:30 AM–11:15 AM ② 11:30 AM–12:15 PM ③ 1:30 PM–2:15 PM ④ 2:30 PM–3:15 PM ⑤ 3:30 PM–4:15 PM ⑥ 4:30 PM–5:15 PM
- 6 sessions total, each approximately 45 minutes
- Capacity: 10 guests per session
- Venue: Hotel Chourakukan, Main Building 3F, Chorakuan
- Cooperation: Omotesenke Tokiwakai
- Reservations: https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/chourakukan-dessert-cafe/reserve?menu_lists[]=66cfe57ba891ac2c9daf8adb
- Tickets:
- Tea Ceremony Experience with Art Festival admission ticket: ¥2,500 (tax included)
- Tea Ceremony Experience without Art Festival admission ticket: ¥2,000 (tax included)
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Admission to the Art Festival requires an admission ticket (¥1,000), except for guests of elementary school age or younger. Guests who have already purchased an admission ticket, guests with a complimentary ticket, and guests of elementary school age or younger should purchase the "without admission ticket" event ticket option. Preschool-age children cannot take part in or accompany others at the Tea Ceremony Experience; elementary school-age children must be accompanied by a guardian. Tickets will stop being sold once capacity is reached, and no same-day seating will be available if sold out.
About the Art Festival in CHOURAKUKAN 2026
The Art Festival in CHOURAKUKAN is a one-day autumn event introducing Chourakukan's architecture and the hospitality culture passed down there, along with the history and culture behind them. Now in its 5th year in 2026, this year's edition takes "Architecture and Hospitality Culture" as its theme, offering a variety of programs spanning food, art, and traditional culture experiences.
Learn more: https://chourakukan.co.jp/fair_plan/art_fes_2026/
About Hotel Chourakukan
Hotel Chourakukan is a boutique hotel centered on its Important Cultural Property main building, Chourakukan, which houses a restaurant, cafe, sweets boutique, and bar, along with an adjoining New Wing offering six guest rooms in total. As a member of the global hotel brand Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), it welcomes guests from Japan and abroad.
Chourakukan (the former Murai family residence) is a modern Kyoto building constructed in 1909 as the private residence of Meiji-era businessman Kichibee Murai, known as the "Tobacco King." Notable for its design incorporating architectural styles from around the world, it was designated a national Important Cultural Property on December 9, 2024.
- Address: 604 Maruyama-cho, Yasaka Torii-mae Higashi-iri, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0071
- Website: https://www.chourakukan.co.jp/
Business days and hours are subject to change; please check the official website for the latest information.
