Putting it simply, it is a 500 years old traditional gathering between a Tea Master and a few invited guests during which time the Tea Master prepares a bowl of matcha tea to be drank by the guests. The ceremony takes place in a bespoke tearoom which is called chashitsu if small and spartan or Grand Tea Room if larger and more sumptuous.

The Ceremony is full of symbolisms and spiritual meanings and an important part of the discovery of Japanese culture.

Tourists visiting Japan do so mainly for a cultural experience. If this choice is what motivated you to visit Japan then the Japanese Tea Ceremony at Ju-An should be ranked at the top of the things you want to do during your visit to Japan, and especially in Kyoto, because the Japanese Tea Ceremony was "invented" in Kyoto.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony is held in the Grand Tea Room inside the Jotokuji Buddhist Temple built under the patronage of Shogun Ieyasu Togunawa in the XIV century.

You can attend a group sessions or a private sessions. Whatever is your preference.

The cost for a group session is ¥3300/person and for a private session the price is ¥30000/party. You will find the price when you select the number of persons in our Booking Form . A group session consists of up to 10 guests maximum. Children pay half the price or go free depending on their age.
A Private Session a maximum of 4 Guests and 2 children. A private session is conducted exclusively for you and this is why it is more expensive.

You can pay by Debit Card or Credit Card directly from our Booking Form. You will also receive a confirmation and receipt of payment.

Chado literally means "the way of tea."

It is a practice profoundly rooted in the philosophy of Wabi. Out of this complex philosophy 4 moral attributes and aesthetic values are applied and practised by followers of Chado. Practitioners of the "Way of Tea" shape their existence around these concepts which are summarised in Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquillity. The attainment of these four states reaches its peak in the Ichigo Ichie encounter between host (Tea Master) and honourable visitors.

Chanoyu is the Japanese term for "Performance of the Tea Ceremony." The Chanoyu consists of a beautifully choreographed aesthetic, and intrinsically Japanese, ritual that to Western eyes can appear mesmerising.

Not al all, far from it, at least not in our Grand Tea Room. If that is the kind of experience you are looking for then you can find cheaper and quicker elsewhere. But if you wish to experience the full significance of this Japanese practice then Ju-An is the choice par excellence and we are respectful followers of the Omotesenke tradition.

Absolutely not. It is a completely secular practice and unrelated to any Buddhist or other religious activity. It is simply a cultural experience of a long Japanese tradition that has become institutionalised and much protected as a quintessential Japanese traditional art.

No, that is a misconception in part created by other venues that offer this type of experience to visitors from abroad in a superficial and commercial way.

The Japanese tea ceremony is a way of practising Chado, the "way of tea". It is a cultural experience where you observe intricate gestures with hands and body movements as an artistic performance. Matcha tea is prepared for you as the means to deliver this art performance. The scope of the ceremony is to project calm and serenity of mind, humility and harmony with fellow guests and all that surrounds us.

If you are expecting to find a tea tasting session of different Japanese tea varieties then this is not your venue.