You can enjoy a variety of Japanese tea and deepen your knowledge about tea in a relaxing and entertaining atmosphere in a suburban Kyoto hideout. Tea leaves chosen by Samurai Chajin in the session are locally grown in the neighboring Uji area, “Ujicha”, which has a long history of Japanese authentic green tea dating back to the 9th century.
Visual materials show you the beautiful scenery of green tea bushes ranging from the pre-harvest season to the post- harvest season. You will discover how Japanese tea plants grow and the leaves are processed into the end products all at once.
Courses
Two Hands-on Courses
A. Tasting and brewing various kinds of Japanese tea (two hours)
Japanese people have usually used different kinds of tea depending on occasions. You will enjoy several kinds of tea at once in this hideout and learn how to prepare a delicious cup of tea.
- Welcome tea (Kyobancha)
- Lecture by Samurai Chajin about history of Japanese tea and how to grow Japanese tea plants with visual materials
- Tasting five different kinds of Japanese tea with sweets
Tencha, Karigane, Sencha, Genmaicha, Houjicha
- Brewing Gyokuro ( highest quality Japanese tea)
B. Tasting and Making Matcha (two hours)
Matcha is a fine powder tea made from dried tea leaves. Tea plants for Matcha are grown under the shading of reeds and straws which control the amount of sunlight.
The powder tea is used for the authentic tea ceremony perfected by Sen no Rikyu in the late 16th century. You whisk up tea powder with hot water in a tea bowl using a special tea whisk called Chasen. The traditional Japanese tea ceremony is a sophisticated way of making tea and appreciating tea utensils and artistic works. But here you can experience whisking and tasting matcha and sweets in a simple and casual way.
- Welcome tea
- Lecture by Samurai Chajin about history and how to grow Japanese tea plants with visual materials
- Hands-on experience of making and tasting matcha with sweets
- Producing matcha by using a millstone
Prices/Meeting Point
Charge for each course :
5000 yen per guest
We welcome a small group of up to 6 guests.
2500 yen for a child of 12 years old and under
Free: Chidren of 5 years old and under
Additional drinks and sweets are available only in cash
Pickup service :
at Shinhousono station (Kintetu Kyoto Line) / Housono station (JR Gakkentoshi Line) , each about 30-45 minutes trip from central Kyoto / Osaka by train
Map for pickup point : west side of the both stations
( Get out of the exits, proceed to the right, go down to the ground level and walk to the area for private cars)
Cancelation policy
Cancelation policy :
For a full refund you need to cancel your reservation at least 24 hours before your session. You can reschedule the date/ time 24 hours before your initial reservation.
In case of delay dew to traffic conditions, it is possible to adjust the time as far as you contact the host on the way. In case of no show without notice, you have no refund.
Who is Samurai Chajin ?
I, Hiroyoshi Iwamoto / Samurai Chajin am a certified Japanese tea instructor. I have provided lectures on Japanese tea for school children, local governments’ staff and ordinary citizens. Originally I started my career as a flair bartender and have shown performance at hotels, exhibitions, wedding ceremonies and so on.
At the same time I became interested in Japanese tea as I began to help Japanese tea farmers in their tea plantations about fifteen years ago. Now I have been working at a tea plantation in Uji area, where I have learned a lot about how to grow Japanese tea plants, how to process tea leaves into end products and how to brew and taste good tea.
I have been making efforts to invent my own way to attract and entertain Japanese and foreign guests who would like to learn about Japanese tea, making use of my skills as a flair bartender. For this end I have renovated my parents’ farm house by myself and set up “a bar for tea ” to offer quality time over Japanese tea.