What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• This is exactly what you are wanting to experience.

  Blake M,Apr 19, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The home is a traditional samurai house with the feel and visuals. The family has lived there for generations. They provided an exceptional traditional tea ceremony and my wife and I learned so much and got to experience an amazing tradition. There English was phenomenal and spoke Japanese for us as we requested so we could get the full experience. The pictures they took of us are so beautiful and I’m glad they took their time instead of just rushing to take a picture but helped pose us so we can have great pictures. They were so kind and I could go on and on about them as we felt very welcome. They made our day and even more they actually made our honeymoon and we could not have had so much of a great time in Japan if it wasn’t for them. Domo Arigatogozaimasu!!!

• Late booking but zen mindset has no regrets

  Mobile21125913874,Apr 18, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I took the “private” tea ceremony option with this provider and so my wife and I were the only guests. This is expensive. Was it worth it? For us, we have no regrets and so yes it was. I get the feeling that it wasn’t much different in format to doing it with other people but we were certainly able to tailor the options to suit us and our hosts were more than happy to follow our wishes. Being the centre of their attention made it very personal and we got to ask many questions about anything we thought of, from the activity itself to our trip in general. We chose to do Sake and Whiskey tasting and i do think we got some extra ones to try because the time allowed it, being just the two of us. We came at this not knowing anything about the tea ceremony itself and never having even tried matcha. Putting on a western mindset, I could think “what’s the fuss about?” but that would be typically missing the point. We got to experience a cultural tradition and did so in an authentic setting (a 300 year old house!)… after all, this is why we wanted to visit Japan. I am glad our budget allowed us to do this (though a lesson here is book the activity before actually coming out here!) and I am glad I got to meet our hosts and visit the house.

• Tea ceremony and Sake tasting

  Ernie A,Apr 12, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The hosts were outstanding. This was one of the highlights of our two week trip. We gained knowledge, and truly enjoyed interacting with our hosts.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Absolutely Unmissable!

  Shabnam R,Apr 10, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  We had the privilege of experiencing a tea ceremony and sake tasting inside a 300-year-old samurai house, and it was hands down one of the highlights of our Japan trip. The tea ceremony was beautiful and unhurried — the matcha was organic and prepared with such care and intention. But what truly set this experience apart were the hosts. They were warm, genuinely conversational, and incredibly generous. The kind of people who make you feel like a welcomed guest rather than a tourist passing through. That human connection made everything feel so much more meaningful. The sake tasting was equally impressive. Every variety we tried was distinct and interesting, a real education in how complex and nuanced Japanese sake can be. And trying on kimonos and samurai clothes was so much fun. We laughed, took photos, and felt completely immersed in the culture. Do yourself a favor and book this before anything else on your Kyoto itinerary. HIGHLY recommend — five stars isn’t enough! 🍵🍶👘

• Amazing experience!! Must do.

  Frank M,Apr 6, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  This was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. The experience is authentic, educational, intimate and fun. The couple and family that own the house are genuinely sweet and generous people. The wife speaks English beautifully (and appeared to speak a few other languages as well). Highly highly recommend!

• Memories for a lifetime

  emilycC4796PL,Apr 4, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  What an amazing opportunity and with every dollar. It has incredibly gracious hosts. Very good teachers. This experience has loads of history and lots of fun.

• Wonderful Hosts and Tea

  Tisha D,Apr 3, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Host were very welcoming and hospitable. This is their personal home inherited from host’s father. You can tell they enjoy what they do and sharing the tea tradition. We enjoyed the Matcha and also a Saki tasting where we tried sake from different regions as well as whiskey from a few regions. We learned about how Japan learned whiskey making from the Scottish.

• Unbelievable experience....

  Jeremy F,Apr 3, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Unbelievable experience. Very warm and lovely family, very beautiful ambiance, very authentic cultural experience. Would highly recommend to everyone. 10 out of 10.

• The most amazing family welcome and experience

  emmaandgary,Apr 2, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Cannot begin to say just what an amazing welcome and experience we had. From the ease of booking and communicating to the warm welcome into their home it was faultless. The experience of the team ceremony was so beautiful and whilst the adults enjoyed our sake the boys were treated to their own origami and matcha making lesson. The experience is enough in itself but the hospital and the photos just put the icing on the cake. An absolute must if you want an intimate welcoming experience with a wonderful family

  

• Great Experience

  I117XXmichelleb,Apr 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great Experience. Really informative and the people were very friendly and accommodating. Would highly recommend.

• Load more reviews