Plan ID

: 60608

[Kyoto Imperial Palace West Chotokuji Temple] Experience Tea, Incense, and Muromachi Culture ~A day to experience the origins of the Sohen School of Tea Ceremony~

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Map / access information / Provide：香道　三品大枝流・未千流　Japan Floral planning株式会社

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Beginners welcome - First try
Empty-hands OK
Solo participant
Charter possible
Operate rain or shine
Indoor
Autumn Campaign Sale 2025

Possible number of bookings

2～14
Participating age

12Age ～ 100 Age
Duration

2～3 hours

Plan description

Chotoku-ji Temple is the birthplace of Yamada Sohen, the founder of the Sohen School of Tea Ceremony in the early Edo period. Located west of the Imperial Palace in a quiet residential area, Chotoku-ji Temple, a Shinshu Otani school temple, offers a tranquil moment savored with all five senses. As a monk, Yamada Sohen cultivated Buddhist spirituality and aesthetic sensibilities early on at his birthplace, Chotoku-ji Temple. Later, he pursued the world of tea ceremony, embracing the spirit of Rikyu while pursuing a more introspective and spiritually charged "wabicha" style. This unconventional approach, focused on capturing the atmosphere and the spirit of the guest, remains a hallmark of the Sohen School. Experience the Muromachi culture of tea and incense arts at Chotoku-ji Temple. After the experience, enjoy a short moment of sutra copying or zazen meditation followed by a sermon from the head priest, allowing you to experience two hours of extraordinary relaxation in a tranquil setting.

Tour of the tea room associated with Shuhen and talk with the head priest of Chotokuji Temple

You will be guided around Jogan-an, a small tea room associated with Sohen.

Kodo: "Make Incense, Listen to Incense" - A cultural experience of fragrance

We will introduce the art of incense, which was familiar to Sohen and his contemporaries, in a form that is suited to the modern era. We will introduce natural incense ingredients (agarwood, sandalwood, cinnamon, etc.), check your own identity using a Yin-Yang and Five Elements checklist, and experience incense creation (using several incense materials, mix your own incense to balance your mind and body). *Participants will be able to take home the incense they have mixed, wrapped in Japanese paper. Next, we will experience the art of incense listening. We will learn the basics of incense woods and use an incense burner to compare the scents of incense woods.

Experience thin tea ceremony at the teahouse "Ichijoan", learn the spirit of Buddhism through calligraphy and zazen (main hall)

Learn the basics, spirit, and etiquette of the tea ceremony in an easy-to-understand manner. You will enjoy a cup of matcha tea with a seasonal main sweet while learning how to prepare thin tea, proper behavior on the tatami mat, and how to interact with the tea utensils. Spend a quiet moment learning not only how to prepare tea, but also the spirit of the tea ceremony. The experience concludes with a talk by the head priest and a short period of zazen or sutra copying before returning home feeling refreshed in mind and body.

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Selectable starting time： 10:00 13:00

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Supported language: English

About fees

Basic fee

※The list price includes tax.
※The above price is a basic fee.
※Fees may vary depending on schedule, please check the fee displayed after selecting the date.

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Payment methods	Online payment
Display of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act	Display of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act
Reservation cancellation fee generation date	Cancellation fee will be charged from 7 days before the event date.
About cancellation	Free up to 7 days before the participation date. 6 days before to 5pm on the 2nd day: 50% of the fee. After 5pm 2 days before the participation date to the day of the participation, or no participation: 100% of the fee.
About event termination	The event may be canceled due to unavoidable reasons such as bad weather, traffic conditions, etc. Even in such cases, please note that we will not be able to compensate for transportation costs to the experience location, accommodation costs, etc.

Detailed information of this plan

Required minimum number of participants	2 Person(s)
Possible number of bookings	2～14
About duration	2～3 hours The entire experience will last approximately 2 hours.
Operating period	All-year-round
Assembly time	Please come to the gate 5 minutes before the experience starts.
Booking deadline	until 23:59 4 days before

Changing room		Toilet
Shower		Parking
Locker

Dress code - Must bring items	Please wear socks. Please refrain from wearing clothing that exposes your hands and feet. Please refrain from wearing perfume or other strong-smelling items.

Matters require attention	Please remove any accessories during the experience. Please bring socks as you will be entering a temple. Please refrain from bringing strong-smelling items such as incense sticks. Some parts of the experience require you to sit on tatami mats, so please let us know if you need a chair. Depending on the number of people, we may not be able to accommodate the tea room experience.
Other notifications	This experience is intended for ages 12 and up.

Plan attractions

プランの魅力 Experience the etiquette of the tea ceremony and the Japanese spirit の画像

Experience the etiquette of the tea ceremony and the Japanese spirit Experience the tea ceremony at Yamada Sohen's birthplace

A quiet moment to have tea Practice how to make and drink tea

プランの魅力 Creating the fragrance of the Heian period の画像

Creating the fragrance of the Heian period Create your own original blend of fragrance ingredients

プランの魅力 Visit the small tea room associated with Sohen の画像

Visit the small tea room associated with Sohen Before starting the plan, the head priest will guide you through a small tea room associated with Sohen.

プランの魅力 Immerse yourself in the scent of fragrant wood の画像

Immerse yourself in the scent of fragrant wood Experience the scent of incense wood

プランの魅力 Zen meditation to calm your mind の画像

Zen meditation to calm your mind After the incense and tea experience, you can choose to do either sutra copying or zazen, which will prepare your mind and bring the approximately two-hour experience to a close.

Shaking the sutras After the incense and tea experience, you can choose to do either sutra copying or zazen, which will prepare your mind and bring the approximately two-hour experience to a close.

Time schedule