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5 Museums & Gardens Where You Can Experience Tea Ceremony - Light Edition

Some of Japan's museums and gardens have tearooms or cafes where you can enjoy matcha (green tea) and traditional Japanese sweets. When you think of a "tea ceremony," you might imagine a formal atmosphere involving etiquette, rituals, and traditional Japanese attire. However, here are five places where even beginners can easily experience this cultural tradition.

1. Adachi Museum of Art (Shimane)

The Adachi Museum of Art in Shimane Prefecture features a stunning garden that a US magazine, the Journal of Japanese Gardening, has ranked the best in Japan. The museum's founder, Zenko Adachi, dedicated himself into creating this expansive 16.5-hectare garden based on his belief that "a garden is also a living painting." This garden continues to be meticulously maintained to this day.

Beyond the garden, visitors can enjoy viewing masterpieces by Yokoyama Taikan and other masters of modern nihonga, a Japanese-style painting. The museum also features a collection of ceramics and pictures for children.

The museum's tearoom* offers a view of the White Gravel and Pine Garden, where you can savor matcha and traditional sweets, experiencing the essence of Japanese hospitality.

*The tearoom may be closed occasionally for short periods or an entire day due to various reasons.

Adachi Museum of Art

Address
320 Furukawa-cho, Yasugi-shi, Shimane
Link
https://www.adachi-museum.or.jp/en/

2. Fujita Museum (Osaka)

Taketsuru Maki-e Tea Box: A tea box decorated with traditional Japanese lacquer art with bamboo and crane motifs

The Fujita Art Museum showcases East Asian antiquities collected by the prominent Meiji-era merchants, the Fujita family. The museum houses a collection of around 2,000 pieces, including many renowned works related to the tea ceremony, including tea caddies and tea bowls.

Note: Exhibits change periodically, and the collection is not always permanently displayed. Please check the museum’s website for details.

One of only three Yohen Tenmoku tea bowls in the world designated as National Treasures for their unique, iridescent glaze that changes color depending on the light.

The museum's café, Amijima Chaya, offers a set menu of sencha, bancha, or matcha paired with freshly made dango (sweet rice dumplings).

To allow visitors to fully immerse themselves in the experience, the café uses authentic tea ceremony utensils in a relaxed, open space where you can easily imagine yourself as a tea master.

Fujita Museum

Address
10-32 Amijima-cho, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka
Link
https://fujita-museum.or.jp/access/?lang=en

3. The Tokugawa Art Museum (Aichi)

The Tokugawa Art Museum, one of Japan's largest museums, houses a vast collection of heirlooms from the Owari branch of the Tokugawa family, focusing on relics of Tokugawa Ieyasu, a key figure in the unification of Japan. Its collection includes not only samurai armor and swords but also exceptionally well-preserved tea utensils cherished by famous tea masters and the ruling shoguns.

Exhibit room dedicated to the tea ceremony as practiced by the samurai, a custom incorporated into official warrior ceremonies.

From October to early November, the museums hosts the "Tokugawa Tea Ceremony," every weekend, where visitors can closely observe tea utensils and other items associated with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Left: Tokugawa Tea Ceremony
Right: The Mishima tea bowl said to have been used by Sen no Rikyu, praised as a peerless masterpiece.

The museum also features a tearoom where visitors can enjoy matcha with seasonal Japanese sweets and cakes, providing an elegant and enriching experience.

The Tokugawa Art Museum

Address
1017 Tokugawa-cho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi
Link
https://www.tokugawa-art-museum.jp/en/

4. Kenrokuen Garden (Ishikawa)

Kenrokuen in Ishikawa Prefecture is one of Japan's Three Great Gardens. It is a strolling-style landscape garden that reflects the culture of the Kaga Domain and was developed during the Edo period to showcase the taste and status of the daimyo (feudal lord).

Enjoy the seasonal beauty throughout the year.

Within the garden, there are several teahouses offering matcha, dango, and Kanazawa's famous ankoro mochi (sweet red bean paste rice cake). As you explore the garden, you can listen to the sound of waterfalls by the pond, gaze at Japan's oldest fountain, and take a moment to appreciate the wabi-sabi (simple and serene) atmosphere.

Kenrokuen Garden

Address
1 Kenroku-machi, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa
Link
https://www.pref.ishikawa.jp/siro-niwa/kenrokuen/e/

5. Rikugien Garden (Tokyo)

Rikugien, along with Koishikawa Korakuen, is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. The garden was created over seven years, starting in 1695, by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu on land granted by the fifth shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. The garden is designed around the themes of classical Japanese poetry, featuring a large pond with a central island and a hill offering panoramic views, making it especially appealing to Japanese poetry enthusiasts.

The garden is illuminated at night in spring and autumn, creating a magical atmosphere.

Within the garden is Fukiage Chaya, a tea house where you can enjoy matcha and seasonal sweets while gazing at the pond. In summer, you can cool down with a refreshing cold matcha, experiencing a taste of Japan's seasonal delicacies.

A matcha set featuring sweets that change monthly

Rikugien Garden

Address
6-16-3 Hon-komagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Link
https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/rikugien/ (Automatic translation available)