Hiroshima Samurai Tea Room Tour & Tea Ceremony
Partake in a tea ceremony practice with a 400-year history dating back to samurai times and learn about Hiroshima’s history, reconstruction and resilience from a local guide.
Highlights
Tour historical tea rooms and partake in a casual tea ceremony with roots in ancient samurai history
Enjoy a table-style tea ceremony with matcha and Japanese sweets prepared by an expert guide. You can also learn how to make your own tea in this hands-on experience.
Learn about Hiroshima's reconstruction after the atomic bombing, including the remarkable story of the city's tram, which resumed operation just days after the bombing despite heavy damage
Receive a discount coupon for coffee and taiyaki at a coffee shop
10 meals
Experience Details
Step back in time as you tour historical tea rooms, usually not open to the public, to learn about a 400-year-old tea ceremony tradition with samurai roots in Hiroshima. You'll learn firsthand from locals about the city's local history, including stories about the city's reconstruction after the devastation of the atomic bombing.
After touring the Ensho and Kusari-no-ma tea rooms, you'll enjoy a casual table-style tea ceremony under the profound spirit of "ichi go, ichi e," cherishing this encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sip on matcha, served alongside traditional wagashi confectioneries, and learn the intricate etiquette of the tea ceremony, including how to make tea the traditional way.
After the ceremony, your host will recount how Hiroshima was reconstructed following the atomic bombing in 1945, including the inspiring story of how a determined student kept the city streetcars running only three days after the devastating bombing despite heavy damage.
This experience takes place on the first floor of the headquarters of Hiroshima Electric Railway, 15 minutes by train from the Atomic Bomb Dome. Guests are encouraged to visit both to better understand the city's poignant history and subsequent reconstruction.
For over 400 years, the Ueda Soko Ryu school of tea ceremony has been a stronghold of tea ceremony traditions in Hiroshima. First founded by Ueda Soko, a warlord, gardener, and tea master, the school has been run by several generations of the same family through the centuries, even surviving the 1945 atomic bombing. Its striking commitment to continuing to share the traditions of the tea ceremony and its enduring dedication to hospitality are still as strong as when Ueda Soko served tea to samurai lords in the 16th century.
Inclusions
A small-group, 1-hour tea ceremony guided by a certified guide-interpreter with tea ceremony expertise
Tea ceremony room tour
Matcha and wagashi confectionery
A discount coupon for a coffee and taiyaki set at Hayama Coffee, located near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Historical explanations and insights from your guide
Exclusions
Transportation to and from the venue
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet your guide at the Hiroshima Electric Railway Headquarters, 1-min. walk from the Hiroshima Electric Railway Hiroden Honsha-mae tram stop. Your guide will pick you up at the entrance 10 minutes before the start of the tour. A Google Maps link will be provided after booking.
Remarks
The experience location is on the first floor of Hiroshima Electric Railway Headquarters. Please note that you will not be allowed to enter any areas other than those shown by the guide.
Please arrive at the meeting point at least 10 minutes before the lesson begins.
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 2 days before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Experience Location
Tucked to the south of Honshu between the Chugoku Mountains and the Seto Inland Sea, the humble Hiroshima Prefecture is known for its oysters and freshwater eel, as well as local okonomiyaki and sake produced in the revitalized capital of Hiroshima.
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10 meals
Experience Japanese tea culture in a traditional confectionery shop in Hiroshima where you can enjoy a traditional table-style tea ceremony, whisk your own tea, taste traditional sweets, and savor a boxed lunch.
Only 5 minutes’ walk from the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome, step into a confectionery shop with a history spanning over 100 years for a table-style tea ceremony. You’ll also whisk your own tea and taste traditional sweets.
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