Tea Ceremony & Sweets Making in Ikegami Baien (Tokyo)

Every February, before the highly-awaited cherry blossom season, Ikegami Baien Plum Garden in Southern Tokyo anticipates spring with a fragrant display of plum blossoms (ume). The garden, home to over 350 plum trees, sees most crowds during this time, but its tranquil grounds offer year-round respite from the tiredness of city life, making it the perfect setting for this experience that combines mindfulness with traditional sweets-making and tea ceremony. After meeting your host at the meeting point, you’ll start the experience by strolling together through the garden. You’ll then enter a traditional Japanese-style room overlooking the main pond, where you’ll engage in a calming meditation. Next, it’ll be time to prepare traditional confectioneries and participate in a tea ceremony. At the end of the experience, you will enjoy your sweet creations with matcha. You’ll be learning to make nerikiri, a traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) that is made by combining white bean paste and glutinous rice flour into a soft dough. Famous for its intricate motifs, which vary to reflect the beauty of the seasons, nerikiri is commonly served at Japanese tea ceremonies, and its delicate sweetness is said to balance the bitter taste of matcha perfectly. In this class, you'll make Mt. Fuji-shaped nerikiri. Experience Flow: - Meet at the designated meeting point near Nishi-magome Station on the Toei Asakusa Line - Arrive at Ikegami Baien and stroll the garden - Enter the Japanese-style room and engage in a relaxing meditation practice - Nerikiri-making demonstration and workshop - Tea ceremony - Matcha tasting session - Dismissal at Ikegami Baien (you can stay in the garden after the experience if you’d like)