Kyoto Tea Ceremony: Explore Gion and Wabi-Sabi Art

Explore Kyoto’s Gion, savor matcha, and experience a traditional tea ceremony. Discover wabi-sabi through art, pottery, and serene Zen gardens.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Gion - Begin your journey by exploring the history and art of Japanese tea-making.
    Wander through the historic district of Gion and visit a renowned matcha shop.
  • Kennin-ji Temple - Discover the ancient Kennin-ji Temple, a historical marvel that has stood for centuries.
  • 24 Tsukimichō - Explore the tools and vessels used by tea masters…
What's Included
  • Entrance fee of 2 temples included
  • Photos during a tour
  • An English-speaking guide
  • Tea Ceremony Experience
What's Not Included
  • Additional Food and Drinks
Additional Information

In Japan, the tea ceremony transcends the act of drinking tea—it’s about embracing the essence of beauty. While beauty is often linked to external appearances, the tea ceremony encourages appreciation for the inner beauty of nature, introducing the concept of “Wabi-sabi.”
Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic that celebrates beauty in…

Location
Gion-Shijō Station
Right outside of Exit 5, in front of Izumo no Okuni Statue
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(18 Ratings)
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416stevenjc
May 25, 2025
Gion tour with Hikari - Touring temple gardens in the spring rain was unexpectedly gorgeous - the green moss glowing ever greener. Our guide, Hikari, was super friendly, compassionate, eager to understand us and eager to share her extensive knowledge of the area. Time stopped during the Tea Ceremony - so many powerful memories.
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Melmi554wx
May 16, 2025
Kyoto Tea Ceremony - The Tea Ceremony was great, we learned a lot. We will do it again. Hopefully the Wabi-Sabi tour takes a bit longer and more informative because i really love the wabi sabi interior.
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Ivanps1694hx
Apr 21, 2025
Amazing experience in Kyoto - Hide was an outstanding guide through the charming streets of Gion in Kyoto, sharing insights with passion and kindness. The matcha tea experience was both enchanting and deeply relaxing—an unforgettable moment of calm.
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T8881jkpaulm
Apr 5, 2025
Gion walking tour - We had a great experience with Tsukito on the Gion walking tour. We visited different styles of temples/shrines and shops, all very nice, before finishing with an educational and relaxing tea ceremony.
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R4203awconnorh
Apr 4, 2025
A fantastic walking tour of Kyoto - Hide gave us a fantastic tour! A great way to walk Kyoto and experience Wabi-Sabi and a tea tour. The old temples were amazing and we got to see a lot of cherry blossoms along the way while winding through old streets.
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Matthewz356
Mar 26, 2025
Arigato - Hide was excellent as a tour guide and was super helpful. He answered all questions we had and was very helpful in translating. He was very knowledgeable about every place we visited and made our experience wonderful. We highly recommend.
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Andis922
Mar 24, 2025
Beautiful Kyoto - This was a very nice tour around the Gion district in Kyoto. Hide & Josh were very welcoming and provided us with lots of information, especially taking the time to answer our questions about Japanese culture and history. Walking around, appreciating wabi sabi as we experienced the shrines, and tea shops was a unique experience, and one I'd definitely recommend. We ended the tour with a magical tea ceremony experience with tea master Yukio-san at Chayu in the Kiyomizu area. Yukio-san was so warm and her tea ceremony was beautiful. She explained the purpose of tea ceremonys, and how they are conducted. We took it in turns to grind out matcha, whisk our tea, and taste Wagashi (sweets). Thank you very much, I can't wait to come back!
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Domingoa957
Mar 18, 2025
Top wabi Sabi experience. - Hide was a great guide, very friendly and kind; he conveyed all the beauty of the city through his explanations. Patata! :)
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Mary
Mar 5, 2025
We met our guide bang on 1.15. Hecwaa more than helpful and extremely knowledgeable on Japanese history. - Japanese Tea Ceremony was magical. The girl who hosted us has spent years studying this "art". It is a family tradition and she still attends study under a Master. The whole Ceremony was captivating.
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Mitchou10
May 5, 2025
Great way to immerse in Kyoto culture - The sites in Gion are amazing to see and the temples are great, especially the smaller less touristy temples. Our guide Tsukito was very friendly and felt like a friend. The tea ceremony itself was a great experience to have.
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From $79
up to 7 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).