Hakone Hosts Last Japanese Tea Ceremony of the Year

From Hakone:

SARATOGA, CA - Tea lovers, Nov. 20 is your last chance this year to drink in the rich experience of Hakone Estate and Gardens’ monthly Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Seatings for this ancient Japanese ritual take place at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Cost is only $7 per ticket in addition to admission fee. Admission to this historic treasure, which is celebrating its centennial and is on the National Register of Historic Places, costs $10 for adults, $8 for students and free for children four and under. Seating is limited so early ticket purchasing is highly recommended!

Hakone, an oasis of Zen high above Silicon Valley, aims to preserve not only the estate and gardens, but also Japanese culture. Other programs, which must be scheduled in advance include Kimono-wearing demonstrations, origami, storytelling, Zen meditation and cultural festivals.

The tea demonstrations offered to the general public demonstrates the Omotesenke family style of tea preparation and serving, one of three traditional methods used in Japan for centuries. The Omotesenke school whisks the tea less than the Urasenke school, creating less foam on the top of the tea. Also, Omotesenke uses both an untreated bamboo chasen and a susudake chasen, or darkened-bamboo tea whisk, while Urasenke uses untreated bamboo for its chasen or tea whisk. Tickets can be purchased at the gift shop.

Private tea demonstrations can also be scheduled for groups of five or more.

For more information on Hakone’s fascinating history or other upcoming events visit here.

Images via Hakone