Matcha and Tea Ceremony Experiences in Japan: Where to Try Them, Prices and How to Book

Whisking your own bowl of matcha, watching tea being ground in a stone mill, or sitting in a quiet tea room are some of the most memorable ways to meet Japanese tea. This guide lists places in Uji (Kyoto), Kyoto (Kyoto) and Nishio (Aichi) run by tea makers, the tea industry or the city, with the prices, times and booking rules on their own websites, and how to get there from Kyoto (Kyoto) and Nagoya (Aichi).

No experience is needed for any of these, and you don't have to know the rules of a formal tea ceremony to enjoy them.

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Which experience suits you?

Uji (Kyoto)

Takumi no Yakata (Uji tea dojo), run by the Kyoto Prefectural Tea Chamber, is a cafe where Japanese tea instructors show you how to prepare tea. The Uji matcha session, with a sweet, takes about 30 minutes and costs 1,500 yen; there are also gyokuro and sencha sessions at the same price, and a "matcha art" session (draw on the surface of your matcha with thicker matcha) for 2,000 yen, about 45 minutes. It's open 11:00 to 17:00 (last order 16:30), closed Wednesdays, December 29 to January 4 and August 14 to 16. Groups of 10 or more need to book; bookings are taken by phone, fax or the website. It's about 3 minutes on foot from Keihan Uji Station and about 15 minutes from JR Uji Station.

Taihoan is a tea house run by the city of Uji. Its English page lists usucha (thin matcha) for 1,500 yen, and a matcha or sencha tea-making experience, where you watch the teachers and then make your own, for 3,600 yen. The experiences and the tea sets need booking 3 days in advance through its online forms; usucha alone is served from one person. Kyoto Prefecture's tourism page gives its address as 2 Tokawa, Uji, about 10 minutes on foot from Keihan or JR Uji Station.

Marukyu Koyamaen's Makishima factory runs matcha factory tours: a video, the factory, the tea-tasting room, the tea room, and tasting and whisking matcha. Tours take about 90 minutes, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10:00 and 13:30, for 2 to 10 people. The fee is 1,000 yen per person (children of junior-high age and under are generally free), and you receive a 500-yen voucher for the factory shop. Book at least a week ahead. The factory is in Makishima, a 6-minute taxi ride from Mukaijima Station on the Kintetsu line or 11 minutes from JR Uji Station, according to the company.

Kyoto (Kyoto)

• Ippodo Kaboku Tearoom: next to Ippodo's main store. Ippodo says staff can guide you through preparing the tea yourself, or you can simply enjoy tea made by its staff, with sweets. Hours 10:00 to 17:00 (last order 16:30), closed the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The store also holds tea classes in rooms upstairs.
• Marukyu Koyamaen Motoan: the tea house at the company's Nishinotoin shop is open 10:30 to 17:00 (last order). The company says this shop also holds a class on how to prepare and drink matcha on weekdays from 10:00, by reservation.

Nishio (Aichi)

Matcha Museum Saijoen Waku Waku, run by the matcha maker Aiya, lets you grind tea in a stone mill, taste tea and try a tea ceremony; the content varies a little by course. For 1 to 6 people there's a 75-minute plan for 2,500 yen per person, starting at 10:00, 13:00 or 15:00 (you can enter 15 minutes before; late arrivals may not be let in). Things to know before you book:

• The museum asks overseas visitors to book by phone (0563-77-6572, 9:30 to 17:00). Online booking for 1 to 6 people opens up to one month ahead.
• Cancel at least 2 days before; later cancellations generally cost the entry fee.
• Since March 1, 2026, children aged 0 to 6 can't enter. Junior-high students and younger need an adult with them. You wear indoor slippers.

From Nagoya (Aichi), take Meitetsu trains to Nishio Station, changing at Shin-Anjo to the Nishio Line. The museum's page says it's about 8 minutes by taxi or 35 minutes on foot from Nishio Station. At the same address, Saijoen's matcha cafe serves matcha and sweets; more on shopping in our matcha buying guide.

Before you go

• Language: most of these official pages don't say whether guidance is available in English. Ask when you book; a translation app helps.
• Time: arrive a little early for anything with a start time, and contact the place if you'll be late.
• Buying matcha: some makers limit how much matcha each person can buy; see our buying guide.
• Curious about the background? Read matcha, tea ceremony and Zen, or try zazen at a temple.

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026. Prices, hours and booking rules change; check each place's official page before you go.

References

• Kyoto Prefectural Tea Chamber: About Takumi no Yakata (Japanese)
• Kyoto Prefectural Tea Chamber: Takumi no Yakata menu (Japanese)
• Kyoto Prefectural Tea Chamber: Takumi no Yakata Q&A (Japanese)
• Uji City Tourism Association: Taihoan (English)
• Kyoto Prefecture: Tea experiences in the Yamashiro area (Japanese)
• Marukyu Koyamaen: Matcha factory tour (Japanese)
• Marukyu Koyamaen: How to prepare matcha, and the Nishinotoin class (Japanese)
• Marukyu Koyamaen: Shop and tea house hours (Japanese and English)
• Ippodo Tea: Main store in Kyoto (Kyoto) and Kaboku Tearoom (English)
• Matcha Museum Saijoen Waku Waku (Japanese)
• Meitetsu: Nishio Line and Gamagori Line stations (Japanese)