Tea Ceremony in a Kyoto Machiya

In a restored wooden machiya townhouse, a kimono-clad tea master receives you for chanoyu — the centuries-old way of tea — explaining the seasonal scroll, the flowers and the careful choreography of each gesture.

You watch a full ceremony with a wagashi sweet, then take the bamboo whisk yourself to froth a bowl of bright matcha the proper way, drinking it as the temae intended.