[Nara] Private tea ceremony experience at a Nara townhouse

• * Immerse yourself in the traditional world of tea ceremony at a quiet old folk house in Nara.
• * One-on-one careful guidance from a knowledgeable tea ceremony instructor.
• * Enjoy two carefully selected types of single-origin matcha.
• * Experience the profound depth of tea by making matcha with your own hands.
• * Learn the stories embedded in the manners and rituals of the tea ceremony.
• * Ideal for those seeking an unforgettable, authentic Japanese cultural experience.

A tatami tea room, a host in kimono, and a small group. You learn the thinking behind the etiquette, then whisk your own matcha. - Enter a machiya in Naramachi; a host in kimono leads you into a tatami room lit through shoji. - A cup of hojicha, then the basics: how to bow, how to handle the utensils. - A seasonal wagashi sweet - enjoyed by eye before tongue. - Your host whisks a bowl for you. Take time with the scent, colour and finish. - We talk about the culture tea has shaped, and omotenashi at the centre of it. - Choose the bowl you like, warm your hands with hot water, then whisk your own. - See how a chasen is made in Takayama in Nara - 95% of Japan's handmade whisks. - Your Nara-born host will point you to shops and lanes no guidebook lists.