Steps to follow in a Tea Ceremony

There are several steps to follow in a Japanese tea ceremony. Here we present a guide for you to get to know them and what you should do in each of them when you attend a tea ceremony. If you first want to know what the Japanese Tea Ceremony is, you can discover it in this post .

Step 1

Put on the kimono and remove all accessories, including rings, watch, long necklaces, etc. that may come into contact with the container and potentially damage it. For those with long hair, keep it neatly pulled back without flashy accessories. You should not wear strong perfumes that will distract you or other guests from the experience. Wear spare white socks to change into when entering the tea room. The latter is optional, although you can consider it as it would be polite.

Step 2

Do not step on the edges of the tatami. If the door isn’t open yet, sit in front of it and open it. If it’s open, bow and enter. Sit seiza style (sitting on your legs and bending your knees) on the tatami floor.

Step 3

Once everyone is seated, greet the host with a bow. You can say ” Yoroshiku onegaishimasu ” if you wish, but a bow is enough.

Step 4

The host will prepare the tea in front of you. You just have to watch silently and admire the grace and skill in their movements. The host can also explain to you the process of preparing the tea.

The Cha-wan 茶碗, Cha-sen 茶筅, and Cha-shaku 茶杓are the three main utensils in a Japanese tea ceremony.

Step 5

A small piece of Wagashi, a traditional Japanese sweet, is served before tea. If there are many people, the container of candy will be passed to the line, so you should take only your part and pass the container to the other guests. You should not eat the candy in one bite . Use both hands, with one hand holding the candy on the paper and the other hand using the provided utensil (chopsticks/candy cutters) you should taste it slowly.

Step 6

Tea is served after sweets. The bowl is placed in front of you. The front of the bowl will be facing you. You should take it with your right hand and bring it to the palm of your left hand, which will support the base of the bowl. The bowl will now be held in both hands. You will need to turn the bowl 90° so that the front is now facing forwards (in the same direction you are facing forwards). Drink every last drop including foam slowly and quietly from the bowl. There is no rule about this, but 3 sips is the average to finish . Put the bowl back on the mat when you’re done.

Slowly and quietly drink every last drop including foam from the bowl.

Step 7

There will be time for guests to admire the bowl and room decorations before the ceremony ends. When you use the bowl, don’t lift it too high, put it on the mat to admire it. Tea bowls or mugs can be very expensive, so you don’t want to risk breaking them. You may be asked if you want more tea; if no one does, the ceremony ends. Give thanks by saying ” Arigatou gozaimasu ” to the host.

Now that you know how tea ceremonies work, you will surely be eager to attend one. Kyoto has a large number of teahouses where you can experience a tea ceremony, although you don’t need to go that far as Tokyo and Yokohama also have some where you can live and enjoy this experience. There are many places where you can arrive and reserve for the same day, but in general, reservations must be made some time in advance.

For a souvenir or special gift, you can get the most basic tea ceremony sets containing just the bowl, tea whisk, and tea spoon for a reasonable price. Matcha may come with the game. We have these options in our online store!