Private Tea Ceremony And Sake Tasting In Kyoto Samurai House

What a wonderful and memorable experience!! We enjoyed a private tea ceremony hosted by a lovely local couple in their 300-year-old family samurai home. The husband is descended from a samurai family, which made learning about the history and traditions even more real. Our hosts were incredibly warm and welcoming, and we loved the personal attention and opportunity to ask questions. I got to wear a beautiful kimono, while my husband dressed as a samurai, which made for some fantastic photos! We also sampled several local sakes, a fun addition to the experience. This was so much more than a tea ceremony. It was a unique opportunity to experience Japanese history, culture, and hospitality in a truly special setting. It was one of the highlights of our visit to Kyoto, and something we highly recommend!

This was one of the best of experiences I have ever done. The tea ceremony was extremely interesting. We got to learn the history, watch the ceremony and try delicious tea. We then did a photo shoot with the kimonos and samurai swords and finally finished with sake and whiskey tastings. The hosts were extremely enthusiastic and answered all of our questions and made the experience very memorable.

It was the best experience! We were a large family of 7 people. They took great care of us. We all had so much fun. It was by far the best. Our kids are still talking about the experience they had at the Samurai House.

Amazing hosts, friendly, professional and dedicated to the Japanese tradition. Would recommend to everyone who wants to experience a piece of history. Thank you to the lovely hosts.

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We loved the family that hosted us in their 300 year old home. The entire experience was educational and fun and one that we will always remember.

We had a wonderful time at the tea ceremony and getting to wear one of the lovely kimonos. They were very friendly to work with. Would definitely recommend!

This experience was absolutely incredible. The most beautiful people with the most beautiful culture.

It was an amazing experience, highly recommend! The hosts were so welcoming and shared so much history and knowledge with us, we learned so much. One of our favourite experiences while in Japan.

Such a lovely experience hosted by a lovely couple and a very experienced tea master. The Samurai house is rich in history and the garden is so nice to have your matcha. We opted for the Sake tasting afterward which was great. Great experience and a well-run establishment!!

A very adorable couple hosting a tea ceremony in their house that has been passed down for generations. It’s very relaxed and they were lovely! Also have a great collection of vintage kimonos! Would recommend.

Excellent experience to learn about traditional tea service and allows for a more immersive cultural experience

This was an absolutely amazing experience. From the tea ceremony, to the sake tasting, to the beautiful kimonos we were allowed to rent, I would HIGHLY recommend this experience for anyone coming to Japan. We felt like the care was so personalized, and there were such amazing backstories to everything that we were doing! Thank you for this beautiful experience!

This was an UNBELIEVABLE experience in Kyoto and a MUST do when visiting. The family that owns this Samurai house are among the nicest people we have met in our entire lives and made every effort to make sure we had an unforgettable experience.

Highly recommend, the house was amazing as was the experience. The hosts were so friendly. It was the highlight of our trip to Kyoto.

The home is a traditional samurai house with the feel and visuals. The family has lived there for generations. They provided an exceptional traditional tea ceremony and my wife and I learned so much and got to experience an amazing tradition. There English was phenomenal and spoke Japanese for us as we requested so we could get the full experience. The pictures they took of us are so beautiful and I’m glad they took their time instead of just rushing to take a picture but helped pose us so we can have great pictures. They were so kind and I could go on and on about them as we felt very welcome. They made our day and even more they actually made our honeymoon and we could not have had so much of a great time in Japan if it wasn’t for them. Domo Arigatogozaimasu!!!

I took the “private” tea ceremony option with this provider and so my wife and I were the only guests. This is expensive. Was it worth it? For us, we have no regrets and so yes it was. I get the feeling that it wasn’t much different in format to doing it with other people but we were certainly able to tailor the options to suit us and our hosts were more than happy to follow our wishes. Being the centre of their attention made it very personal and we got to ask many questions about anything we thought of, from the activity itself to our trip in general. We chose to do Sake and Whiskey tasting and i do think we got some extra ones to try because the time allowed it, being just the two of us. We came at this not knowing anything about the tea ceremony itself and never having even tried matcha. Putting on a western mindset, I could think “what’s the fuss about?” but that would be typically missing the point. We got to experience a cultural tradition and did so in an authentic setting (a 300 year old house!)… after all, this is why we wanted to visit Japan. I am glad our budget allowed us to do this (though a lesson here is book the activity before actually coming out here!) and I am glad I got to meet our hosts and visit the house.

The hosts were outstanding. This was one of the highlights of our two week trip. We gained knowledge, and truly enjoyed interacting with our hosts.

We had the privilege of experiencing a tea ceremony and sake tasting inside a 300-year-old samurai house, and it was hands down one of the highlights of our Japan trip. The tea ceremony was beautiful and unhurried — the matcha was organic and prepared with such care and intention. But what truly set this experience apart were the hosts. They were warm, genuinely conversational, and incredibly generous. The kind of people who make you feel like a welcomed guest rather than a tourist passing through. That human connection made everything feel so much more meaningful. The sake tasting was equally impressive. Every variety we tried was distinct and interesting, a real education in how complex and nuanced Japanese sake can be. And trying on kimonos and samurai clothes was so much fun. We laughed, took photos, and felt completely immersed in the culture. Do yourself a favor and book this before anything else on your Kyoto itinerary. HIGHLY recommend — five stars isn’t enough! 🍵🍶👘

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. The experience is authentic, educational, intimate and fun. The couple and family that own the house are genuinely sweet and generous people. The wife speaks English beautifully (and appeared to speak a few other languages as well). Highly highly recommend!

What an amazing opportunity and with every dollar. It has incredibly gracious hosts. Very good teachers. This experience has loads of history and lots of fun.

Host were very welcoming and hospitable. This is their personal home inherited from host’s father. You can tell they enjoy what they do and sharing the tea tradition. We enjoyed the Matcha and also a Saki tasting where we tried sake from different regions as well as whiskey from a few regions. We learned about how Japan learned whiskey making from the Scottish.

Unbelievable experience. Very warm and lovely family, very beautiful ambiance, very authentic cultural experience. Would highly recommend to everyone. 10 out of 10.

Cannot begin to say just what an amazing welcome and experience we had. From the ease of booking and communicating to the warm welcome into their home it was faultless. The experience of the team ceremony was so beautiful and whilst the adults enjoyed our sake the boys were treated to their own origami and matcha making lesson. The experience is enough in itself but the hospital and the photos just put the icing on the cake. An absolute must if you want an intimate welcoming experience with a wonderful family

Great Experience. Really informative and the people were very friendly and accommodating. Would highly recommend.

Incrediblly sweet and warm family of hosts. Must do! Very authentic experience and highly recommend!

We had an amazing experience at Kyoto Samurai House with their tea ceremony and sake tasting. We were a family of six, and everything felt special from the start: the women in our family were dressed in traditional outfits, which made the experience even more authentic and fun, and we got to take lots of great photos. The matcha was excellent, and the sake was also top quality, with clear and engaging explanations throughout. The staff was incredibly attentive, responsible, and kind, taking care of every detail. We even received some gifts at the end, which was a lovely touch. It was truly a fantastic experience that we 100% recommend for everyone, especially families.

My wife and I had the best time. The owners are incredibly friendly, funny, knowledgeable and welcoming. We learned so much in such a beautiful home and had such a great time. The tea ceremony was such a fun way to take part in this tradition. It has been a few days now since our ceremony and we are still talking about how wonderful it was. This is a must for anyone thinking of doing anything like this and really for anyone at all who is in the vicinity of the area.

This was such a beautiful experience, hosted by a warm and kind family! We walked away with more knowledge of ancient and modern Japanese culture and was a true highlight of the day! We had the sake tasting after the matcha and learned more about sake from our host than any other experience we’ve had. Thank you for your hospitality and sharing this experience with us! We will cherish the memories!

This experience was beautifully curated, blending education and tradition throughout. Beginning with the matcha-making ceremony was a wonderful introduction. We then enjoyed taking memorable photographs in a kimono, followed by tasting sake and Japanese whisky. It was truly an incredible experience. The staff were exceptionally accommodating with our schedule and made the entire visit feel seamless and special.

It was amazing. The family was very very nice. Their house was amazing. Out of a movie! My family had an amazing time!

Amazing! Definitely a highlight of our trip. The hosts are extremely kind and welcoming. No doubt recommending to others on their visit to Kyoto.

Truly a must do experience when visiting kyoto! Everything was spectacular and the hosts were extremely lovely! 10/10!! Add this to your itinerary

The house and grounds are beautiful. They provide a wonderful history of the house as well as the history of the tea ceremony. They made us feel extremely comfortable. We both ended up doing the sake/whisky tasting and the host was so fun and easy to talk to. It exceeded our expectations!

It was truly immersive to be in a family home maintained very elegantly for over 300 years. This tea ceremony is a family run ceremony in their home which makes the cultural experience even more memorable! Not only are they welcoming but also very patient, kind and engaging! To anyone wondering if they should go, I say- absolutely! The cherry on top was the sake and whiskey tasting.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! We had an amazing time! I looked at many different places for tea ceremonies in Kyoto, but this one was by far the best option and it did not disappoint! The private tea ceremony was followed by a sake tasting. The traditional tea ceremony was beautiful and we were both so happy to have this cultural experience in an old samurai house! We even learned a lot about the different types of sake (don’t worry if you don’t like sake, you can learn how to make matcha tea as an alternative). We dressed in beautiful, traditional clothes which only made the experience that much better and memorable! The hosts were absolutely amazing and very welcoming, and made it an unforgettable experience. Please go if you have the chance! Even got a couple souvenirs from the hosts to remember our time!

The hosts were super welcoming and easy to understand. They took time to educate us on traditional tea ceremonies and sake. Following this, we participated in a private tea ceremony led by a tea ceremony master! This experience has been the highlight of our trip so far! Thank you so much!

Fantastic experience in this lovely historic Samurai home- from the warm welcome to the beauty and elegance of the tea ceremony to the fun of trying on traditional Japanese kimonos to the sake tasting. Our host could not have been nicer. One of the highlights of our trip to Japan!

This was the highlight of our entire trip. I highly recommend this for couples. Family was very welcoming and warm. Very traditional, and worth every penny!

Wonderful, very personalized tea ceremony in a historic family home. We also had a sake and whiskey tasting. I cannot say enough good things about this experience. Highlight of Kyoto. They also gave us beautiful gifts that we will treasure forever.

This is a charming ceremony that we are happy to recommend. It was great learning the tea ritual and enjoying the matcha. The pictures in kimonos were a fun surprise. It was brought to a lively ending with sake tasting, along with explanations of the different flavors.

This is an enchanting ceremony that we highly recommend. It was wonderful learning the tea ritual and enjoying the matcha. The pictures in kimonos were a fun surprise. It was brought to a lively ending with sake tasting, along with explanations of the different flavors. We loved our time here!

My husband and I was gifted this excursion as a wedding gift. It was honestly one of the biggest highlights of our trip here in Kyoto. Not only did we learn so much about traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, but we also had such a great time with the family who hosted us. They Were so great and so memorable. We highly recommend this if you’re staying in Kyoto.

Awesome, all as perfect as we can dream! They are so nice and funny! really recommend for a unforgettable experience on your trip!!

Wonderful hosts, very authentic and well considered. We loved it. Original samurai house. Felt like a very special experience.

Excellent experience! The hosts and tea master were very warm and welcoming. They spoke fluent English and were wonderful teachers. They made us feel as if we were part of their family.

This was the best thing we did on our trip! The hosts were AMAZING, we could not recommend this more

This was the most wonderful experience. The family who live in the house are lovely and welcoming. Very knowledgeable and overall an amazing experience. Definitely recommend this experience if you are in Kyoto.

Great experience!! We thoroughly enjoyed the tea and dress up! My son had a great time too! The kimonos were stunning.

100% the highlight of our entire trip. The property is gorgeous. I love that it’s private to your party, which is a difficult feature to find for these experiences. To begin we learned what the tea ceremony would look like and what we would do as guests. Then as we went through the tea ceremony they talked us through our parts. Watching the tea master was just indescribable. Every movement has purpose, every action has intention. The matcha itself was delicious. We were both nervous about dressing in their beautiful traditional garments and about having our photos taken, but the ladies made it so fun and the photos came out wonderful. We opted for the sake tasting; we have very little experience with sake being from Canada, so we had a lot of fun learning about different types. We tried some whiskey as well. The owners are a lovely couple and it is clear that each individual who is a part of this experience loves what they do and has a deep respect for a longstanding tradition. They are so pleasant and their English was great, so do not let worries about a language barrier deter you. We loved learning about the tea ceremony and the meaning of each step, and it is the first thing we rave about to anyone who asks about our 3 week trip to Japan. We booked and paid through the owners directly so that a third-party site did not take a portion of our money which is something I am extra thrilled about after the fact because they deserve every penny and all the credit. I highly recommend this experience, it is worth way more than it costs, and there is nothing else like it.