Traditional Tea Ceremony in Kyoto (1.5 Hours)
- Experience ryurei, a formal Japanese tea ceremony in a Kyoto machiya
- Learn traditional tea etiquette, customs, and the art of hospitality
- Discover the four ideals of tea: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility
What to expect
Kyoto is the cultural capital & the origin of many of Japan’s cultural practices. One of it is the art of making tea, or chanoyu. Visit the townhouse of an interesting figure in the world of tea, Randy Channell Soei, who is the highest-ranked master of tea ceremony from outside of Japan. Join him to experience a proper authentic tea ceremony following the traditional ways. His particular style of tea ceremony is called Ryurei & goes back to the 1870s. It’s the formal way of showing hospitality to visiting foreign dignitaries through tea. Experience what it’s like to be greeted as a diplomat by an expert in the art of tea ceremony. Then, try it out for yourself under his helpful instructions. Learn the four ideals of tea: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility through this traditional art








Reviews
Randy was thorough in his teaching and knowledge on both the informal and formal tea ceremony. His light humor and serious demeanor gave such a wonderful impression and really demonstrated how important the experience of the tea ceremony is to him. I cannot recommend him enough! My partner and I rented kimono prior to going and it really made the experience feel complete and special. if you get there early you can purchase sweets and tea to drink while you wait from the main tea shop (I recommend the cheesecake!).
the time flew by. although it is not a 100% formal tea ceremony as that would be impossible you can get an idea of it. the gestures and movements were indeed very zen and I left the ceremony in a relaxed attentive state.
A very good an excellent experience for tourists and for those who are very interested in learning the ways of the traditional Tea Ceremony. I highly recommend this experience for those who are interested in learning the cultures of Japan
so much fun and so interesting. probably not like most tea ceremonies people attend. we get a lot of history and tradition information. Then you have a Grand Tea Master teach you how to make Matcha tea and act as his assistant. The Grand Master is very fun and entertaining. We got the chance to see him do it in both English and Japanese - that was also really interesting. Highly recommend!!
Randy is VERY knowledgeable, and have lived in parts of asia for decades. Good understanding of tea ceremony AND a good grasp of tea in different cultures made the conversation & learning ever so enriching. Whilst having a Japanese tea master might appear to be more authentic, I have no regrets going with Randy because my first language is English and this helped me to ask questions about all the nuances in Japanese tea ceremony. What impressed me most is well water being used in the tea ceremony, the highest grade and so difficult to find in modern era. Randy is one of the rare people you can find that actually has access to resources to show the respect that tea ceremony deserves. You can just tell the man has a passion for tea ceremony, for tea and is doing this to share his knowledge.
we have been so lucky to have a very comprehensive tea session with the Tea Master, a wonderful guy with a sense of humour and certainly knowledgeable!
Extremely kind, funny, and knowledgeable. Well worth the tea experience. Highly highly recommend booking with ran Hotei!
Very educative. However so funny at the same time! We spent an awesome time. It was totally worth it!!
A very informative and interesting experience! Sensei was great and very knowledgeable at the different types of tea ceremonies. Worth the visit!
Randy is very knowledgeable and interesting. He was also super nice- my wife and I came a day early for our appointment by accident and he accommodated us very graciously. He communicated the spiritual power of the tea ceremony and also makes a great cup of matcha! We both got to make a cup as well,
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