About Urasenke Tea Ceremony Experience in Hiroshima
Experience a Japanese tea ceremony, or Chado, the Way of Tea, in an authentic tea room where Japanese people continue to practice this living tradition.
Our tea room is not a sightseeing attraction created for tourists. It is a genuine tea school where local students regularly come to learn and practice. When you visit us, you will step into the everyday world of Japanese tea culture, not a staged performance.
This is a private experience, reserved exclusively for you and your group. Whether you come with your partner, family, friends, or someone special, we hope you will enjoy sharing this peaceful and meaningful time together.
Many people around the world know matcha as a popular green tea drink. However, matcha was traditionally prepared for the Japanese tea ceremony. Although it is now enjoyed in many different ways, its deepest meaning can be discovered when it is shared during a tea gathering, where every bowl is prepared with care and hospitality.
The beauty of the tea ceremony can be found in many different forms. You may be captivated by the rich flavor of matcha, the graceful movements of the host, the handcrafted tea utensils, the seasonal flowers, the hanging scroll, or the delicate Japanese sweets. Every element is thoughtfully prepared to create a peaceful and memorable experience.
Above all, the tea ceremony is about people.
A tea gathering is a place where everyone present shares the same moment with kindness, respect, and consideration for one another. The host prepares every detail with the guests in mind, while the guests also help create the atmosphere through their appreciation and thoughtfulness. This quiet exchange of hearts is the true purpose of the tea ceremony.
The experience is available in English or Japanese. We will gently introduce the basic etiquette for enjoying Japanese sweets and matcha, so even first-time visitors can relax and participate with confidence.
Please come and experience Chado, and feel the harmony between people in the city of peace, Hiroshima.
Kay Kaneko (SOKAY)
Thank you for visiting this page. I am very happy that you are interested in the Japanese tea ceremony.
My name is Kay Kaneko. The tea name given by the 16th Grand Tea Master Zabosai is SOKAY. I am a Japanese tea ceremony instructor and my grandmother, my mother, and my daughter are also instructors. With over 40 years of experience in learning tea ceremony, I teach the local tea ceremony learners in Hiroshima every day, and at the same time, I am still learning from my teacher, and improving my skills.
In the tea ceremony, the hosts welcome the guests wholeheartedly and the guests accept the hospitality with gratitude and respect. This form of interaction between the hosts and guests has been shared and valued for over 500 years. While learning the form, improving one’s own heart is the difficult thing in the tea ceremony but also the interesting part. I have been in the world of tea ceremony for a long time out of the enjoyment of feeling the growth I make every day.
I will make my best effort so those of you who are coming from abroad can feel the fascination that I find in the tea ceremony. I will look forward to meeting everyone.
-Professor of Urasenke Foundation
-Urasenke International Association Member
-Experience in tea ceremony: 45 years
-Teach over 1000 lessons in a year at my own place
-Founder of Seifukai Tea Ceremony Experience
-Held a tea gathering for the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, when she visited Hiroshima for G7 summit in 2023.
Why “Seifukai”? 清風会？
Seifukai is named after “Seifu” (清風, Fresh Breeze), the pen name used by my grandmother when she wrote traditional Japanese waka 和歌 poetry.
She was also my very first tea teacher, introducing me to the world of tea ceremony from an early age.
Inheriting the spirit of tea that she passed on to me, I chose the name Seifukai with the hope of creating a place where people can connect with one another through a shared bowl of tea.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Erika
Yuki
Ayako
Reina
We appear briefly in the video of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Japan during the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima.
You can catch a quick glimpse of us around 3 seconds in, and again at 1 minute 23 seconds!
With the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni
My mother and grandmother. It was about 20 years ago we went to a tea gathering together.
My mother, daughter, and me in Kyoto.