Miyajima Zen Temple Tea Ceremony & Calligraphy Experience

A Zen temple on Miyajima

Miyajima is best known for the floating torii and Itsukushima Shrine, but the island has been a place of Buddhist practice for more than a thousand years, and its temples sit in quiet lanes just above the town. This experience takes place in a Zen temple a short walk from the ferry pier, where wooden halls, tatami rooms and a small garden create a calm that is hard to find at the shrine in high season.

Zen Buddhism stresses attention to the present moment, and the tea ceremony and brush calligraphy both grew up in close contact with Zen monasteries. Doing them inside a temple rather than a studio gives the session its special atmosphere. The full address is on your voucher, and the walk from the pier takes only a few minutes.

The Japanese tea ceremony

The way of tea is a carefully choreographed ritual of preparing and sharing powdered green tea. Your instructor explains its core ideas of harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity, then shows you how a guest enters, bows, receives the bowl, turns it before drinking and admires its shape. Each guest receives traditional sweets, eaten first to balance the gentle bitterness of the matcha.

You then take the bamboo whisk yourself and prepare a bowl of frothy matcha. Two bowls of tea and two kinds of sweets are served in this option. You will sit on tatami for part of the time; if kneeling is difficult, tell the instructor and you can sit in a more comfortable way. Matcha contains caffeine, so children often prefer just a few sips.

Japanese calligraphy with brush and ink

In the calligraphy part you sit at a low table with a brush, ink, an ink stone and soft paper held down by a paperweight. Your instructor demonstrates how to hold the brush upright, how pressure changes the thickness of each stroke, and the order in which the strokes of a character are written. Then you practise a few simple characters, such as the ones for peace, harmony or dream.

Calligraphy is taught in Japanese schools and is still practised as an art, valued for the energy and balance of each line rather than perfection. Beginners are often surprised how relaxing it is. All tools are provided, and you keep your best work as a personal souvenir of the day, lightweight and easy to pack.

Planning your visit to Miyajima

To reach the temple, take the train or tram from central Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi, about 30 minutes by train from Hiroshima Station, then the ferry, which crosses in about ten minutes. Transport is not included, so plan to arrive on the island 20 to 30 minutes before your start time. We can arrange private transfers to the ferry terminal on request.

The 10:00 session works well before lunch and the afternoon at Itsukushima Shrine, while the 15:00 session suits travellers who visit the shrine in the morning. The best time to visit Miyajima is spring and November, but the temple session is lovely in any season, including rainy days, when the gardens are especially green.