Kimono Dressing & Matcha Tea Ceremony with Yatsuhashi Sweets Kyoto

A tea house on Teramachi-dori in central Kyoto

The experience takes place in a tea house on Teramachi-dori, the old street of temples in central Kyoto. In the late sixteenth century many temples were moved to this street, which gave it its name, and today the section north of Sanjo-dori is a calm stretch of shops selling tea, paper, brushes and antiques, a world away from the busy covered arcade further south.

The location is ideal for planning the rest of your day. Nishiki Market and the Kamo River are within a short walk, and Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae subway station is nearby. With start times at 12:00, 17:00 and 18:00, you can combine this Kyoto tea ceremony experience with a morning of sightseeing or end the day with it before dinner in Pontocho or along Kawaramachi.

Choosing and wearing a kimono

The kimono is far more than a costume: its colours, patterns and fabrics follow the seasons, with cherry blossom and fresh greens in spring, cool blues in summer and maple leaves in autumn. You choose your favourite from the selection, and experienced staff dress you properly, tying the obi sash and adjusting every layer while they explain the history and craftsmanship behind each piece.

A simple hairstyle completes the look, and then there is time for photos in the traditional tea rooms, with tatami floors, sliding paper screens and an alcove decorated with a scroll and flowers. The kimono stays at the tea house: this is a kimono experience in Kyoto rather than a full-day rental, so it is perfect if you want the photos and the culture without walking the streets in it.

The tea ceremony, chanoyu

Chanoyu, the way of tea, was refined in Kyoto in the sixteenth century and is built on four principles: harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity. In the tea room your host prepares matcha in front of you, cleaning each utensil with precise, graceful movements: the ceramic tea bowl, the bamboo scoop, the lacquered caddy and the bamboo whisk.

Then it is your turn. You learn how to bow, how to receive the bowl and turn it before drinking so that its most beautiful side faces your host, and how to whisk the powdered green tea into a smooth froth. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, questions are welcome, and by the end you understand why a simple bowl of tea became one of the deepest expressions of Japanese culture.

Matcha and yatsuhashi, the taste of Kyoto

Matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves ground into a fine powder, and the hills of Uji just south of Kyoto have produced some of the finest tea in Japan for centuries. Freshly whisked, it is bright green, rich and slightly bitter, which is why it is always paired with something sweet.

Here that sweet is yatsuhashi, the most famous confection of Kyoto. It comes in two forms: a crisp baked biscuit flavoured with cinnamon and curved like the body of a koto harp, and the soft unbaked version, a thin sheet of rice-flour dough folded into a triangle around sweet red bean paste, often in cinnamon or matcha flavour. Seasonal Japanese sweets may also be served, so you taste the city's culinary heritage alongside its tea.