If you decide to book a tea ceremony in Japan for small children you will find that most options do not allow children under 6 ( some of them under 10.)
The reasoning behind the “no small kids at Japanese tea ceremonies” rule:
-A traditional Japanese tea ceremony can be long and not even most Japanese children can take part and sit still for that long.
-There is also a lot of different tea related etiquette to learn and, while it’s not tricky, it is slow and can be quite boring for kids.
– The hot tea and hot kettle safety concerns
– Worries that loud and restless children may ruin the experience for others.
– Traditional green tea is bitter and not often enjoyed by children
So, I recommend taking a more casual approach to taking part in a tea ceremony in Japan with small children.
Please note that all traditional tea houses will require shoes off. (so make sure you have matching socks without holes! If you aren’t wearing socks- please bring some in your bag to put on.)
Here are some places I recommend taking part in tea ceremony with kids.
Hamarikyu Gardens and Tea House, Tokyo
The tea house within these gardens in Shiodome is open from 9am – 4:45pm (Closed over the New Year Holidays.)
Garden entrance is 300 yen ( primary school aged children and younger are free.)
Green tea and a yam steamed bun is 510 yen
Green tea and a traditional Japanese sweet is 720 yen.
No need to make a reservation.
Chiba Prefectural Open Air Museum (also known as Boso no Mura), Chiba (Outside of Tokyo)
This tea ceremony also doesn’t require reservations. It is one of the options inside of the outdoor museum.
Admission to the museum is 300 yen. Open 9am-4:30pm (closed on Mondays and during the new year holidays.)
Tea Ceremony is one of the many hands on activities for visitors.
Shukkeien Garden, Hiroshima
Within this stunning garden is a tea house where visitors can take part in a short tea ceremony. See pictures and more info on my Hiroshima with kids blog post.
A company called Mai-ko.com Offer a Maikoya Kimono Tea Ceremony in Kyoto AND Tokyo and allow children 7 and older to participate.
