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Join a public tea ceremony in Sendai, in an elegant sukiya-style teahouse that is usually closed to visitors
Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
Located behind Dainenjiyama Park in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, you will find the Senan teahouse, created by Seikouin Temple in 1972. The late wife of the 14th generation master of the Urasenke school, “Sekiso Soshitsu,” donated the building to the city of Sendai.
The tea room is built in the sophisticated sukiya-style unique to the Tohoku region, and is usually not open to the public. Join a public tea ceremony, usually held on the 3rd or 4th Sunday every month, and get access to this piece of history. Each tea gathering will begin with a brief talk about sado (the way of tea) and the teahouse itself, before a viewing of the elegant ceremony and sipping freshly whisked matcha tea.
The tea ceremonies are held by instructors in two tea rooms, one with tatami mats and the other with a table and chairs, so you can decide which style is best for you (and your knees).
How to get there
From Tokyo Station, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Sendai Station (around 2 hours), then board the bus at stop No. 6 bound for Yasoen. Get off at the final stop, Yasoen-mae (around 20 minutes). The teahouse is a 5-minute walk away.
3-10-19 Mogasaki, Taihaku-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken
(Mogasakian, inside the front entrance.)