Experience Authentic Tea Ceremony at Hanatori Museum

There are two types of people. Those who get excited at the idea of going to a museum, and those, who... well, don't. I am a bit ashamed to say that I am usually part of the latter group. I can go and enjoy it when I am there, but I don't s

eek out museums for the sake of it.

However, I'm writing today to tell you about a museum so lovely that I can't help but want to recommend it to everyone I know. I have worked in Ibara City for over 3 years and can't believe it has taken me this long to visit Hanatori Museum located in the Takaya area of the city.

With ample parking for both cars and buses, pulling up to the museum I was surprised at how professionally organised it was, completely on the same level as other larger museums, I was very much shocked to realise such a stately place even existed here in our little city.

Crossing the road and stepping into the foyer of the museum was like stepping back in time; everything felt old, but rich - the scent of wood and paper lingering in the air like giving it an atmosphere like an ancient library. Many modern buildings can be modern to the point of soullessness, but that is not the case at the Hanatori. This museum truly feels like a heritage site, the building itself a celebration of Japanese art and architecture frozen in time for your pleasure.

The first thing that may strike you are the beautiful panel windows, looking out to an exquisite Japanese garden, comparable to Kourakuen in Okayama City. With a range of vintage armchairs facing this view, you can gaze out at the scenery that truly looks like a painting, perfectly framed in the window panels.

Looking around the lobby is also a treat, a vintage front desk, winding wood steps, beautiful high ceilings. With so much wood everywhere, some could argue it makes the room dark, but in my opinion, it conversely serves to highlight the beauty of the garden scenery, with predominately most of the light streaming in through those windows.

But enough with the waxing poetic about the building. My business there today was to experience a tea ceremony. Now having been in Japan for over 3 years, I have of course had the experience of attending a tea ceremony. Recently, in fact. As of writing this, I joined a tea ceremony 3 months ago in Kyoto. As such, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but I was wrong.

What first stood out to me was how authentic everything was. While I had enjoyed the tea ceremony in Kyoto, it was, very much, catered to foreigner for the foreign gaze. Everything was modern with waiting rooms, decorations, timings run like a tightly run ship. The performance of the tea ceremony was just that, a performance - which is not to say I didn't enjoy it. It's just that Hanatori Museum's tea ceremony is different.

Attending Hanatori Museum's tea ceremony was experiencing the tea ceremony how it was meant to be experienced, exactly the way it would have been hundreds of years ago.

To begin with, I was led outside, crossing through that picturesque garden and down the stone path to a charming wooden tea house that was like something out of a Studio Ghibli film. I was greeted by a museum worker (guide) who very helpfully was going to act as an interpreter for the man in beautiful hakama who was to demonstrate the purification ritual needed before entering for me.

If you have visited a Japanese shrine, you may be familiar with pouring water on your hands using a ladle from washbasin. But this was the first time I had been directed to do it before a tea ceremony. After that it was time to enter, but to my shock, we were not using the stepping stones to the front door. No, the guide opened a little wooden side panel door that I hadn't noticed and demonstrated how to take off my shoes and crawl inside. Now that was a first.

Once inside the little room, I was greeted with tatami floors, a low wooden ceiling, alcove (“tokonoma”) with kakejiku (hanging scroll) and a pot of water already steadily bubbling in the corner. My host for the day, XX-san, jumped right in explaining in near-perfect English the meaning and usage of all the decorations and how certain things differ depending on the school of tea ceremony. This one was a samurai school, and as such there were many interesting differences compared to previous places/demonstrations I had seen (I won't spoil what those are here!)

After that it was time for the ceremony to start, and I was very helpfully given a shimoza, a low seat (although you can stick it out with traditional seiza, the legs tucked under sitting position, if you have stronger ankles than I do!).

To begin, we were served a skewer of dango (rice balls) with anko (bean paste).

A key difference between "afternoon tea" in the UK where I am from and the Japanese tea ceremony is that one doesn't eat and drink at the same time. Only once the dango was consumed could we proceed with the serving of tea.

The green tea, when served, was hot and delicious. Slightly bitter and strong, but after the sweetness of the dango, a welcome and satisfying contrast. I was properly taught what our server was saying and instructed how best to reply in the flow of the ceremony.

Before I knew it, the tea was gone and it was all over. With one last respectful bow to the kettle and the decorations, it was time to crawl back out of the side door and return to the modern world.

The great thing about this experience was the emphasis on enjoying the tea ceremony, and not being bogged down with the fine details of the rules - although you can certainly ask the knowledgeable XXsan (and in fact, I would fully encourage you to) if you are curious. She explained everything in an easy-to-understand way, adding interesting titbits of knowledge that both surprised me and made me laugh on a few occasions.

The experience was nothing like I expected and truly dashed my preconceived notions of how I thought it was going to be. There was nothing touristic about Hanatori Museum's tea ceremony except the fact it was in beautifully explained English.

In these times of over tourism, especially in popular cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, it is hard to find something truly this authentically Japanese without being in the room with 10 other tourists. So, this little teahouse in Okayama is a true hidden gem off the beaten path if you really want to experience what an authentic Japanese tea ceremony is really like.

It was a valuable experience and if you were to combine it with the Kyūdō (traditional archery) experience that the Ibara Yoichi Commemorative Kyūdōjō offers, it would make an excellent day out of enjoying some of the traditional delights that Japan has to offer!

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Hanatori Museum plans to offer this tea ceremony experience in English from April 2026. However, there may be availability to snag a place earlier so please feel free to contact the museum for further inquiries.