Experiencing a Tea Ceremony in a Kimono

I had received a Tokyo private tour request from a group of four, two Japanese guests and their two clients from Argentina. My Japanese guests had mentioned that the guests from Argentina were their important clients. I was a little nervous about meeting my guests at first, however all of my guests were very friendly.

First, we started the day by visiting Yasukuni Shrine and the Tokyo State Guest House. Then we headed to a sushi restaurant, in which I had made a reservation for lunch beforehand. The restaurant staff once told me that their sushi chef had worked for a famous sushi restaurant, Ginza Kyubei, for seventeen years, and he finally opened his own restaurant. When I told this story to my guests, they were very surprised that the chef worked for the same restaurant for such long time. My guests enjoyed the great sushi and sake there. They came back from the lunch with happy and satisfied smiles.

After the lunch, we went to Jidaiya, where you can experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. They had an English speaking staff there as well. I went in with my guests to take photos of them. They were very excited to wear a traditional kimono. The master gave us an explanation about the tea-house and how to make Matcha green tea. My guests enjoyed not only the taste of tea but also learning the spirits of silence, respect, purity and gratitude. I took a picture of my guests at the traditional tea-house.

Then we went to explore the Asakusa area in our kimonos. I took my guests to Sensoji Temple and showed the temple buildings. My guests described their temple visiting experience as the movie “Last Samurai” and had great time there.

After changing back into their own clothes from their kimonos, it was time to head back to their hotel. I drove through Akihabara area and Nihonbashi area, so that my guests were able to see the different sides of Tokyo. Later on, my guests from Japan gave me a text and said, “Our clients were very happy about the tour today. We will definitely reach out to you whenever we welcome our important clients from overseas.” I was very glad to hear that and am looking forward to seeing my guests again.