18th Ginchakai

Sunday, October 27, 2019

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Ginchakai that has become a familiar autumn tradition in Ginza is now in its 18th year.
This special event transforms Ginza into an open-air tea ceremony space.
This year’s theme is "Aya," meaning weave or pattern.
The character Aya expresses the concept of diverse intermingling of people and mutual acceptance and harmony between their respective cultures.

[How to participate in tea ceremony]

Choose a seat(session) based on your preferred schools of tea ceremony or confection.

Choose a school Choose a confection
Tickets are distributed at each tea ceremony location. Each person needs one ticket. Children who are participating also require a ticket.
Ginchakai is an open-air tea ceremony for carefree enjoyment without strictly following the ceremony rules.
How to enjoy
tea ceremony

[Ticket distribution time]

- Tickets will be distributed to those interested in participating at each session.
- Ticket distribution will continue until capacity is reached.
- One session is about 20 minutes.

1 p.m. sessions:from 12:10 p.m.
2 p.m. sessions:from 1:10 p.m.
3 p.m. sessions:from 2:10 p.m.

[Tea ceremony workshop for beginners]

In tea ceremony venue 1 and venue 14, you learn how to prepare the tea and also prepare some yourself.
Even beginners can enjoy the great taste.

From 2:00 p.m.

- No ticket is required for the workshop.
- Open until confections last.

Information about the tea provided in Ginchakai

Selected tea leaves are carefully ground with a millstone. This weak matcha tea strikes the perfect balance between a clean bitterness and umami.

We use only the first flush picking of shade-grown Kagoshima tea. Tea leaves are thoroughly steamed, carefully sorted, and finish fired in order to bring out the fresh scent of the buds, a rich flavor low in astringency, and bright green color.

Both the matcha and sencha are available for purchase at Matsuya Ginza B1F Itoen.

How to enjoy tea ceremony

MACCHA

1. Take the paper holding the sweet into your hand, then cut the sweet into bit-sized pieces and eat it.
2. When passed the tea, take the bowl firmly with both hands.
3. The tea bowl will be presented with the front facing you. Rotate the bowl to turn the front away from you before drinking.

In Chado, great value is placed on humility, and the tea bowl is rotated to face the front away so that the design on the bowl is not dirtied. The method of rotating and number of rotations varies with the school.

SENCHA

1. Place the saucer holding the teacup in your left palm, then pick up the teacup with your right hand and take a sip.
2. Enjoy the aroma and sweetness of the tea. When you have finished, set the cup and saucer aside and eat the sweet.
3. When the second cup has been poured, taste the difference from the first-brewed tea.
4. When you have finished, place the teacup on the saucer and put it back on the serving tray.

18th