21th Ginchakai

Sunday, October 29, 2023

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

Ginchakai that has become a familiar autumn tradition in Ginza is now in its 21st installment.
This year’s theme is “Raku”, meaning “peaceful enjoyment”, an invitation to peacefully enjoy Japan and Ginza in this autumn season.
Enjoy a relaxing autumn moment with some delicious original sweets and a bowl of tea.

[How to participate in tea ceremony]

Choose a session based on your preferred tea ceremony school or confection.

Choose a school Choose a confection
Tea ceremony tickets will be distributed based on lottery results following an online pre-registration period. You can submit your entry for the ticket lottery at the website below.
Apply for
pre-registration
*There is no pre-registration for the beginners’ tea ceremony (locations 1 and 12 on the map).
Ginchakai is an open-air tea ceremony for carefree enjoyment without strictly following the ceremony rules.
How to enjoy
tea ceremony

[Tea ceremony experience timetable]

Each session has a capacity of 30 participants. The required time is approximately 20 minutes. Six sessions will be held at the following times at locations ②, ③, ④, ⑤, ⑥, ⑦, ⑧, ⑨, ⑩, and ⑪ on the map.

13:00, 13:30
14:00, 14:30
15:00, 15:30

[Beginners’ tea ceremony]

Held on Ginza-dori Street at location ① in 1-chome and ⑫ in 8-chome. In this tea ceremony held for beginners, you learn how to prepare the tea and also prepare some yourself.

13:45(Shift system)

-Each session has a capacity of 360 participants.
-Reception will close once capacity has been reached.

[Rain Events]

In the event of rain, only ⑦Omotesenke (Ginza Mitsukoshi 9F Ginza Terrace) will be held.

*In the event of rain, the decision of whether to hold the event will be announced on the official website at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the event.

The tea provided in Ginchakai

Selected tea leaves are carefully ground with a millstone. This light matcha tea has a refreshing flavor with a perfectly harmonized umami taste.

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.

How to enjoy tea ceremony

MACCHA

1.Take the paper holding the sweet into your hand, then cut the sweet into bite-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.

21th2023