Photo courtesy of Kyoko Matsuda

This tea ceremony will be held during our annual Maple Festival! Autumn is a beautiful time to visit the garden, and very popular. We recommend that you arrive at least a half hour before your tea ceremony begins to guarantee time to park and make your way into the garden.

Practiced in Japan for centuries, the art of tea ceremony --also called Chado, or The Way of Tea-- is imbued with harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.

Our Shoseian Tea house offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience tea ceremony in a traditional roji garden setting. Omotosenke-ryu will be your host for this 40-minute "Introduction to Chanoyu" experience.

Chanoyu, which attained greatness under Sen no Rikyu, it a tradition that has been handed down for over 400 years. Omotesenke-ryu is a Seattle-based group that practices this long lineage, and their presentations at Seattle Japanese Garden are "a communication of the minds of host and guests through the enjoyment of delicious tea together". Learn more about Omotosenke-ryu by following then on Facebook.

Visitors will be seated on tatami mats (with option to take a seat on a stool just outside the tea room and still participate).

Please avoid jeans, bare feet, rings, and personal fragrances.

Tea ceremonies will be offered beginning at 1 P.M., 2 P.M., and 3 P.M. Reservations required. Tea ceremony tickets can be purchased by calling (206) 684-4725.