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Katsura Imperial Villa Tour: Explore 400-Year-Old Gardens and Experience Traditional Tea Ceremony

3.7

7 Ratings

Kyoto

Experience the beauty of the 400-year-old Katsura Imperial Villa, explore its circular gardens, and participate in a traditional tea ceremony wearing an antique kimono.

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Kyoto Kimono Miyagawa Tokusaburo Shop - - Explore the Katsura Imperial Villa, renowned for its world-famous garden and traditional Sukiya-style tea house.\n\n- The proprietor will guide you personally.\n- Services in English are provided.\n\n- Participate in a genuine tea ceremony within a century-old classic Japanese dwelling\n\n- Choose and don an heirloom kimono and obi with guidance from Tokusaburo Miyagawa, the fourth in line to run the shop.\n\n- Gain insights into the art of kimono patterns and occasions for kimono attire.\n\n- Enjoy main sweets crafted by a local confectioner from Katsura, Kyoto, accompanied by two servings of matcha tea.\n\n- Discover the correct etiquette for consuming and preparing matcha tea.\n\n- Observe the shop owner’s tea ceremony performance in a serene environment

What's Included

Round-trip transportation from the store to Katsura Imperial Villa
Antique kimono rental and dressing service
Tea ceremony experience with matcha and Japanese sweets
Same-day admission ticket arrangement for Katsura Imperial Villa

What's Not Included

Dinner
Lunch

Additional Information

In this tour, you will visit Katsura Imperial Villa, unchanged for 400 years popular circular gardens, and experience a tea ceremony in a 100-year-old traditional Japanese house wearing an antique kimono.

◯Japanese aesthetic Katsura Imperial Villa
Katsura Imperial Villa was built in 1615 as an imperial villa with a circular garden and a tea ceremony house. Although it has undergone numerous renovations, it has remained almost completely unchanged over the past 400 years and can still be seen today. It is also famous that the world-renowned German architect Bruno Taut praised the beauty of the Katsura Imperial Villa. Visitors to this place will discover how important the Japanese sense of beauty and the tea ceremony were to the Japanese people.

◯We will take care of all the troublesome arrangements.
Only those who have permission to visit Katsura Imperial Villa are allowed to see the garden during limited hours. Only for customers who have chosen our plan, the owner will prepare the hard-to-obtain numbered admission tickets. In order to obtain them, you must be familiar with the rules of admission and apply for them. We will take care of this complicated work for you. Our store is located about 5 minutes by car from Katsura Imperial Villa, and we will pick you up and drop you off on the day of the tour. Also, please be assured that Tokusaburo, the owner of the store, will be responsible for accompanying you on the tour.

◯An antique kimono and a tea ceremony experience in a tranquil setting
After the visit, you will experience a tea ceremony in a 100-year-old traditional Japanese house. Due to our location near Katsura Imperial Villa, you will be able to enjoy the hospitality of the tea ceremony in a much quieter and calmer atmosphere than in the city. In this tea ceremony experience, you will wear a rare and valuable antique kimono from the early Showa period. The fourth generation owner will help you coordinate the kimono and our staff will dress you in it.

This is a unique experience where you can learn the tea ceremony while wearing a rare and valuable antique kimono.

Location

京都着物宮川徳三郎商店

Meet at Miyagawa Tokusaburo Shoten. By train Get off at Hankyu Katsura Station. 1 minute walk from East Exit. 10 minutes from Kawaramachi Station. 20 minutes from Kyoto Station. By TAXI, Please show the above address to the taxi driver. Come toward the east exit of Hankyu Katsura Station. 30 minutes from Kawaramachi 20 minutes from Kyoto Station

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

3.7

(7 Ratings)

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610panchil

Dec 27, 2023

10/10 amazing experience - The experience was amazing! Toku was so welcoming, he explained the entire process to us, recommended which kimono/obi to wear and took photos of us along the way. We felt like we were right at home and the Katsura villa is absolutely breathtaking. Definitely a must do especially since it was our first time wearing kimono and participating in a tea ceremony. Highly recommend!!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Myriem_y

Apr 16, 2023

An Unforgettable Immersion into Japanese Culture - I can confidently say this tour was a highlight of my trip to Japan. Toku went above and beyond to provide a truly immersive and authentic experience. One of the highlights of the tour was when Toku dressed my husband and me in stunning kimonos. It was a unique and exciting opportunity to wear traditional Japanese attire, and Toku was patient and attentive as he helped us get dressed. The kimonos were beautiful and comfortable. The next stop on the tour was the Katsura Imperial Villa, a stunning example of majestic and traditional Japanese landscaping. The tour concluded with a tea ceremony conducted by Toku. It was a serene and meditative experience, and Toku's expertise and attention to detail made the ceremony feel authentic and special. He explained the significance of each step and element of the ceremony. Overall, I cannot recommend this tour with Toku enough. His passion for Japanese culture and history is contagious, and he goes above and beyond to provide an immersive and unforgettable experience. From the beautiful kimonos to the stunning Katsura Imperial Villa and the peaceful tea ceremony, every aspect of the tour was thoughtfully planned and executed. If you are visiting Kyoto, this tour is an absolute must-do.

Review provided by Viator

Hgsender

Apr 14, 2023

Tea Villa and ceremony with Toku - The Katsura Imperial villa was amazing. Truly spectacular. Afterwards, spending time with Toku to learn about and practice a true traditional tea ceremony was very interesting. We put TV on kimonos for the ceremony. His family has been in the kimono business for a long time with Toku being the 4th generation. Toku was great to spend the day with.

Review provided by Viator

Lisa_m_htx

May 4, 2023

Tea ceremony - Toku is very kind and has beautiful kimonos in his shop to choose from. We enjoyed the tea ceremony, but note that the tea ceremony is actually done at his shop, not in the villa. The visit to the villa was done in street clothes, not kimonos (a bit of a letdown as the photos would have been great!) and the tour of the villa is a pre-recorded audio guide; we were not clear on those details prior to purchase.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Matt_f

Jun 10, 2024

Do this if you want great pictures of yourself in a kimono in a beautiful garden - Basically this tour consists of getting dressed in a kimono at the tour at Toku’s shop, then going to the imperial villa in the kimonos and participating in a group tour (not led by Toku, but led by a Japanese-speaking guide) - you will get a headset that provides an English description but it was clearly pretty different from what the guide was talking about at times. Then you will go back to Toku’s shop and he will perform the tea ceremony. All the while, you will get some great photos taken by Toku, which are actually pretty great. At the shop, there is a woman that works there that will help you get dressed and undressed if you are a woman - men and women are separated for this brief portion. Like the title says, do this if you want the photos, which are really beautiful. The only reason I am only giving three stars is because it wasn’t what I was expecting - I was mainly looking forward to the tour of the imperial villa and if I had known I could have done that for a fraction of the price by just going there and getting a ticket and audio guide I may have just done that. Again - the photos are fantastic and the tea ceremony was also fantastic so if that’s what you are interested in then it is worth it.

Review provided by Viator

Joanne_c

Apr 8, 2024

Loosely Organized - The Villa Tour was very good but the English version was through pre-recorded headsets and not the provider. The Tea Ceremony was a mad hatter experience.

Review provided by Viator

Jamesmt1766of

Apr 20, 2023

worst - 15,000 yen? Are you kidding?ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ It was too high price for just only a cup of tea and wear KIMONO.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ KATURA tour is only 1,000 yen officially and easy to get a ticket!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Review provided by Tripadvisor

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up to 3 guests

1 Adult