Museums & Attractions

Item Description

Explore and learn with 2 Tickets to Introduction to the Way of Tea Ceremony. All monthly tea demonstration lectures serve as an introduction to the Way of Tea - an opportunity to partake in it and to learn something of its history and philosophy. All demonstrations are at 5:30 on Wednesdays. Available 2018 dates include: May 16th, June 27th, and Wednesday, July 25th. The Urasenke Tea Ceremony Society is the non-profit, support organization of the Urasenke Chanoyu Center. It is dedicated to the promotion and understanding of the Way of Tea through activities such as lecture/demonstrations and classes in tea procedures as are offered at the Urasenke Chanoyu Center. The New York branch was created in 1964. Currently, the Urasenke Chanoyu Center is located in an 130 year old landmark building, which originally was constructed as a carriage house. The interior of the building was rehabilitated by traditional carpenters from Kyoto, Japan. The centerpiece of the construction includes four tea rooms of various sizes surrounding a garden. All the materials for the construction were imported from Japan. The mission of the Center is "Peacefulness through a bowl of tea."

Item Special Note

Invitations Expire July 31, 2019 and are subject to availability. Please call to confirm availability in the demonstration you prefer. It is recommended that you reconfirm your reservation one week prior to the event. Call by Friday of the previous week, if you must cancel your reservations. Refunds, transfer or credit cannot be given for last minute cancellations. Please arrive10 minutes early as the demonstration begins promptly at the scheduled starting time. There is no dress code, but please wear an appropriate dress for sitting on the tatami mats. Jeans are discouraged because of possible damage to the tatami mat surface. Please refrain from wearing strong perfume or cosmetics. Please bring a pair of socks (no bare feet). Please remove any jewelry from your fingers to avoid chipping or breaking one of the tea bowls. Please do not touch or lean on the wall or shoji (paper/wood) screens. Please do not try to force yourself to drink tea or eat all the sweets. You can take the sweets home, if you don't want to consume them at the center. You may just take a sip of tea, to taste it and leave the rest. Experiencing a different culture is the most important part of the demonstration Please be quiet during the tour, so you don't miss any of the explanations. Please ask the instructor, if picture taking is permitted. Feel the tradition of tea. Relax, enjoy yourself and have a bowl of tea.