Visiting the temple, tea ceremony experience, incense ceremony experience, material costs for the experience, food and drink costs

Parking fees used by customers, transportation costs to the experience venue, etc.

Cancellations 7 day(s) (inclusive) before the selected date are allowed. Unused orders can be canceled for free；For cancellations made 3 to 6 days prior to selected date, a cancellation fee of 50% will apply；Cancellation is not allowed between 0–2 days from the selected date. Orders cannot be canceled or modified, and refunds will not be granted.；Due to time zone differences, the confirmed cancellation date is based on the supplier’s local time. Please allow 2–5 business days to process your cancellation request, after which the cancellation fee will be charged according to the product’s cancellation policy. Once your refund request is confirmed, KKday will initiate the refund to your original payment method within 15 days. The actual refund timing depends on your card-issuing bank’s policy.

Participant age: 12 to 100 years old；What to wear and bring: Please wear socks. Avoid clothing that exposes your hands and feet. Please do not wear strong scents such as incense.；Duration: The entire experience takes approximately 2 hours.；Minimum number of participants: 2

[West of the Imperial Palace, Chotoku-ji Temple] Experience Muromachi culture through Kurabe-uma-ko (horse racing incense game) in the Year of the Horse

Japan-Kyoto , Kyoto City

Booking confirmed 1 day(s) after ordering

Duration:2 hour(s)

Language(s): English / Japanese

Free cancellation 7 day(s) prior to experience date

Tour of the tea room associated with Sohen and a talk by the head priest of Chotoku-ji Temple
Kodo: Experience the incense culture of 'Kurabe-uma-ko' (horse racing incense game)
Enjoy matcha in the 'Ichijo-an' tea room.

[5% App discount] Code: APP5OFF , HK: APP15HK

Package Options

Product Info

Chotoku-ji Temple is the ancestral home of Yamada Sohen, the founder of the Sohen-ryu school of tea in the early Edo period. Located in a quiet residential area west of the Imperial Palace, Chotoku-ji belongs to the Shinshu Otani-ha sect. Savor a serene time with your five senses at the source of Sohen. As a monk, Yamada Sohen cultivated Buddhist spirituality and aesthetic sensibilities early on at his family home, Chotoku-ji. Later, he entered the world of tea, pursuing a highly introspective and spiritual 'Wabi-cha' while following the spirit of Rikyu. His approach, which valued the atmosphere of the space and the hearts of his guests rather than being bound by formality, has been passed down to the present day as a hallmark of the Sohen-ryu school. Experience the tea and incense culture of the Muromachi period here at Chotoku-ji. First, you will experience the tea ceremony by enjoying matcha in the tea room. Kurabe-uma-ko is a game where you compare scents (kiki-ko) and move horses like in backgammon when you guess correctly. This 120-minute experience is a deep dive into Muromachi culture, where you will digest the spirit and etiquette of the games once played by nobles using tea and incense.
Tour of the tea room associated with Sohen and a talk by the head priest of Chotoku-ji Temple
You will be guided through the 'Josen-an' small tea room associated with Sohen.
Kodo: Experience the incense culture of 'Kurabe-uma-ko' (horse racing incense game)
You will experience Kodo, the incense culture enjoyed by cultural figures of Sohen's time. Kurabe-uma-ko is an incense board game based on the horse racing rituals held at Kamigamo Shrine in May. It is a type of 'kumiko' (incense game) where you identify scents, and if you guess correctly, you move your piece forward, with the winner being the first to reach the green maple leaf at the goal. The experience begins with an explanation of the rules. First, you listen to four scents (trial scents), then you guess which of the four scents the randomly presented incense matches. If you guess correctly, you move your piece on the board. It is like a board game using incense, allowing you to enjoy the experience of 'kiki-ko' (listening to incense) in a fun way.
Enjoy matcha in the 'Ichijo-an' tea room.
Just like with aromatic wood, the subtle fragrance of matcha helps keep the mind calm, and by savoring it, you can experience the spirituality of Japan. After all the experiences, you will have a short session of Zazen or Sutra copying in the main hall, followed by a talk from the head priest to help you feel refreshed in both mind and body before you leave.

Visit the Koma Tea Room associated with Sohen

Experience Tea Ceremony Etiquette and the Spirit of Japan

Learn to identify four types of aromatic wood scents in order

Kurabe-uma-ko (Incense Game)

What You Can Expect

Duration: 2 hour(s)

1 Day

10:00
Meet in front of the Chotoku-ji Temple gate. Please arrive 5 minutes before the start time.
10:05
Guided tour by the head priest. Receive an introduction to the temple from the head priest.
10:10
Visit the tea room associated with Sohen. View the tea room associated with the Edo-period tea master Yamada Sohen, which is usually closed to the public.
10:20
Tea ceremony experience. Move to the tea room to enjoy matcha and experience the tea ceremony and the spirit of Japan.
11:00
Kurabe-uma-ko (Horse Racing Incense Game). Enjoy a fun experience with a board game using incense scents.

Purchase Notice

Regarding cancellation of the event:

The event may be canceled due to unavoidable reasons such as bad weather, traffic conditions, etc. Even in such cases, please note that we will not be able to compensate for transportation costs to the experience location, accommodation costs, etc.

Please note the following when participating in this course:

Please remove any accessories during the experience. Please bring socks as you will be entering a temple. Please refrain from bringing strong-smelling items such as incense sticks. Some parts of the experience require you to sit on tatami mats, so please let us know if you need a chair. Depending on the number of people, we may not be able to accommodate the tea room experience.

Other important points:

This experience is intended for ages 12 and up.

Includes/Excludes

Visiting the temple, tea ceremony experience, incense ceremony experience, material costs for the experience, food and drink costs

Parking fees used by customers, transportation costs to the experience venue, etc.

Reminders

Participant age: 12 to 100 years old
What to wear and bring: Please wear socks. Avoid clothing that exposes your hands and feet. Please do not wear strong scents such as incense.
Duration: The entire experience takes approximately 2 hours.
Minimum number of participants: 2

Meeting Point

Location Name: 255 Kikuyacho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto

Address: 255 Kikuyacho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto

How to Get There

- Meeting time: Please gather in front of the gate 5 minutes before the experience. - Meeting place: In front of the Chotoku-ji Temple gate

Experience Location

Location Name: 255 Kikuyacho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City

Address: 255 Kikuyacho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City

How to Get There

・If you are coming by car: Please use the nearby coin parking lot. ・If you are coming by train: It is an 11-minute walk from Exit 6 of Imadegawa Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations 7 day(s) (inclusive) before the selected date are allowed. Unused orders can be canceled for free
For cancellations made 3 to 6 days prior to selected date, a cancellation fee of 50% will apply
Cancellation is not allowed between 0–2 days from the selected date. Orders cannot be canceled or modified, and refunds will not be granted.

NOTE

Due to time zone differences, the confirmed cancellation date is based on the supplier’s local time. Please allow 2–5 business days to process your cancellation request, after which the cancellation fee will be charged according to the product’s cancellation policy. Once your refund request is confirmed, KKday will initiate the refund to your original payment method within 15 days. The actual refund timing depends on your card-issuing bank’s policy.

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