Calligraphy and Matcha Tea Ceremony
Description
The activity is located in a quiet residential district just 4 minutes away by train from Shibuya Station in Tokyo. The house you'll enter has a dry garden and traditional interior, exuding the perfect ambience for tea ceremony and calligraphy experiences. At the start of the workshop you will put a jinbei (traditional light clothing) on and will first practice grinding solid ink and basic brush strokes. When you're confident enough to write the Japanese kanji character of your choice, you will choose between applying calligraphy art on a kakejiku hanging scroll or a wooden plate in the shape of a votive tablet or a mini paddle for Japanese hanetsuki (a type of badminton game). Take the piece of art with you as a memory from the calligraphy workshop. The activity will continue with a tea ceremony in which the instructor will prepare matcha green tea in front of you using traditional tea utensils. You will learn the etiquette of drinking tea and will enjoy seasonal wagashi sweets.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
Reviews(13)
Very beautiful activity. And great teacher
Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the experience. It was a pleasure to welcome you to Oh! Mama, and your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you again for visiting, and I hope you have wonderful memories of your time in Tokyo!
Satomi-san was a patient, hospitable, and affirming teacher. She not only carefully taught me the intricacies of calligraphy, but also the history and culture behind it. It proved to be a very contemplative and calming experience. The lesson in a traditional tea ceremony afterwards and the amazing matcha tasting were a wonderful end to the experience. This lesson was a major highlight on my trip and since I got to keep my calligraphy papers, I will always be able to remember it.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. It was truly a pleasure to spend that time with you at Oh! Mama. I’m so happy to hear that you found the calligraphy experience contemplative and calming. Your kind words mean a lot to me. It makes me especially happy to know that the experience became one of the highlights of your trip. I hope that whenever you look at the calligraphy you took home, it will bring back happy memories of your time in Tokyo. Thank you again for visiting Oh! Mama, and I hope our paths cross again someday!
Very good experience. Satomi Shimomoyama is a good teacher who provides a warm and immersive welcome with a sublime house and decor.
Thank you so much for your kind review! It was a pleasure to welcome you to Oh! Mama. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the experience and found the atmosphere of our traditional Japanese home warm and immersive. Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you again for visiting, and I hope you will cherish your memories of Oh! Mama!
I recently had the opportunity to visit Oh! Mama with a party of five and it was a truly beautiful experience. Satomi-san, the hostess, was incredibly kind and welcoming to us all. She takes great care to walk you through the process of learning how to make proper strokes and the purpose of each tool provided to you. The calligraphy portion of our experience was a great meditative practice, and left us wanting to practice more after the fact. In addition to that the tea ceremony was not only informative, but memorizing. Satomi-san acts with intention in each of her movements through out the process, and it shows just how dedicated she is to preserving such a beautiful tradition and art form. If you have to opportunity to come here you absolutely should. This immersive workshop left a strong impression on us that I'm sure we won't soon forget. Thank you Satomi-san for the wonderful afternoon!
Thank you so much for your beautiful and thoughtful review. It was truly a pleasure to welcome all five of you to Oh! Mama. I’m especially happy to hear that you found the calligraphy meditative and that it inspired you to continue practicing afterward. I also deeply appreciate your kind words about the tea ceremony. I’m truly happy to hear that this is an experience you won’t soon forget. That means so much to me. Thank you again for spending your time with me and for your warm words. I hope you will continue to enjoy calligraphy and remember your tea ceremony experience in Tokyo. I look forward to welcoming you again someday!
We had an absolutely excellent calligraphy and tea ceremony class in Tokyo! Our teacher, Satomi was incredibly methodical, patient, and knowledgeable. She took the time to explain the history and technique behind each movement, making the experience deeply engaging and easy to follow. Her warm hospitality and patient guidance made us feel incredibly welcome. If you are looking for an authentic and high-quality cultural experience in Tokyo, we highly recommend booking a class with her at Oh Mama.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for taking the time to share your experience. I am truly honored by your kind words. It means a great deal to hear that you enjoyed both the calligraphy and tea ceremony, and that my explanations helped make the experience engaging and easy to follow. Sharing the history and traditions behind these cultural arts is one of my greatest joys. I am delighted that you felt welcome and comfortable throughout the experience. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I sincerely appreciate your recommendation. I hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future visit to Japan.
This was a wonderful experience! The teacher was excellent at explaining concepts! The matcha tea experience was a true cultural experience!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for joining my Calligraphy and Matcha Tea Ceremony experience. I am delighted to hear that my explanations were clear and helpful, and that you felt the matcha tea experience was a true cultural experience. It was my pleasure to share a part of Japanese culture with you. I truly appreciate your kind feedback and hope to welcome you again on your next visit to Japan.
It was a wonderful experience, Satomi (apologies if I misspelled it!) Was such a gracious hostess and was so wonderfully patient with my son (11yo) and I. It was a beautiful experience and the perfect way to finish our Japan trip.
Thank you so much for your kind review! I am truly delighted to hear that you and your son had such a wonderful experience here. It means a lot to me that I could be part of the perfect ending to your Japan trip. We hope to welcome you both again someday!
This was an outstanding experience. I actually made a mistake booking on a date when I would be home in the US, but she graciously took me in for a private lesson, and explained so much about calligraphy, and gave me all the chances to practice I wanted before creating a beautiful scroll with the message I chose. The tea ceremony was very meaningful and beautiful. Best experience ever!
Thank you very much for your wonderful and thoughtful review! It truly means a lot to me that you took the time to share your experience. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed both the calligraphy practice and the tea ceremony, and that they felt meaningful to you. It was my pleasure to share these aspects of Japanese culture with you and to support you in creating your scroll. Thank you again for your generous words—I hope our paths cross again someday!
It was a delightful chance to learn about these ancient Japanese arts. Satomi welcomed me warmly, despite my mistakenly booking the class for 2 days later (after I return to the USA). She told me much of the history of calligraphy, then allowed me to practice under her expert guidance until I could create a scroll that I will bring home as my proudest souvenir. The tea ceremony that followed was deeply meaningful. These memories will be carried with me always. Such a generous, gracious, and talented teacher!
Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an incredibly kind and thoughtful review! I’m so glad we were still able to meet despite the booking mix-up—it truly felt like it was meant to be. It was a real pleasure to share the art of calligraphy with you, and I was very impressed by your focus and dedication during practice. I hope the scroll you created will always remind you of your time here. I’m also happy to hear that the tea ceremony was meaningful for you. I will never forget the way you said “wonderful” after tasting a cup of matcha—it was such a special moment for me as well. Thank you again for your generous words. I sincerely hope our paths cross again someday. You will always be most welcome.
Shatomi was very knowledgeable and encouraging during our visit. Highly recommend this activity!
Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m truly delighted that you and your family enjoyed the activity. I hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again in the future.
