Kanazawa Machiya: Private Tea Ceremony with a Local Tea Master

Thank you so much for your beautiful and heartfelt words. I was especially touched that you described our time together as “a truly memorable and moving experience.” For me, the Way of Tea is not only about preparing a beautiful bowl of matcha, but also about creating a moment of genuine connection between people. I’m delighted that you enjoyed the matcha and found our conversation both fascinating and enriching. Sharing the traditions of Japanese tea culture, along with my own thoughts and experiences, is something I deeply value. It means a great deal to know that these moments stayed with you. Welcoming guests into my home in Kanazawa allows me to share something beyond a traditional tea ceremony — a quiet, personal encounter where we can slow down, exchange stories, and discover more about one another through tea. Thank you again for your generous recommendation and for choosing to spend part of your journey with me. I hope the memories of our time together, and the peaceful spirit of the tea ceremony, will stay with you for many years to come. Warmest wishes from Kanazawa, Yuta

Sebastian san, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a beautiful review — especially after you had already tried to share your experience through GetYourGuide. It means a great deal to me that you went out of your way to write these words. I remember your visit from Peru very warmly. One moment that has stayed with me was when you told me that drinking the matcha I had prepared felt almost as if you had received some of my energy. That was such a moving thing to hear, because for me, tea is not only about technique or tradition, but also about what can be shared between people in a single bowl. I also truly enjoyed the conversation with your son. It was wonderful how naturally our discussion developed, and those exchanges are one of the reasons I value welcoming guests from different parts of the world so much. Your words about being able to “slow down, listen, and truly enjoy the moment” made me especially happy. That sense of calm and presence is exactly what I hope guests can discover through the Way of Tea. Thank you again for choosing to spend part of your journey in Kanazawa with me, and for carrying this experience with you beyond the tea room. I hope the memories of that peaceful afternoon — and the energy you felt in that bowl of matcha — stay with you both for a long time. Warmest wishes to you both, Yuta

Dear Gabriela san, Thank you so much for your beautiful and heartfelt words. It was truly a pleasure to welcome you both from Brazil and share this time together in Kanazawa. I still remember you describing the tea ceremony as feeling almost like meditation. That stayed with me, because beyond the movements and etiquette, I hope this traditional Japanese tea ceremony can offer a moment to slow down, be present, and experience the spirit behind the tradition. I also deeply enjoyed our conversation and all of your thoughtful questions. For me, tea becomes much more meaningful when it creates a genuine exchange between people from different cultures. I feel very fortunate that your journey brought you to my tea room. Thank you for choosing this experience and for sharing such a special moment with me. I hope the memories of our time together in Kanazawa will travel with you all the way back to Brazil. Warmest wishes, Yutaより

Thank you for these generous words, and for carrying them all the way back to Ohio. Narumi and I are glad the house felt like a welcome. It is our home as much as it is a tea room, and that is deliberate: every gathering here is fully private, one party at a time, in a hundred-year-old machiya in the Nishi Chaya district of Kanazawa, guided in English by me alone, with no interpreter in the room. You noticed the “more than 200 movements.” I am glad they read as intentional rather than merely elaborate, because that is the whole discipline of Enshū-ryū — the samurai lineage of tea founded by Kobori Enshū. I began my study in the spring of 2007 and am now in my twentieth year, still a direct student of the school’s head master. None of those movements is decoration. Each one exists because it is the quietest and shortest way to do what must be done. When they are performed properly, guests stop seeing them altogether and simply feel the room settle. And the bowl you whisked yourselves matters more than it may have seemed at the time. That is the moment the tea stops being something watched and becomes something done. You would all be welcome back, in any season — the same room is never quite the same twice. With warm regards to Ohio, Yuta

Merci infiniment pour ces mots. Ce fut une joie de vous recevoir, votre mari et vous. Ma femme et moi ouvrons notre maison pour ces rencontres, et lire que vous vous y êtes sentis à l’aise nous touche beaucoup tous les deux. Ce printemps a marqué ma vingtième année d’étude. J’ai commencé au printemps 2007, dans l’école Enshū-ryū — la lignée de thé des samouraïs fondée par Kobori Enshū — et je poursuis mon apprentissage auprès du maître actuel de l’école. Vingt ans après, il me reste encore beaucoup à apprendre. Chaque cérémonie ici est entièrement privée : un seul groupe à la fois, dans une machiya centenaire du quartier de Nishi Chaya à Kanazawa, que je guide moi-même en anglais, sans interprète. C’est toute la raison d’être de ce lieu. Vous seriez tous deux les bienvenus, en une autre saison. Yuta TEA BASE Hakutaku (白澤) — Nishi Chaya, Kanazawa

Dear Clio san, Thank you for these kind words, and for writing so soon after your visit — it was a real pleasure to have you both. I have to say, I was struck by your itinerary: eight days in Japan and half of them in Kanazawa. Most travellers pass through in an afternoon, so to see you settle in and truly get to know the city — Ishikawa Million Stars included — was wonderful. That’s how Kanazawa is best experienced, and I suspect you’ll take home something quite different from the usual Tokyo-Kyoto route. I’m glad the whisking was fun; it looks easier than it is, doesn’t it? And I enjoyed our conversation just as much as you did. Enjoy the rest of your time in Japan, and safe travels back to New York. Should you ever return to Kanazawa, the kettle will be waiting. Warm regards, Yuta TEA BASE Hakutaku (白澤) — Nishi Chaya, Kanazawa

Dear Pieter san, Thank you for taking the time to write, and for visiting us. You’ve noticed something that many guests don’t: whisking matcha well is genuinely difficult. It looks effortless, but that’s exactly the point — what appears simple has years of practice behind it. The fact that you felt that in your own hands means you understood something real about the tradition, and I’d say that’s the best possible outcome for a first attempt. I hope the rest of your journey through Japan is full of good discoveries — and I hope the hitsumabushi in Nagoya lives up to the anticipation. It’s a fine thing to look forward to. Safe travels back to the Netherlands, and should you ever return to Kanazawa, you’d be most welcome. Warm regards, Yuta TEA BASE Hakutaku (白澤) — Nishi Chaya, Kanazawa

Dear Brett san, Thank you for these wonderful words — reading them was a real joy. You put something into words that I rarely hear guests name: the energy created in the tearoom. That doesn't come from the host alone — it's made together, by everyone present. Your wife's questions in particular opened doors I don't often get to walk through with guests, and the conversation that followed was as memorable for me as it was, I hope, for you both. Please pass on my warm regards to her. That this became the most memorable part of your time in Japan is the greatest gift a tea host could receive. And yes — please do come again. The kettle will be waiting whenever you return to Kanazawa. With warm gratitude, and safe travels home to New Zealand, Yuta TEA BASE Hakutaku (白澤) — Nishi Chaya, Kanazawa

Dear Mallory san, Thank you so much for these thoughtful words — they truly touched me. For me, the tea and the whisking are only the beginning; what I hope every guest carries away is the conversation and the quiet shift in perspective that can happen over a bowl of tea. So to read that you gained something you’ll carry forward is, honestly, the most meaningful thing a host could hear. It was a genuine pleasure to share that time — and that exchange — with you. Should your travels ever bring you back to Kanazawa, the kettle will be waiting. Until then, safe travels home. With warm gratitude, Yuta TEA BASE Hakutaku (白澤) — Nishi Chaya, Kanazawa