What I really want to share isn’t just how to whisk matcha, or the formal steps of tea ceremony.
It’s the moment someone encounters tea ceremony and thinks, “I want to know more.”
Tea ceremony is often seen as difficult, formal, or something distant — not for “people like me.”
Of course, tea ceremony carries a long history, with etiquette and spirit carefully passed down through generations.
That is exactly why I want to keep protecting its essence.
At the same time, if the entrance itself feels too difficult, people never even get the chance to become curious.
I don’t see myself as a substitute for a formal tea ceremony school. Instead, I want to be the doorway just before it.
For international visitors and for Japan’s younger generation alike, it’s enough if someone feels:
“Matcha is fun.”
“Tea ceremony is more interesting than I thought.”
“I want to learn more.”
That alone is enough for me.
If, beyond that, more people go on to join a tea ceremony school, or grow interested in Japanese culture more broadly, nothing would make me happier.
My wish is simple: that even one more person encounters tea ceremony and comes to love it.
What Tea Ceremony Taught Me
Tea ceremony isn’t only about learning how to whisk matcha.
Since I began studying it, the way I see everyday life has gradually changed, and ordinary days have become a little richer than before.
I want as many people as possible to discover that same joy.
For example, I learned that the pleasant breeze of early summer has its own name, kunpu (薫風). Or that whenever I see a seasonal wagashi in a sweet shop window, I now think, “ah, that time of year again.”
Tea ceremony first struck me as a world full of rules. But as I kept learning, there were moments when I realized, “oh — each one actually has meaning.”
Every single movement, from start to finish, in preparing a bowl of matcha carries not just beauty, but the accumulated wisdom of generations before us, still carefully passed down today.
Discovering these small things, one by one, has made ordinary life quietly richer.
That is what tea ceremony taught me.
That’s why, at GreenTeaTokyo, I don’t just teach etiquette. What matters most to me is creating an experience where people feel, “tea ceremony is fun — I want to know more.”
The Future GreenTeaTokyo Aims For
I believe tradition isn’t about resisting change. It’s about protecting what must be protected, while letting the way it’s shared grow with the times.
I have no wish to change the essence of tea ceremony.
What I want to change is the assumption that tea ceremony is difficult, or that it has nothing to do with you.
That’s why I want to offer an entry point that feels approachable — for modern lifestyles, and for people visiting from abroad.
Tea ceremony should be a part of Japanese culture that anyone can encounter.
Regardless of age, nationality, or experience, a small spark of curiosity — “I’d like to try this” — can become the first step toward loving tea ceremony.
And if, from there, even one more person goes on to study tea ceremony seriously, nothing would make me happier.
GreenTeaTokyo isn’t a place that teaches tea ceremony — it’s a place that creates the encounter with it.
That is the future I’m working toward.
Curious to experience it for yourself? Learn more about our on-site matcha experience.