Best Seattle-Area Spots for a Sweet Afternoon Tea Outing With Kids
Photo:
The host explains that there are over 100 cuts in the bamboo whisk used to make matcha tea as demonstrators show us the steps of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Credit: Natasha Dillinger
Seattle Japanese Garden Tea Ceremony
Seattle Japanese Garden Tea Ceremony offers a glimpse at a beautiful Japanese tradition. The art and ritual of chanoyu (tea ceremony) has been practiced for hundreds of years, and an individual tea ceremony can last as long as four hours. Attendees at this much shorter 40-minute presentation sit on stools while a host shares the ceremony’s history and symbolism.
As many as 10 guests then shed their shoes and kneel on tatami mats for a Japanese sweet, which is followed by a bowl of freshly prepared matcha (finely ground green tea). What makes this unique experience extra special? You finally get to sit inside the Shoseian Teahouse, which is typically off-limits to garden visitors!
Find it: 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E., Seattle, at the south end of Washington Park Arboretum
Hours: Saturdays, May–October, and select Fridays and Sundays. Tea ceremony is at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Cost: $10 per adult and $7 per youth, in addition to garden admission ($8 per adult, $4 per youth); reserve by phone (206-684-4725). The garden requests that attendees be at least 6 years old.
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