Izumi: Tea Ceremony Dressed in Kimono in an Old Samurai Residence

Sponsored by Izumi City

If you have always dreamed about wearing a kimono and/or attending a Tea Ceremony, no need to look any further because Izumi is the right place! In its old samurai district, the Izumi City Tourism Division offers the “Kimono Experience Program”, a travel back in time to the Edo period. I tried it for you, and it was amazing!

Wear a kimono and take it home 

Choosing a kimono

When I first arrived in the house dedicated to the “Kimono Experience program”, I was amazed by its beauty: it is a very old, Japanese house surrounded by a traditional garden. On the tatami mats, a variety of beautiful kimono and obi (traditional belt) were waiting for me.

A group of women, all dressed in kimono, invited me to select my favorite kimono. They told me to make a careful choice because I would take it back home with me as a gift. I choose a saffron yellow kimono, and one of the women who spoke English complemented me on my choice. She told me that the bamboo patterns printed on the fabric were a symbol of fulfillment. Good news to start a perfect day!

The dressing

After I chose my favorite kimono, the women helped to find a matching obi. Then, one of the women (I would learn later she was the Mayor’s wife), led me to a changing room to dress me. First I put-on the jyuban, a kimono-shaped piece of clothing made of cotton that you wear under the kimono. I had to take off my jeans, but, because it was cold, I could keep wearing my sweater. My tip: if you plan to wear a kimono in winter, avoid wearing a turtleneck. Then I put-on the kimono that the woman tied up with several strings all covered at the end by the obi. Finally, I replaced my socks with tabi (traditional Japanese socks with a separation between the big toe and other toes), which is more confortable to wear geta, the traditional kimono shoes.

Once I was ready, I went back to the main room where I was welcomed with “sugoï” (amazing)!

Attend a Tea Ceremony

Next, I was invited to join the tearoom by the garden. A musician was already playing koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument.

Wagashi

The Tea Ceremony began with the tasting of wagashi, a traditional Japanese confection brought by the teishu (host) on a nice plate, placed on special paper called kaishi. After everyone bowed, we ate the sweets, doing our best to stay elegant.

Matcha

Then, the teishu came back with a beautiful bowl containing matcha (green tea powder) that she mixed with hot water using a small bamboo whisk to smoothly blend the large amount of powdered tea with the water.

Then she offered me the bowl of tea that I had to turn round twice before drinking the tea carefully. When the tea ceremony was over, they asked me to wipe the bowl and to return it to the host. It was a very interesting moment; I cannot even describe all the details of the venue. I think it is definitely better to experience it by yourself!