The experience
Kosei-in is a Meiji-era house in central Kyoto, beside the head of the Takase River. Ijuin Kanetsune built it and made its garden, and it has been a Rinzai Zen temple since 1952. Kyoto City has designated the garden a Place of Scenic Beauty.
The session takes place in Zikido Ichifune, a room on the temple grounds that is usually closed to the public. An instructor of the Mishina Oheryu school of kodo leads it, after a guided walk in the garden.
In kodo, incense is listened to. You arrange a flower in a vase that you take home, prepare the ash and charcoal in a burner, warm a piece of fragrant wood on a sheet of mica and share what you notice. The wood changes with the season. You end by making your own matcha, with tea from Yamamoto Jinjiro in Uji.
On the day
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The garden
A guided walk in the garden of Kosei-in.
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A flower
One kind of flower in a vase, on the theme of the season. The vase is yours to keep.
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The burner
You prepare the ash and charcoal, then shape the ash into a cone.
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Listening
Fragrant wood is warmed on mica, and you pass the burner and compare impressions.
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Tea
Matcha you make yourself, with seasonal sweets and the garden in view.
Guide price
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Per person, from | ¥33,600 |
- Includes the experience, tea and sweets, facility charges, the interpreter and tax.
- There is a minimum of two guests. A booking for one pays the two-guest minimum.
Good to know
- Booking deadline
- At least 7 days before.
- Cancellation
- Full refund up to 8 days before, by 17:00 Japan time.
- Language
- An English-speaking interpreter is included.
- Age
- Children under 13 cannot attend. Guests under 18 come with an adult.
- Please note
- No perfume. Rings, earrings and necklaces come off. Shoes come off, so wear socks. Photos are not allowed in the garden, but you may photograph it from the room.
- Food
- Tell us about allergies or foods you avoid, and we pass them on when we arrange the date.
What STAYGO does
- We arrange the session through Wabunka, the booking site the host uses, at least 7 days ahead, and keep in touch with them about your date.
- We place it on a Kyoto day that suits it and plan how you get there.
- We pass on allergies and food needs.
This session is paid in advance by credit card, in yen, through Wabunka, at the price they show. STAYGO adds nothing to it.
Arranged only as part of a STAYGO journey.
Details checked on the host's published page on 13 October 2026. Hosts set their own prices and terms and may change them. We confirm them again when we arrange your date, and nothing is confirmed until the host accepts it.
You pay hotels, ryokan, restaurants and guides directly, at their own rates. We add no markups and take no commissions. The Signature planning fee is USD 3,500 for your group, for a journey of 7–14 days. Longer or more complex journeys are planned as Bespoke.
