In the Matsumoto Castle garden, a tea ceremony is held several times a year.
This summer, it’s being held on August 6th and 7th, at the beginning of the free admission period for visitors wearing kimono, and also the extension period of entrance hours (8:00 till door closes at 17:30 , normally 8:30-16:30) (until August 16).
Members of the youth group of the Urasenke tea ceremony school wearing yukata will serve you cold green tea with Japanese cake for 500 yen. The leader of the group speaks English.
Also, there is a full-scale tea-ceremony room with a tea garden in Ikegami Hyakuchikutei, a historical Japanese house with gardens, located just a few minutes walk northward from the castle. It is used as a community center (kominkan), but also is a perfect place to feel Japanese traditional culture, including the tea ceremony, and to enjoy Japanese gardens. The fall foliage of the garden is especially beautiful. You can look inside the tea room and garden freely without charge when it is not used.
