When you open the shoji sliding doors, you will find an Ajiro ceiling, a 4.5 tatami mat room, and a Rikyurei-style tea ceremony seat. In front of the Nibble Door (Narigiri-guchi), there is a Roji (tea garden) with a Tsukubai (stone basin) for quietly purifying your hands.
This is Sho-Fu-An, a tea room located on the 10th floor of the Keio Plaza Hotel Main Tower, filled with a serene and tranquil atmosphere. It is said that all of the guests who visit this authentic Japanese space in the middle of a skyscraper in the city are surprised. Since the hotel opened in 1971, the tradition has been preserved by the successive staff members in charge. The housekeeping staff who clean the tea room daily take pride in being involved in the management of this historic Sho-Fu-An, and have cultivated a sense of responsibility to protect this precious asset of the hotel with their own hands.
With the guidance of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony, this tea room was designed with great formality. It is still used for tea ceremonies, and we also offer a tea ceremony experience service with English commentary by a tea ceremony instructor, which has been well received by our overseas guests.
“Traditional Japanese culture” is alive and well in the midst of a modern and advanced hotel. Keio Plaza Hotel is a hotel that continues to share and promote Japanese culture.
◎Tea Ceremony Experience Service
Dates: Thursdays and Sundays, and every day except for private bookings
Times: 11:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00
Duration: 30 minutes per session, up to 4 people per session
Instructor: Sentosoe Yano (Senior Professor, Great Japan Tea Ceremony Association)
Fee: 2,000 yen per person per session (includes a bowl of thin tea, Japanese sweets, service charge, and tax)
*Reservations are recommended as we may not be able to accommodate walk-ins if the sessions are full.
