Kimono Tea Ceremony MAIKOYA Asakusa — Restaurant in Tokyo

The Kimono Tea Ceremony at Maikoya – A Must-Do Experience in Japan

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, I highly recommend experiencing the Kimono Tea Ceremony at Maikoya. They have several locations, but we visited the one in Tokyo. If you decide to go, I suggest opting for the full package, which includes the tea ceremony along with the samurai and ninja experiences—it’s so much fun!

For the samurai part, you get to wear a lightweight version of traditional armor and pose with replica swords. They give you plenty of time to take pictures, which makes it really enjoyable. It’s not just about dressing up—it’s also about learning a little history and feeling a connection to the culture in a playful way.

The tea ceremony itself is beautiful. You’ll learn a lot about Japanese tea culture, especially matcha—how it’s prepared, its significance, and the etiquette behind the process. I had never tried matcha before and, to be honest, I didn’t love the taste, but I was open to the experience, and I still found it fascinating.

One of the most memorable parts was wearing a real kimono. It’s incredible how many layers there are! I couldn’t believe how elaborate it is. Although it was just me and one staff member helping, I learned that in reality, it often takes multiple people to properly dress someone in a kimono. Feeling the weight and complexity of the fabric gave me a whole new appreciation for traditional clothing.

The location also has a small garden area where you can take photos with flowers and bonsai trees. It’s charming, though a bit tight, especially if you’re juggling all three experiences in one day. You do have to cross a street to get from one activity to another, and there’s some back-and-forth involved—changing clothes, walking, etc.—which can be a little overwhelming. So just keep that in mind and plan your schedule wisely to give yourself enough time.

They also serve traditional Japanese sweets with the tea, which I really enjoyed. There’s a mini-museum showcasing samurai and ninja artifacts, which I found genuinely interesting. Our guide was fantastic—knowledgeable and passionate, which made the whole experience even more special.

Overall, I truly enjoyed everything. From the cultural insight to the playful experiences, this is something I’d highly recommend to anyone visiting Japan. It’s not something you get to see or do in everyday life, and it leaves you with...

The staff here were incredibly hospitable and the service was beyond what I expected. When I first entered for my fitting, I was given a black bag to put my belongings in to be stored and my valuables in a cute handbag so everything felt secure. The directions were very straightforward for the dressing and I got to choose a Kimono pattern. I didn’t feel rushed and they even helped me with the colours. It flowed very smoothly. The person assisting me with the Kimono was very attentive to detail and she made a lot of minor adjustments to make sure it was worn properly and perfectly. The hairstyling was very quick, and very cute!! I felt very cute.

Unfortunately I did not get to complete the tea ceremony portion as my boyfriend wasn’t feeling well (not due to the activity, but personal reasons). The staff was very attentive and provided us a space for him to lie down and even put up a paper wall between him for his privacy. They even got him a cooling pad for his neck and was fanning him to make sure he felt better, and we were really grateful for their help. They offered for us to move our tea ceremony to the next session but we felt it would be better to go home and rest. They were very accommodating and kind. We did end up taking pictures in our outfits before we changed and left. They had staff who took our photos and they knew how go get the good angles! Overall, the service was amazing, and the experience was...

I feel very conflicted about the experience. To tell the truth I was hoping it to be the highlight of the trip but I was disappointed. I should start by saying that I am somewhat mid sized, I wear S or M size, but here in Japan is more like M - L. First the undergarment that I got was torn apart in both sides and while I was choosing my kimono I had to walk almost naked and it made me feel small and very uncomfortable. When I had to chose the kimonos I noticed that the ones for the bigger size women were not that beautiful as the ones for smaller size and once I chose one when we tried to put it one I noticed it was all stained on the torso and the ladies that were helping me all tried to ignore it, I spoke out and they agreed it was stained and I chose another one. While the other women had their hair done , they one put some accessories in mine, even though I was hoping someone could do my hair too. And when we finally had the tea ceremony it was super crowded, we were 20 people in a small room, meanwhile two hours later there were only 4 people. I wish they could have managed the ceremony better. While the host was friendly and the ceremony was nice , it all felt flat from everything that happened before. I felt really ashamed to have had to walk like that and I hope nobody ever has to go through that. Unfortunately I cannot recommend...