LUXE by EXO, the boutique luxury brand of EXO Travel, gives travelers an insider glimpse into two of Japan’s most important traditions.
The TEA CEREMONY tour takes place in Kyoto at the picturesque Kōdai-Ji temple in Kyoto. For the ceremony itself, guests are led to a smaller temple within the grounds that are usually closed to the public. Here, a tea master explains the link between tea and Zen Buddhism, explaining the significance behind every object and action involved in the tea ceremony. Afterward, guests embark on a walking tour through historic Higashiyama District, where narrow stone roads are lined with machiya – old shophouses in Edo- and Taisho-era style. A guided tour of the 8th-century Kiyomizu Temple follows one of Kyoto’s 17 UNESCO-listed sites.
TEA CEREMONY TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- A private tea ceremony in a small temple in Kodai-ji
- A guided tour through of Kiyomizu Temple
The half-day Japanese Incense Ceremony experience introduces guests to another of the three Japanese ‘arts of refinement’. Incense ceremonies became popular around the same time as tea ceremonies, with nobility practicing kōdō or ‘the art of fragrance’ socially since the 16th century. On this tour, guests are led through a traditional incense ceremony by a local expert, learning the etiquette of preparing incense for burning and then how to smell, listen to and identify different types of wood.
JAPANESE INCENSE CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS:
- A private incense ceremony with an expert
- Learn to properly experience Kodo
- Create personal fragrances and aromas
“Kyoto’s UNESCO sites are justifiably often the focus of visits to the city”, says Director of LUXE by EXO Maeve Nolan. “These two experiences provide the perfect complement to sightseeing in castles and temples, offering luxury guests the deeper cultural connection they seek with private and exclusive ‘masterclasses’”.