Tea Ceremony at Souunji Temple

Enjoying traditional Japanese culture in Hakone

Steve Morton Feb 24, 2020 - 2 min read

Although only a short walk away from Hakone-Yumoto Station, Souunji Temple is a world away from the hustle and bustle

The first part of this ceremony features ‘Koi-cha’; a strong green, bitter tasting tea where several guests take a sip from the same bowel. This is said to help signify a sense of sharing, a key element of Japanese culture

The second part of this ceremony is ‘Usui-cha’; a weaker green tea in which everyone is given an individual bowel

This tea ceremony is performed using traditional utensils

After both tea ceremonies are finished, guests are then treated to traditional Japanese ‘Bento’-style lunch

Part of this tour includes a special viewing of the private garden which, is closed to the general public

A final view of the front of this temple from outside the main road

Having established itself as a popular tourist hub for ‘Lake Ashi-no-ko’, Hakone-Yumoto Station is perhaps one of the last places anyone would expect to find some peace and tranquility. However, to my surprise, this is exactly what I experienced when visiting the nearby Souunji Temple for a spot of ‘Sado’, (traditional Japanese tea ceremony).

Set within an idyllic cedar grove, this picturesque temple was established over five hundred years ago by the Hojo clan and still has many historical artifacts, including the graves of many former family members. Usually off bounds to casual visitors, this temple boasts an impressive private garden and houses many traditional Japanese style tea rooms, which are only available by prior appointment.

Despite having lived in Japan for many years, I had, up until this point, never tried ‘Sado’. Because of this fact, I wasn’t really aware and couldn’t fully appreciate its cultural significance. Fortunately, thanks to this experience, I am a little wiser and can honestly say that if you haven’t experienced ‘Sado’ then you haven’t truly experienced traditional Japanese culture!

Although there are now an ever growing number of places offering ‘Sado’ in varying forms, Souunji Temple offers a special deluxe version comprising of two tea ceremonies, ‘Koi-cha’ and ‘Usui-cha’ . ‘Koi-cha’ is a strong green tea while ‘Usui-cha’ is a slightly weaker green tea. This tour also includes a traditional Japanese ‘Bento’ style lunchbox, along with a brief tour of the private garden. On this occasion, I was also lucky enough to join the head priest for a morning prayer, (as today was Buddha’s birthday after all!).

Since this is a private temple, there is limited availability and advanced reservations are essential. The cost for this whole course is 30,000 Yen which, when compared to many other places and considering everything that is included is certainly reasonable.

Souunji Temple is about a 15 minute walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan line which respectively, is a 10 minute ride from Odawara Station. From Tokyo Station, Odawara can be accessed via a Bullet train (35 minutes), or local JR Tokaido Line, (90 minutes)

Steve Morton @steve.morton138

Yokohama based content creator, editor, and researcher. Steven likes, eating, reading and traveling on a streamlined budget guaranteed to make any self-respecting local gulp. When not too busy with work assignments, Steven attempts to not get lost while following Japanese tourist maps.Follow me o...