Welcome to Kiyoko's Tea House.

Come and experience the world of Japanese Tea.

Take off your shoes, gently slide open the fusuma doors,

And enter the tea room filled with soft sunlight seeping
through shoji windows.

View the hanging scroll and tea flowers in the alcove.

Observe the hearth and the kettle of softly boiling water.

Take a seat and wait for the host, in quiet contemplation.

The fusuma doors open, the host enters and exchanges
greetings in appreciation.

Beautiful sweets reminiscent of the seasons are served,

While the host prepares delicious tea with heart and soul.

The bowl of tea is served. Enjoy!

Tea Ceremony

Chanoyu (often translated as Japanese Tea Ceremony) is one aspect of traditional Japanese culture. The core spirit of Chanoyu is hospitality.

The host puts all energy in providing the maximum hospitality to the guests. The guests experience pleasure from the hospitality of the host. Guests are welcome to a serene tea room celebrated by a scroll chosen for the occasion and fresh flowers picked from the host's garden. The host serves each guest a bowl of tea with perfect taste & temperature, preceded by seasonal, beautiful & tasty sweets.

In Chanoyu, five senses should be fulfilled: the pleasure of viewing the arts and crafts of the tea utensils, the warmth of the tea bowl in the hand and its softness as it touches the lips, the taste of the tea and food, the smell of incense burning in the room, and the sound of the water as it boils and then is ladled from the kettle.

Chanoyu is not a ceremony, but an exercise in hospitality. The guests and host entertain one another, making the experience of the tea gathering a collaborative effort by everyone in an aesthetic setting.

Profile

  • Kiyoko Shiga Heineken (宗清)
  • Certified Omotesenke-style instructor since 2007
  • Committee-member of Omotesenke Domonkai Eastern Region, USA
  • Co-author of Tansu: Traditional Japanese Cabinetry
  • Experience
    • Trained in Chinshin-style (鎮信流) for 8 years, in Tokyo.
    • Trained in Omotesenke-style (表千家流)for 13 years in Princeton, NJ and New York, NY
    • Supported establishment of Omotesenke Domonkai Eastern Region, USA, in 2010
    • Coordinated Shofuso Omotesenke Tea Gathering at Shofuso, Philadelphia, PA, 2010 & 2011.(松風荘表千家市民茶会)
    • Performing regular tea demonstrations to introduce traditional Japanese culture.
      • Philadelphia Museum, “Sunkaraku”
      • George Nakashima’s studio, New Hope, PA.
      • Princeton Japanese Association
      • High School Diplomats Conference, Princeton University.
      • Princeton High School

Tea Lessons

  • Lessons at Sei’an (清庵)
    • Lessons are available for students who want to undertake long-term study.
  • Lessons include Special Tea Gatherings (朝茶: Morning Tea, 正午の茶事: Midday Tea,
    夜ばなし: Evening Chats, 初釜: New Year Tea)
  • For questions or further information, please contact
    • Email: kiyokoh@princeton.edu
  • About the Tea House
  • Tea room Sei’an (清庵) is a 4.5mat daime chashitsu (4帖半台目茶室)、located on the second floor of an original carriage house attached to a victorian house built in circa 1870.
  • The late Mr. Shizuo Watanabe, from Ewing NJ, modified the space into an authentic Tea room, handmade with Japanese and local materials in 1994.