Suntory Museum of Art
Visit
The Genchō-an Tearoom

The Genchō-an Tearoom

The Genchō-an Tearoom is located on the museum’s sixth floor.
It is usually not open to the public but may be used for tea ceremonies with seasonal sweets on designated days during exhibitions.

Tea Ceremony

History

1961: The Suntory Museum of Art opened, as did the Genchō-an.
1975: When the museum moved to Akasaka-Mitsuke, the Genchō-an was rebuilt there.
2007: For the museum’s move to Roppongi, the Genchō-an was moved there and expanded.

The Name Genchō-an

Gen, character_gen , is the third character in the first line of the Senji mon (Thousand-Character Classic), a Chinese poem long used to teach the basic kanji characters. Since it is the third character in the poem, it stands for “three,” san. Chō, character_cho , means “bird” and is also read tori. Combined, the two characters thus can also be interpreted as santori, signifying Suntory. When our museum first opened in the Marunouchi district in 1961, Master Tantansai Sen Soshitsu (1893-1963) , the fourteenth-generation head of the Urasenke school of the tea ceremony, gave the tearoom this name.

Architecture

The tearoom named Genchō-an was established when Suntory Museum of Art was founded. A small 4.5 mat room (about 7.5 square meters) was brought to our location from Akasaka-Mitsuke, and a 8 mat room (13.2 square meters) and a newly designed chair-style room were added. On the outside terrace is a waiting area, with chairs and a stone washbasin. When the shoji are opened, one can “borrow” the exquisite view of Tokyo Midtown, regaling our patrons with the delight of a truly tranquil spot in the city.

Tea Ceremony

Enjoy matcha green tea and seasonal Japanese sweets in a quiet oasis amid the city.

The Genchō-an Tearoom

Dates

January 2024

There is no tea ceremony this month.
February 2024

1, 15, 29
March 2024

14, 21
April 2024

18
May 2024

2, 16, 30
June 2024

13
July 2024

4, 18
August 2024

1, 15, 29
September 2024

19
October 2024

3, 17, 31
November 2024

7, 28
December 2024

12, 19
January 2025

9, 23
February 2025

20
March 2025

6, 20
April 2025

10
May 2025

1, 15, 29
June 2025

12
July 2025

3, 17, 31
August 2025

14, 21
September 2025

11, 25
October 2025

9, 23, 30
November 2025

27
December 2025

11, 25

Open on designated Thursdays, while exhibitions are being held.

Entry costs

¥1,200 in addition to museum admission.

* No reservation is required but numbers are limited to 48.
* Tickets for the day’s tea ceremony go on sale at 10:00 at the 3F reception desk.
(Numbered tickets will be distributed from 9:30 on a first-come-first-serve basis in case of congestion. Ticket sales are limited to two per person; reservations are not available.)

How to take part

* The tea ceremony is conducted in Japanese only.

‘Otemae’ Tea Ceremony Demonstrations
(seated on tatami, shoes removed or seated in chairs)

Time :	Held at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 The time for each ceremony is fixed.
Place :	The 8 mat room or the stone-floored room in the Genchō-an
Includes :	Formal tea ceremony service of thin green tea and sweets

* Please note that you will be sitting on the tatami; please wear shoes that are easy to take on and off. If you are uncomfortable in bare feet, please bring a pair of white socks.

To our guests

Photography is not permitted at the Genchō-an.
Please do not bring children under three years old to the tearoom.