Kyoto City has decided to open its "Cha-shitsu," or tea ceremony room, to the general public. The room was built during the renovation of the main city hall building, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, in 2021. The city plans to hold a "Cha-kai," or tea ceremony, this fall with citizen participation as part of its cultural promotion efforts on the occasion of the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto. Although the tea ceremony room was built in the midst of financial difficulties, no tea ceremony has been held, and some have criticized it as "a waste of money." Now it will finally be put to full use.
The tea ceremony room is used as the anteroom for the "Seicho-no-ma" on the 4th floor, where guests from Japan and abroad are received. The room is approximately 15 tatami mats in size, including the entrance area, with Kitayama cedar logs used for the alcove posts and a coffered ceiling. An electric furnace for a tea kettle lies under the tatami mat in front of the alcove, and there is also a space for hot water supply in the back of the Japanese-style room.
According to the city hall administration division of the municipal government, the room is "a 'Wa-shitsu' or Japanese-style room, for people to feel a Kyoto-like atmosphere and is equipped for serving tea." As it is "not regarded as a tea ceremony room, no tea ceremony has been held" in the one and half years since its completion. As it was treated like an office, use of it was not allowed to the general public. The room cost approximately 36 million yen to build, which has been criticized as a symbol of wasteful spending in the midst of a series of price hikes for various fees, such as the bus passes for the elderly.
The tea ceremony this fall is part of a project to promote lifestyle and culture following the relocation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It will take place between September and November with university students learning the tea ceremony serving as hosts, and citizens will be able to participate in it. The city hopes to hold the event on multiple dates in conjunction with the "Citizens' Grand Tea Ceremonies" at Nijo-jo Castle, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, in which various schools of tea ceremony will participate. The event will be held not only in the Japanese-style room, but also in the "Seicho-no-Ma" room.
An official of the Cultural and Citizens Affairs Bureau which planned the event said, "I thought it a waste that the tea ceremony room was not being utilized. We want people to enjoy tea in a familiar place and hope that this will help promote the culture of everyday life that is rooted in Kyoto." The city hall administration division further said, "Although we have not had the opportunity to use it as a tea ceremony room so far, we would like to continue to cooperate in any way we can to promote the culture of Kyoto."
