Sunday tea gathering in Samurai town near Narita!!

Visit Samurai retainer's residential quarter designated as Japan Heritage.(Samurai houses built in the late Edo Period!!)

There are three old Samurai Houses(※) along the main street(named Samurai Houses Street) of the quarter, surrounded by high walls and quick hedges, where you can feel the nostalgic air of Samurai-era. These well preserved residences were built in the later half of Edo Period where some samurai of SAKURA clan(samurai retainer) really used to live. These rarely seen Samurai Houses still remaining and open to the public definitely expose you to the samurai's life style!!

(※)This group of Samurai Houses is the one of the cultural properties that make up the Japan Heritage titled "Edo-Era Travelogue of Four Hokuso cities' traditional townscape filled with the nostalgic air of Edo"

Stroll SAKURA Castle Ruins Park(The ruins is also Japan Heritage)and lunch

This expansive and beautiful park is set amidst the ruins of SAKURA Castle(※) used to serve as a strategic point to protect the east of Edo from 1617 to 1868. There's little left of the original castle, but there still remain the ruins of the fortifications such as defensive mounds,dry moats, water-filled moats and rarely seen large-sized "馬出し空堀Umadashi-karabori”or a type of dry moat demarcated an enclosure(bailey) along with earthen embankments(ramparts). The enclosure served as a hidden entranceway(more likely a carriage porch space) for samurai on horseback!!

Tha can feel the nostalgic air of samurai-era here!!

(※)This group of the ruins is also the one of the cultural properties that make up the Japan Heritage.

◆Tea ceremony experience in Sankei-tei(tea ceremony house) in the Park◆

【About】

The tea ceremony experience is not usual hands-on workshop focusing on foreign tourist. You join a briefly simplified tea ceremony for the locals,and have a sweet and a bowl of tea served by the tea master.(But,by observing the highly artistic procedure of making tea, you’ll see how tea ceremony is performed, and how great-tasting green tea is made!! Now,many visitors from abroad enjoy this event!!)

You’ll visit a municipal-owned tea ceremony house named Sankei-tei located in SAKURA Castle Ruins Park, where you can have a refreshing bowl of matcha powered green tea with a wagashi Japanese sweet served by the Kimono wearing local tea master!! By observing the highly artistic procedure of making tea, you’ll see how tea ceremony is performed, and how great-tasting green tea is made.(See the video of the actual footage!!)

Additionally,this interesting event hosted by the locals as volunteer activity is open to everybody for a small fee!!(for only 400yen/person: as cost for a bowl of tea)

The tea ceremony house of Sankei-tei was originally built in 1954 at Nogi Shrine(noted for its enshrined deity of General Nogi Maresuke)in Tokyo,being modeled on a tea room named Bosen, which is a national important cultural property in Koho-an sub-temple of world famous Daitoku-ji temple in Kyoto.

SAKURA city received the tea room from Nogi Shrine and brought it to SAKURA city to be reconstructed at the current location in 1983.

Moreover,Sankei-tei has beautiful tea garden!! You’ll be completely immersed in the traditional atmosphere of Japan!!

The tour of the National Museum of Japanese History in the park.(Japan's largest museum of history and folklore)

The REKIHAKU located in the park,which is Japan's only nationally operated and the largest museum of history and folklore,houses and displays some 230,000 artifacts of historical importance and cultural value that together help to tell the story of Japan's past!!(Its exhibits cover age periods from ancient to modern times,visually presenting the various moments of history,and scenes of everyday popular life.(※) )

In developing its galleries,REKIHAKU has endeavored to produce concrete,visual exhibits that facilitate an understanding of Japanese history and culture,relying on both the numerous authentic artifacts in its collection, and faithfully reproduced replicas and scale models based on academic validations.

At the end of REKIHAKU tour, you can drop by the museum store, where research bulletins, exhibition catalogues, and other REKIHAKU publications including visitor's guide book(summary of all the Galleries of this museum written in English) are available for purchase. Also available are picture postcards of museum artifacts,a variety of handicrafts, and an extensive collection of museum catalogues from around Japan!!

That's why I'm sure that you can most easily deepen your understanding on Japanese history and folklore through this exciting REKIHAKU tour!!

(※)The permanent exhibitions span six galleries from prehistoric to modern times, but only the first gallery(Paleolithic age～8th century) is currently closed for refurbishment.