Rinkan Tea Sauna Ceremony | Nari X Kulttuurisauna X Murasaki

Culminating Nari Japan Fest, we have an extra special treat a year in the making. We’re creating a modern version of the Rinkan Tea Sauna Ceremony (淋汗茶会) in collaboration with Uyo Okabe, Asahiyaki, Kulttuurisauna and Murasaki.

During the 1300s in the Muromachi Period, Zen monks developed the Rinkan Tea Ceremony, where guests were invited to take a steam bath, drink tea, then enjoy a simple meal. During the Sengoku period, which was rife with warfare and social upheaval, the Rinkan Tea Ceremony took on a new purpose as a way to help Samurai transition from warring to civilian life. Within this ceremony, participants would purify the body in the sauna, cleanse the mind in the tea ceremony, then nurture the soul with delicious food and sake.

Over the past year Uyo has been developing Tea Sauna events in tea fields throughout Japan, where participants drink Japanese tea from the farm, then the tea is used as löyly in a pop up wood sauna creating a multi-sensory experience enveloping the guests in beautiful aromatics. So after Uyo experienced the amazing Kultuurisauna last Japan Fest, he thought it would be a perfect place to bring the Rinkan Tea ceremony to life.

In the Rinkan Tea Ceremony this year, you’ll start with an hour long sauna experience with Tea löyly fueled by the magical wood fired Kulttuurisauna kiln. In the sauna, Uyo and Yiling will lead breathing exercises for the participants as they relax the body in the midst of warm tea fragrances. After the session, Matsubayashi-san and Uyo will lead a matcha tea ceremony using Asahiyaki tea bowls, overlooking the sea, for the guests to help purify the mind. Then the participants will be welcomed with warm food made by the talented Murasaki, as well as a glass of Japanese Sake from Uyo.

The stars aligned this year to have all these masters at their craft – from Uyo and Matsubayashi-san with tea, Kulttuurisauna with sauna, and Murasaki with Japanese cuisine – combine their skills to create a truly unique experience that can only be done with these artisans.

Ceremony Structure 

The Rinkan Tea Sauna Ceremony will start with 1h Sauna with tea-water löyly that is developed by our farmer Jun Morishita. This will be combined with breath work to tune in with your body as the Kulttuurisauna wood fire kiln relaxes the muscles and mind.

After sauna, guests will be guided to 0.5h Tea Ceremony led by Matsubayashi-San from Asahiyaki, using specialty Uji Matcha. The ceremony is also accompanied with Wagashi that is made by Yukako, Tokyo-based wagashi instructor and author.

After the tea ceremony, warm food specially prepared by Murasaki will be served combining Muromachi era Japanese inspired dishes with Finnish ingredients. This will be served with a glass of Japanese beverages curated by tea producer Uyo Okabe – Doburoku, the unfiltered sister of Sake often drank during this period, and Bodaimoto Kenkyukai Sake, which still uses the oldest method for preparing Shubo, the yeast starter that gives life to Sake.

Menu

• Salmon broth somen with silakka
  Somen noodles are made with broth extracted from salmon bones, similar to Finnish salmon soup, and served with sweetly simmered silakka. Somen noodles were often eaten during the original Rinkan ceremony.
• Red and white namasu
  Citric acid is effective for fatigue recovery and is considered auspicious, making it a good choice for celebratory meals.
• Eggplant and green onion miso stir-fry
  After sweating in the sauna, it’s beneficial to consume miso or salt containing sodium for replenishing the sodium expelled during sweating.
• Sesame tofu
  A representative dish of Shojin cuisine, likely consumed even during the Muromachi period.
• Served with a glass of Doburoku & Bodaimoto Kenkyukai Sake

* we also offer Vegan version somen noodle! If you would like to take vegan version, please send us a separate email (info@naritea.com) after booking your ticket.

There will be two time slots: 16 – 19 & 18:30 – 21:30.

We offer a discounted price for the earlier session (16-19) – as we hope to make the event more accessible for students and unemployed people. Everything included in the event is exactly the same between the two time slots.