Matcha Experience Event to be Held at Registered Tangible Cultural Property 'Hakundo Chaya'
Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd. will host its first matcha experience event at 'Hakundo Chaya' within Hakone Gora Park on May 18th and 19th, 2026. Guests will be invited to learn how to prepare matcha from an Ito En Tea Taster, delving into the history of the tea house, with the experience offered free of charge. A special matcha set, 'Matcha Koto Hajime,' will also be available for purchase.
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- 📰 Published: May 13, 2026 at 20:00
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Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Hidehiro Mizukami) will hold its first-ever matcha experience event at 'Hakundo Chaya' located within Hakone Gora Park, which it operates. The event will take place on Monday, May 18th, and Tuesday, May 19th, inviting guests to personally prepare and enjoy matcha.
An Ito En Tea Taster will be invited as a special guest, allowing participants to enjoy the matcha experience while learning about the history of Hakundo Chaya.
Hakundo Chaya was constructed in the 1910s by Takashi Masuda (Don'ō), known as a developer of the Gora area and a businessman, as a friendly 'country-style tea room'. It was later passed on to Tomitaro Hara (Sankei) in 1922 and Yasuzaemon Matsunaga (Jian) in 1940. Carrying on the legacy of these three prominent tea masters of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, this experience event is now being held.
**The outline of the 'Matcha Experience Event' is as follows:**
Image of Hakundo Chaya 'Hakundo'
**1. 'Matcha Experience Event'**
**(1) Experience Content**
Guests will welcome an Ito En Tea Taster and learn about the history of Hakundo Chaya and how to prepare matcha. After the experience, guests can also enjoy viewing Hakundo Chaya. (Includes matcha and sweets) *Participants are requested to complete a survey after the experience.
**(2) Dates and Times**
* **① Monday, May 18, 2026**
* Morning session: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Reception closes 12:00 PM)
* Afternoon session: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Reception closes 3:30 PM)
* **② Tuesday, May 19, 2026**
* Morning session: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Reception closes 11:30 AM)
* Afternoon session: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Reception closes 3:30 PM)
**(3) Location**
Hakundo Chaya 'Hakundo'
**(4) Target Number of Participants**
Approximately up to 5 people per session
* Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
* Please note that advance reservations are not accepted.
* Preschoolers must be accompanied by an adult.
**(5) Experience Duration**
Approximately 20 to 30 minutes
**(6) Experience Fee**
Free (Normally 750 yen per person) *A separate admission fee for Hakone Gora Park is required.
**(7) Product Sales**
To commemorate this event, a matcha set called 'Matcha Koto Hajime,' allowing easy enjoyment of matcha at home, will be sold starting May 18th at the souvenir shop within the park. *It will also be sold at Hakundo on event days.
[Product Name] 'Matcha Koto Hajime'
[Price]
* ① 5,500 yen (tax included) (with bamboo whisk, tea bowl, and matcha)
* ② 4,180 yen (tax included) (with bamboo whisk and tea bowl)
'Matcha Koto Hajime' (with bamboo whisk, tea bowl, and matcha)
**2. About Hakone Gora Park**
**(1) Opening Hours**
* March to November: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last admission 4:30 PM)
* December to February: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Last admission 4:00 PM)
Closed days: Open all year round (with 3 maintenance closure days per year)
**(2) Admission Fee**
* Adults: 650 yen (tax included)
* Children under elementary school age: Free
* Dogs: Free
* Visitors using Hakone Free Pass, Nonbiri Kippu, or Owakudani Kippu can enter for free (including digital tickets).
* Re-entry on the same day and the next day is possible.
* Please present your receipt at the counter.
* Combined Hakone Gora Park/Hakone Museum tickets do not allow re-entry.
**3. Inquiries**
Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd. Facility Business Division
Tel: 0465-32-6827 (Weekdays 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Homepage: https://www.hakonenavi.jp/gorapark/
Official Instagram: [Gora Park] @hakone_goura_park
Hakone Gora Park (hakone gora koen)
Opened in Taisho 3 (1914) in Gora, the terminal station of the Hakone Tozan Railway, this is Japan's first French-style formal garden. French-style formal gardens typically feature geometrically arranged fountains and other elements symmetrically on flat, expansive grounds, but Gora Park is built on a sloping surface. At that time, it was planned in conjunction with the development of the Gora area and has been cherished by residents of villas and many users of the 'Hakone Tozan Railway,' which opened five years later.
Today, the expansive park, surrounded by the same wide sky and mountains as in the past, opened the 'Hakone Craft House' experience workshop in 2004, followed by the sandwich restaurant 'Isshikido Saroh,' making it an attractive place to enjoy various experiences throughout the day.
Hakundo Chaya (hakundo chaen)
'Hakundo Chaya,' quietly nestled in Hakone Gora Park, is a group of tea houses consisting of four tea rooms, including Hakundo, Fusen-an, Taijitei, and Kifu, as well as Shirokuyu, which was used as a rock bath at the time. It was loved as a 'country-style tea room' where guests could freely and enjoyably experience the tea ceremony without being bound by specific schools or manners.
In 2001, it was designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) and has been carefully preserved for over 110 years, succeeding the wishes of Don'ō, Sankei, and Jian, who were known as the 'Three Great Tea Masters' of modern suki throughout the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras.
An Ito En Tea Taster will be invited as a special guest, allowing participants to enjoy the matcha experience while learning about the history of Hakundo Chaya.
Hakundo Chaya was constructed in the 1910s by Takashi Masuda (Don'ō), known as a developer of the Gora area and a businessman, as a friendly 'country-style tea room'. It was later passed on to Tomitaro Hara (Sankei) in 1922 and Yasuzaemon Matsunaga (Jian) in 1940. Carrying on the legacy of these three prominent tea masters of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, this experience event is now being held.
**The outline of the 'Matcha Experience Event' is as follows:**
Image of Hakundo Chaya 'Hakundo'
**1. 'Matcha Experience Event'**
**(1) Experience Content**
Guests will welcome an Ito En Tea Taster and learn about the history of Hakundo Chaya and how to prepare matcha. After the experience, guests can also enjoy viewing Hakundo Chaya. (Includes matcha and sweets) *Participants are requested to complete a survey after the experience.
**(2) Dates and Times**
* **① Monday, May 18, 2026**
* Morning session: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Reception closes 12:00 PM)
* Afternoon session: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Reception closes 3:30 PM)
* **② Tuesday, May 19, 2026**
* Morning session: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Reception closes 11:30 AM)
* Afternoon session: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Reception closes 3:30 PM)
**(3) Location**
Hakundo Chaya 'Hakundo'
**(4) Target Number of Participants**
Approximately up to 5 people per session
* Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
* Please note that advance reservations are not accepted.
* Preschoolers must be accompanied by an adult.
**(5) Experience Duration**
Approximately 20 to 30 minutes
**(6) Experience Fee**
Free (Normally 750 yen per person) *A separate admission fee for Hakone Gora Park is required.
**(7) Product Sales**
To commemorate this event, a matcha set called 'Matcha Koto Hajime,' allowing easy enjoyment of matcha at home, will be sold starting May 18th at the souvenir shop within the park. *It will also be sold at Hakundo on event days.
[Product Name] 'Matcha Koto Hajime'
[Price]
* ① 5,500 yen (tax included) (with bamboo whisk, tea bowl, and matcha)
* ② 4,180 yen (tax included) (with bamboo whisk and tea bowl)
'Matcha Koto Hajime' (with bamboo whisk, tea bowl, and matcha)
**2. About Hakone Gora Park**
**(1) Opening Hours**
* March to November: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last admission 4:30 PM)
* December to February: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Last admission 4:00 PM)
Closed days: Open all year round (with 3 maintenance closure days per year)
**(2) Admission Fee**
* Adults: 650 yen (tax included)
* Children under elementary school age: Free
* Dogs: Free
* Visitors using Hakone Free Pass, Nonbiri Kippu, or Owakudani Kippu can enter for free (including digital tickets).
* Re-entry on the same day and the next day is possible.
* Please present your receipt at the counter.
* Combined Hakone Gora Park/Hakone Museum tickets do not allow re-entry.
**3. Inquiries**
Odakyu Hakone Co., Ltd. Facility Business Division
Tel: 0465-32-6827 (Weekdays 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Homepage: https://www.hakonenavi.jp/gorapark/
Official Instagram: [Gora Park] @hakone_goura_park
Hakone Gora Park (hakone gora koen)
Opened in Taisho 3 (1914) in Gora, the terminal station of the Hakone Tozan Railway, this is Japan's first French-style formal garden. French-style formal gardens typically feature geometrically arranged fountains and other elements symmetrically on flat, expansive grounds, but Gora Park is built on a sloping surface. At that time, it was planned in conjunction with the development of the Gora area and has been cherished by residents of villas and many users of the 'Hakone Tozan Railway,' which opened five years later.
Today, the expansive park, surrounded by the same wide sky and mountains as in the past, opened the 'Hakone Craft House' experience workshop in 2004, followed by the sandwich restaurant 'Isshikido Saroh,' making it an attractive place to enjoy various experiences throughout the day.
Hakundo Chaya (hakundo chaen)
'Hakundo Chaya,' quietly nestled in Hakone Gora Park, is a group of tea houses consisting of four tea rooms, including Hakundo, Fusen-an, Taijitei, and Kifu, as well as Shirokuyu, which was used as a rock bath at the time. It was loved as a 'country-style tea room' where guests could freely and enjoyably experience the tea ceremony without being bound by specific schools or manners.
In 2001, it was designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) and has been carefully preserved for over 110 years, succeeding the wishes of Don'ō, Sankei, and Jian, who were known as the 'Three Great Tea Masters' of modern suki throughout the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras.