Research Center for Kyoto and tea culture

Kyoto is the center of Japan’s traditional culture. It also holds an important position in the history of cultivation, production and consumption of Japanese tea, and the development of the tea ceremony and related art works. It was Yae Neesima (our founder’s wife) who promoted women’s participation in the tea ceremony after the Modern era. As an area that not only produces high-quality tea but is also home to the Grand Master of the Urasenke School of Tea, Kyoto has always been inextricably linked to tea culture. Capitalizing upon these characteristics of Kyoto, this research center conducts interdisciplinary and comprehensive research on the relationship between the regional identity of Kyoto and tea, whose culture is renowned throughout the world alongside Japanese cuisine, through industry-university-government collaboration. The center aims to not only disseminate its research findings through publications, but also to promote the holding of cultural events and symposiums in Kyoto, thereby making a meaningful contribution to regional vitalization and wider society.