茶道ゆかりの地で千利休の足跡を辿る旅 茶道ゆかりの地で千利休の足跡を辿る旅

HomeItinerariesTea-related Attractions in Sen no Rikyu's Hometown
  • Historical Sites
  • Nature Spots
  • Hands-on Experiences

茶の湯で学ぶ和のココロ お茶と美味しいスイーツが沁みわたる日帰り旅

Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko, located right next to Shukuin Station the Hankai streetcar line, provides an opportunity to learn about the history of famous tea ceremony master Sen no Rikyu. Afterward, you can enjoy tasty sweets and a lovely lunch before heading out toward Daisen Park.

阪堺電車 宿院駅 さかい利晶の杜 千利休屋敷跡 本家 小嶋 かん袋 南宗寺 茶寮 つぼ市製茶本舗 堺本館 大仙公園 江久庵 Machiya Cafe Sacay 阪堺電車 宿院駅 さかい利晶の杜 千利休屋敷跡 本家 小嶋 かん袋 南宗寺 茶寮 つぼ市製茶本舗 堺本館 大仙公園 江久庵 Machiya Cafe Sacay

阪堺電車 宿院駅

阪堺電車 宿院駅イメージ
Kick Off Your Day with a Ride on the Charming Local Streetcar

The Hankai Tramway is Osaka's streetcar service, lovingly known by the nickname chinden in Japanese, and it represents one of the few streetcar services still operational in Japan. Hop aboard and travel to your first destination: Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko. This site can also be reached on foot or by bus from Sakai or Sakaihigashi Station on the Nankai Electric Railway, so choose the route that works best for your planned departure point.

徒歩 約1分

さかい利晶の杜

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Learn About Sen no Rikyu and the Azuchi–Momoyama Period
through Sakai's Latest Technologies and Enriching Exhibits

Learning a bit about Japanese and Sakai history will enhance the rest of your experiences on today's itinerary! Within this stylish glass-plated building, you'll find the "Sen no Rikyu Teahouse" exhibit, which provides a fun way to learn about the history of tea ceremony master Sen no Rikyu as well as Japanese tea ceremony traditions. The exhibit also features a re-creation showing what Taian, the only of Sen no Rikyu's remaining teahouses and a national treasure, looked like when it was first built. And with a reservation in advance, you can even enter the teahouse for yourself!
The Plaza also features a hands-on experience space using virtual reality technology, and the Sakai Enishian gift shop selling famous Sakai confections and other souvenir and gift products.

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区宿院町西2丁1番1号
Tel: 072-260-4386
Official Website: https://www.sakai-rishonomori.com/

(Please view the website for further details)

目の前!

千利休屋敷跡

千利休屋敷跡 イメージ 千利休屋敷跡 イメージ

The site of Sen no Rikyu's former house is just across the road from Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko. Although said to have been bigger back in Rikyu's day, the contemporary grounds still include the Tsubaki-no-ido well, which is believed to contain buried Japanese-camellia-wood (tsubaki) charcoal, and a roofed structure over the well made using old scrap materials from the main gate of Daitokuji Temple (a Buddhist temple with ties to Rikyu himself). Sakai is known for its large number of wells, and the bountiful water these provide has helped drive the development of local tea and tea ceremony culture as well as the town's prosperous sake production in days of old.

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区宿院町西1丁17-1
Tel: 072-233-5258
Site Information: https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/spot/detail/92

(Please call for further details)

徒歩 約5分

本家 小嶋

本家 小嶋 イメージ 本家 小嶋 イメージ

本家 小嶋 イメージ

Stop over at Honke Kojima for some sweet treats! Be sure to try their keshi-mochi; its unique texture is sure to put a smile on your face. This confection features an aromatic keshi (mustard seed) coating on the outside along, a surprisingly soft texture, and smooth, translucent koshian bean paste offering a refreshing flavor. It's a unique product only available at Honke Kojima, which makes it the perfect gift item.
Keshi-mochi is made using only top-quality ingredients and has a history dating back nearly 500 years, its secret recipe passed carefully down through the generations from parent to child. Made with no additives yet boasting a longer shelf life than most confections of its kind, keshi-mochi have remained popular throughout the eras. They are even believed to have been favored by Sen no Rikyu himself!

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区大町西1丁2-21
Tel: 072-232-1876
Official Website: https://www.honkekojima.com/

(Please call for further details)

徒歩 約10分

かん袋

かん袋 イメージ かん袋 イメージ

On to the next shop—which also offers appetizing sweets! When visiting either Kanbukuro or Honke Kojima, it's important to remember that their popular products usually sell out fast, so arriving early in the day is key.
Kanbukuro's menu consists of just two items: kurumimochi sticky-rice cakes in bean paste, and kori-kurumimochi which is the previous item served over shaved ice. Founded in 1329, this old shop has prospered for a long time now and is said to have been named by the celebrated shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Although the name of their confection kurumimochi contains the word kurumi, which usually means "walnut" in Japanese, in this case the word takes on the meaning of kurumu, a verb meaning to enfold or smother—in reference to how the mochi rice cake is smothered in bean paste. In fact, this bean paste has an ultra-sweet taste and pairs perfectly with the texture of the mochi inside. Kurumimochi are so good, you'll devour them in no time! They come in their own uniquely designed jar, and these are available in sets of two packaged for easy take-out! Customers can also eat in-shop if they wish.

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区新在家町東1丁2番1号
Tel: 072-233-1218
Official Website: http://kanbukuro.co.jp/index.html

(Please view the website for further details)

徒歩 約3分

南宗寺

南宗寺 イメージ 南宗寺 イメージ

Famous as a temple where Sen no Rikyu trained in the art of the tea ceremony, Nanshuji Temple boasts a dry landscape garden that is designated by the national government as a "Place of Scenic Beauty." Furthermore, its Buddha Hall, Sanmon and Karamon gates, the memorial tower for the Senkeichimon Gate, and other sections have been officially designated as Important Cultural Properties, and the Jissoan tearoom beloved by the late Rikyu has even been rebuilt on the temple grounds. Nanshuji Temple was burned down during the Siege of Osaka's summer campaign in 1615, and the later reconstruction damaged during an Allied firebombing on July 10, 1945 near the end of World War II. Regardless, the modern-day temple still retains its solemn atmosphere from centuries ago.

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区南旅篭町東3丁-1-2
Tel: 072-232-1654
Site Information: https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/about-sakai/eetoko/08_5.html

(Please call for further details)

Approx. a 30-minute walk

茶寮 つぼ市製茶本舗 堺本館

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  • 茶寮 つぼ市製茶本舗 堺本館
  • 茶寮 つぼ市製茶本舗 堺本館

During your stroll around Sakai, stop in to enjoy lunch in this old tea shop, founded in 1850 and well-known throughout town. Since today's itinerary centers on tea-related sites, we recommend ordering their lunch meal set inspired by tea culture. The meal set includes highly aromatic hojicha roasted green tea accompanied by carefully prepared chagayu (rice porridge with green tea) and other dishes using seasonal ingredients. There is also a good selection of attractive and original confections, including Sakai Rikyu Mochi Japanese-style sweets and Rikyu Mochi Pies, both of which are made with generous amounts of matcha-an (bean paste into which matcha powdered green tea has been kneaded). And don't forget to sample the seasonal red-bean soup with chestnuts and other unique sweets.
Because the shop is based out of an old, renovated Japanese house, you'll feel like you're way up in a mountain hut—without ever leaving central Sakai!

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区九間町東1丁1-2
Tel: 072-227-7809
Official Website: https://tsuboichi.co.jp/store/sakai

(Please view the website for further details)

徒歩 約40分

大仙公園

大仙公園 イメージ 大仙公園 イメージ

After enjoying your lunch, head over to Daisen Park, which is right next to the Tumulus of Emperor Nintoku. Selected as one of the "Top 100 Historical Japanese Parks," this spacious park is 380,000 square meters (93.1 acres) in size and includes natural attractions such as the traditional Japanese garden, the Dora-ike Pond, a spacious lawn area and the "Children's Forest" play area.
It's also home to a museum, a teahouse and other facilities. Furthermore, Yoshino cherries, wild cherries and other types of cherry tree are planted in great numbers around Dora-ike Pond to form the so-called "Sakura Garden," which attracts large numbers of visitors during the cherry blossom season.

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区百舌鳥夕雲町2丁
Tel: 072-241-0291
Site Information: https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/spot/detail/98

(Please call for further details)

Chashitsu Shin'anChashitsu Shin'an

Chashitsu Shin'an

This teahouse was originally built in 1929 in Tokyo's Shiba Park by Ogi Rodo, who was considered a master of the sukiya-zukuri architectural style. The teahouse was relocated to its current Sakai location in 1980. Visitors can enjoy the Japanese tea ceremony in a table-and-chair-equipped tearoom.

Sen no Rikyu Statue

Sen no Rikyu Statue

A statue of the tea ceremony master Sen no Rikyu can be found just a short distance from the teahouse, and near that is a statue of Rikyu's teacher Takeno Jo-o. This park is a great place to immerse yourself in Japanese tea ceremony culture!

Approx. a 30-minute walk

江久庵

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After a stroll around Daisen Park, it's time for some tea! Sen no Rikyu's former Onari-no-Chashitsu teahouse, which was once located at his Osaka residence and had a strong influence on later generations in terms of tea ceremony culture, has been re-created as today's Choun'an teahouse. Visitors can tour the teahouse if they make a reservation in advance. The facility also offers Ogon no Tetsugaku, a rare type of castella cake once used as a tea-pairing sweet by Rikyu. It is made by baking in only high-quality eggs to give it a resplendent golden-yellow color, and its rich flavor comes from the proprietary bake-and-age technique.
Choun'an is a beloved and popular spot among locals for rest and relaxation.
(Note: Special permission has been granted to allow eating and drinking in this cultural facility.)

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区北三国ヶ丘町1丁2番36号
Tel: 072-222-2411
Official Website: http://www.kokyuan.jp/

(Please view the website for further details)

Approx. a 25-minute walk

Machiya Cafe Sacay

Machiya Cafe Sacay  イメージ Machiya Cafe Sacay  イメージ

If you still have the energy for one more stop—highly likely if you borrowed a bike using the local bicycle-sharing service—we recommend going to Machiya Cafe Sacay. This shop that serves Sakai-style Japanese confections rooted in tea ceremony tradition along high-quality green tea, coffee and other beverages. Machiya Cafe Sacay is located in the Sakai Yamanokuchi Shopping Street within the former city center (inside the castle moat), near the homes where tea ceremony masters Sen no Rikyu and Yamanoue Soji, as well as author Akiko Yosano, were born,
If you make a reservation before visiting, you can try making some traditional nerikiri Sakai-style confections for yourself!

Address: 大阪府堺市堺区甲斐町東 1丁2-18
Tel: 072-275-5575
Official Website: http://www.sacay.jp/

(Please view the website for further details)

今回ご紹介したスポット

  • 宿院駅
  • さかい利晶の杜
  • 千利休 屋敷跡
  • 本家 小嶋
  • かん袋
  • 南宗寺
  • 茶寮 つぼ市 製茶本舗
  • 大仙公園
  • 江久庵
  • Machiya Cafe Sacay