Tours

Japanese Garden Tour and Tea Ceremony Demonstration (Morning)

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The Japanese Garden at Pocantico

Visitor Info

Tickets: $37.75

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Join Stephen Morrell, horticulturalist and long-time student of tea, for an intimate tour of the Rockefeller Japanese Garden and an in-depth look at the beauty and simplicity of Japanese gardens. Morrell will discuss the evolution of centuries-old design principles that inform Japanese gardens and how they can be adapted in America. The tour will include a tea ceremony demonstration in the sukiya-style tea house designed by renowned Tokyo architect Junzo Yoshimura. 

Please note that not all guests will be served tea due to the elaborate and time-intensive nature of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. 

Please note that the Japanese Garden is not ADA-accessible. It has uneven paths that can be slippery when wet, and there are no restroom facilities. Sturdy, comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended. 

The rain date for this event is June 7.

Stephen Morrell

Stephen Morrell is a graduate of the New York Botanical Garden School of Horticulture and holds the North American Diploma in horticulture from the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. His experience with Japanese culture comes from independent study tours in Japan as well as from his practice of Zen Buddhism at Zen Mountain Monastery. His ongoing study of the tea ceremony, begun in 1983 at the Urasenke Chanoyu Society of New York, provides a background in Japanese aesthetics.