Photo/Illutration Visitors attend a morning tea ceremony on the observatory of Tokyo Tower. (Jin Nishioka)

Sipping a bowl of ceremonial tea while gazing out over Tokyo before the day really begins is an experience that’s hard to beat.

The observatory of iconic Tokyo Tower that rises 333 meters in Minato Ward hosts a matcha powdered tea ceremony called Asacha no Yu twice a month from 8 a.m., before the tourist spot opens to visitors.

“I felt refreshed after drinking tea and looking at Tokyo’s cityscape,” said a woman who came from Chiba Prefecture. “I can get the most out of the day if I get up early.”

Tourists from overseas account for half of the participants on some days.

Yuki Mori, an associate professor of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony, said the event originally started to encourage people to enjoy “the empty tourist spot.”

Now, with overtourism being such a major headache across Japan, the program seems to fit the current trend of dispersing tourists over different hours of the day, Mori said.

A growing number of municipalities are trying to promote sightseeing events in the morning and evening to ease congestion during the daytime.

Related News