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The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu, also chadõ or sadõ in Japanese. It is a multifaceted traditional activity strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism, in which powdered green tea, or matcha, is ceremonially prepared and served to others.

The tea ceremony (Cha-no-yu, Chado, or Sado) is a ritual way of preparing and drinking tea. The custom has been strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. Nowadays, the tea ceremony is a relatively popular kind of hobby. Many Japanese, interested in their own culture, take tea ceremony lessons with a teacher. The Tea ceremonies are held in traditional Japanese rooms in cultural community centres or private homes. The ceremony itself consists of many rituals that have to be learned by heart. Almost each hand movement is prescribed. Basically, the tea is first prepared by the host, and then drunken by the guests. The tea is bitter matcha green tea made of powdered tea leaves.

Cha-no-yu (茶の湯, literally ′hot water for tea′), usually refers to a single ceremony or ritual, while sado or chado (茶道, or ′the way of tea′) refer to the study or doctrine of tea ceremony.

In the 12th century, a new form of tea ′Matcha′ was introduced. This powdered green tea, derived from the same plant as black tea, is unfermented, was first used in religious rituals in Buddhist monasteries. By the 13th century, samurai warriors had begun preparing and drinking matcha, and the foundations of the tea ceremony were laid.

The Tea ceremony developed as a "spiritual practice," and began to evolve its own aesthetic, in particular that of wabi. Wabi (佗, meaning quiet or sober refinement, or subdued taste) and is characterized by humility, restraint, simplicity, naturalism, profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry [emphasizing] simple, unadorned objects and architectural space, and [celebrating] the mellow beauty that time and care impart to materials.

  The Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chaji)

By the 16th century, tea drinking had spread to all levels of society in Japan.   Sen no Rikyu, considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony, introduced the concept of ichi-go ichi-e, (一期一会, literally ′one time, one meeting′), a belief that each meeting should be treasured, for it can never be reproduced.

Though Tea is not native to Japan, the drinking of tea was introduced in the 9th century by a Buddhist monk from China, where it had already been known, according to legend, for thousands of years. Tea soon became widely popular, and began to be cultivated locally.

Tea (ocha) is one of the most popular beverages in Japan. The following is a list of some of the most popular kinds of tea drunk in Japan:

♦ Gyokuro, Sencha, Bancha %#45; Common Japanese green tea made of dried tea leaves (three quality levels in descending order).

♦ Houjicha - Common green tea made of roasted tea leaves (brown coloured tea).

♦ Matcha - Matcha is a quite bitter green tea made out of tea leaf powder. It is the tea used in the tea ceremony.

♦ Chinese Tea - Oolong tea, Jasmine tea, etc.

♦ Kocha - English tea.

Green tea is drunk everywhere and at any time of the day. Unlike English tea, Japanese green tea is served in cups without a handle and is never drunk with sugar or creme. The most polite way of drinking green tea is to hold the cup with one hand and support it from below with the other hand.

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