Mui-an Teahouse at Hōgon-in Temple

While visiting Arashiyama in 2024, I had the opportunity to enjoy tea at Mui-an (無畏庵), a teahouse located inside the Lion's Roar Garden (Shishiku no Niwa/獅子吼の庭) on the grounds of Hōgon-in temple (宝厳院). 

Mui-an exterior viewed from outside the tea garden.

The garden is only open to the public for special viewing events, usually in spring and autumn.  During these events, tea can be enjoyed at the teahouse for a small fee paid separately from the entry fee.

Signs point to the garden entrance for the special autumn viewing.

Mui-an is a sukiya-style chashitsu (teahouse) with sliding doors, tatami mats, and a tokonoma alcove.  One side of the tea room is open so you can enjoy an uninterrupted view of the garden. 

Mui-an interior with tatami mats, hanging wall scroll, and floral arrangement.

Tea and sweets with a view of the garden.

Guests are provided with a bowl of matcha and a rakugan sweet from Kyoto confectionery Kogetsu (鼓月), pressed with a maple leaf image specific to Hogon-in.

Matcha with rakugan sweet

Hōgon-in (宝厳院) was established in 1461 and later became a sub-temple of Tenryū-ji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Lion's Roar Garden, named for the metaphor for Buddhist teachings, was created by Zen monk Sakugen Shūryō during the Muromachi period in the latter 16th century. The garden style is shakkei or borrowed scenery, which means that the existing landscape of Arashiyama was incorporated into the garden's design.

A tree-lined path through Shishiku no Niwa

A moss-covered area in Shishiku no Niwa