Walking through the pine tree groves of ICC Kyoto's Japanese garden, people encounter a traditional Japanese tea house, with a thatched roof, designed in the traditional Sukiya-zukuri architectural style. Its unique roof shape reflects the serenity of the world of Japanese tea ceremony.

The Hosho-an Tea House was built in 1967, one year after the center opened. The first Chinese character in Hosho-an can also be read as takara (or treasure) the same as the first character in the location of the center ( Lake Takaragaike or Treasure Pond). The second character, sho, can also be read as matsu (pine tree) and was taken from the name of the center's chairman of the board of directors and donator of the Hosho-an, Konosuke Matsushita, who is a founder of Panasonic. Tea Ceremony utensils for the Hosho-an were presented by the Urasenke and Omotesenke tea ceremony schools. The Sen Art Studio created the architectural design, and Sotoji Nakamura, a prominent Japanese carpenter, constructed the building house. Kojiro Kawasaki was responsible for the garden design around the tea house, and Shusai Iwaki was responsible for sashimono (traditional Japanese wood joinery techniques that do not use nails or other metal parts to join different section of wood). Mr.Kawasaki and Iwaki were involved in many important national projects including the tea ceremony rooms at Osaka Castle and Wakayama Castle.

Located within the site of the international conference center, the Hosho-an has welcomed countless foreign guests and introduced them to the world of traditional Japanese culture through tea. It is equipped with air conditioning and has an open-space structure which allows people to see the interior from outside as is typical in traditional tea ceremony room design. Hiroma (Large tearoom) can accommodate about 13 guests at one time either in the Ryurei style (sitting at a table; for about 12 people). The ceiling and pillars are made with top quality cedar. The floor is covered with Shigaraki ceramic tiles which is said beginning the use of this style.

The room is surrounded by oak bushes, Japanese andromeda, and azaleas. The bushes give the room a sense of privacy and separation from the "real" world. There is also a lawn area for outside tea ceremonies. The garden has many elements that are part of the tea ceremony world including a stone basin, stone lantern, and stepping stones set in a moss covered approach. The garden reveals Japanese seasonal beauty no matter when people visit: cherry blossoms in spring, fresh green leaves in summer, crimson leaves in autumn, and snowy scenes in winter.

We believe international conferences held at ICC Kyoto are unique since the site offers participants a chance to directly experience the essence of Japanese culture. The Hosho-an is also used to host formal tea ceremonies and as a venue for introducing Japanese culture to paraticipants from overseas and their accompanying peresons. It is also a place to comfortably relax during a conference. Time spent at the Hosho-an creates unforgettable moments of Japanese beauty and cultural insights for the people who visit ICC Kyoto.