The traditional Japanese tea house or chaya first appeared during the Muromachi period (14th~16th centuries) and was commonly used especially in the Edo period.
Chaya was commonly used as a rest-stop for travelers and as a place for public entertainment. Chaya occasionally appear in Ukiyo-e, or a Japanese genre art of the Edo period. Today in Japan, cafes are called kissaten (きっさてん) and can be found everywhere. On the other hand, chaya most likely only exist now as tourist attractions.
This photo shows the well-preserved Mizutani Chaya (水谷茶屋) located in the city of Nara, Japan.
