roji

Roji is a Japanese term that can refer to two related but distinct concepts. In everyday language, roji (路地) denotes a narrow alley or back street in Japanese towns and cities. Such lanes connect blocks and courtyards, and in historic districts they retain traditional paving, low walls, and shopfronts. The word is often used to evoke intimate, quiet spaces within dense urban fabric, and these alleys can vary from utilitarian to picturesque.

In the context of the Japanese tea ceremony and traditional gardens, roji (露地) refers to the garden path leading to a teahouse (chashitsu). This deliberate, contemplative approach space often includes features such as a tsukubai stone water basin for ritual washing, a bamboo fountain, mossy stepping stones, and carefully pruned plants. The winding, modest route is designed to prepare guests for entering the tea space, fostering humility and mindfulness and signaling a transition from outer world to inner ceremony. The roji culminates at the nijiriguchi, the small entrance to the teahouse.

Etymology: while both terms are read as "roji," they use different kanji and convey different ideas—路地 for an urban alley and 露地 for a dew-lit garden path. In English-language writing about Japanese culture, roji is commonly associated with both forgotten lanes and the liminal space of tea ceremony.