Last week we took part in tea ceremony, or Way of Tea, in a 100+ year old tea house situated amongst the magnificent gardens of the HappoEn. The ceremony of making matcha, powdered green tea, was brought to Japan from China along with Zen Buddhism in the 9th century. Rooted deeply in Japanese ancient culture, the rituals of the ceremony carry much symbolism. My favorite words to describe the art are “sober refinement”. The powdered matcha (green tea) is whipped with boiling water creating a frothy bitter tea and is served with very sweet confections that balance the bitter. Every move seems calculated, including when the sweet is introduced to your palate down to how to turn the bowl two times clockwise before enjoying, and turning two times counter clockwise before setting down. While we were hoping to experience the ceremony kneeling on tatami, our reservation was booked in the tea house where you sit on benches, evidently more accommodating for inflexible westerners. The wind was blowing on this day, and after the tea ceremony we witnessed “sakura fubuki” or a cherry blossom snow storm. Beautifully serene, it was a lovely scene.
The entrance to the tea house. Notice Trisha's reflection as we were waiting.
The confections. 
The preparation. 
Turning the bowl before sipping. 
After. Highly caffeinated from drinking two bowls.
4 comments:
Wow, your friend, Trish, is pretty blessed to have such an experience. It looks like two got your "matcha" down without a hitch! I bet Trish is having a hard time believing she was actually there a week ago!!
Oops! Typo; I meant "you two got yoru matcha down" not "two got" . . . and one more thing; is that an official "Sakura" scarf around your neck in celebration of the cherry blossom season?? So tres chic!!
Oh for goodness' sake' can I spell "your" correctly? Sorry!
Yes, the scarf has officially been named the sakura scarf!
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