My Tea Ceremony Lesson

Last week I was invited by one of my favourite students to accompany here to a tea ceremony. For some reason I got it into my head that it would be taking place at a temple and had something to do with the national holiday occurring that day (in retrospect this was a giant leap as it was in fact Marine Day). Any who, it turned out that I was in fact accompanying her and another of my students to their tea ceremony lesson.

Now the tea ceremony is pretty old and very traditional and requires the memorizing of countless steps. I am not going to go into it as that is what Wikipedia and Google are for. On the one occasion that I had attended a tea ceremony – at my school’s cultural festival – I wasn’t made quite aware of what it requires. It was only in the presence of my students and my teachers that I realised who detailed it is.

As a guest I was provided with a fan (that I didn’t use) and entered the tatami room following the teachers lead. I had to bow to the wall hanging, then to a fake flower basket and then to the wall hanging again. I then proceeded to cross the floor in a diagonally before walking towards the area where the host prepares the tea. I bowed/looked at the hot water maker and then bowed/looked at the tea and proceeded to my designated spot with my decorative fan. (I am not sure about whether I was meant to bow or just acknowledge it’s existence but in the end no one, including the tea, was too offended.)

My student, Momoe, then started the tea ceremony. As it was just a practice she wasn’t wearing any of the usually dramatic clothes but I did enjoy the way in which she, and the others, still shuffled kimono style in and out of the room.

Every move for the preparation seemed to have a method. Things had to be picked up with the correct hand and specifically positioned.  Near the end things had to be moved around and placed before being replaced to allow for the placement of something else. At one point the water scoop holder had to be put on a stand so that a bowl could be moved near it so that it could then be put  in the bowl and then put on the stand again exactly far enough so that the host doesn’t have to reach for it.

It really is as bizarre as it sounds. 

At least the consuming of liquids and snackage I managed to get vaguely right. But even just being a guest has its rituals. I was provided with paper on which to place my okashi. It consisted of a wad of sheets folded in half. To use it I had to fold the top sheet backwards so that the fold was facing me. This meant that once I had finished using the chopsticks to pick up my delicious snack I could fold the corner over the chopsticks and wipe them clean.

They were all very impressed when I knew how to turn my bowl clockwise before drink the tea. But that was as far as I got impressing anyone. My only other shining moment was when I managed to eat and hold down the only thing worse than natto in Japan. Not even my students managed. By the time we got to the teachers demonstration we had finished the delicious marshamallow-like, jelly type snacks and she brought out a very traditional, old school version of natto. I didn’t realised there was a stage further in fermentation. I am not sure what it involves but it includes violating it with miso and the result was like eating chocolate beef stock. Momoe didn’t even try it and Kanako was barely able to swallow.

My grasp on the whole process is still as loose as Buta’s suspension but it was fascinating to attend a class. It provided much more incite to exactly how precise the whole business is. Had it just been the usual drink, eat and leave scenario it wouldn’t have been half as informative.

I do suggest you try the tortured natto, it is certainly one to add to the list.