Dear Beautiful Soul,
The weather in Japan is so lovely these days. Sunny and warm.
The Tea Ceremony is an occasion to appreciate the simplicity of the tea room’s design, the feel of the Chawan (tea bowl) in the hand, the company of friends, and simply a moment of purity.
Once a month I have the pleasure to attend a tea Japanese ceremony. In the Japanese language, it is called Chanoyu 茶の湯, ちゃのゆ. The first kanji 茶 means tea and the second kanji 湯 means hot water.
It is such an exclusive and meditative way to experience the Japanese culture. The tea room, the participants, and the hosts make it all extraordinary.
The tea room is very minimalistic. It is only decorated with simple flower arrangments and hanging scrolls that offer thoughtful wisdom and advice to the participants. The hanging scrolls are selected carefully in accordance with the theme of the ceremony. “Wa kei sei jaku” 和敬清寂, harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility are some examples of characters that could be written on the hanging scroll.
The place I go is in Nakameguro, Tokyo and is a 2 hours ceremony. In the first hour the hosts serve you a thick type of tea 濃茶 (koicha), and in the second hour, the hosts serve you a thin type tea 薄茶 (usucha).
The kind of tea is all matcha, powdered green tea.
Before drinking the tea, the guests indulge themselves in a traditional Japanese sweet, 和菓子 (wagashi). See below photo of hydrangea wagashi made from anko (sweet bean paste).
The whole preparation of the tea is such a beautiful experience. It is all made with GRACE, BEAUTY, and LOVE.
LOVE,
Jeanette
The image on the top is created by /sensaibeauty/
And the second image of Japanese sweets is created by /miesuke4/
Reference: japaneseteaceremony.net