Japanese Tea Ceremony
Olivia and I had the pleasure of participating in a Japanese Tea Ceremony class through the Marine's tours office. The guide and his apprentice were fluent in Japanese and very knowledgeable in history and customs. They gave some introductory instruction on the drive to the tea house. Japanese tea ceremony is more common on mainland Japan, as Okinawa was an independent kingdom until the late 1890s. The ceremony is tied very closely to Zen Buddhism, therefore is intended to be a solemn or reverent experience.
There is now way we would have found this place on our own, literally on an alley sized road behind a hospital, the house is hardly visible behind the larger buildings.
We arrived at the front door and traded our shoes for wooden sandals. As the ceremony takes place on a traditional Tatami mat, we were instructed when we signed up for the event to wear white socks. It isn't so easy to wear wooden flip-flop type sandals with socks, but it wasn't for long. We walked through the garden on a stone path to a stone fountain. There, we use the bamboo ladle to wash the left hand, the right hand, then to rinse our mouth and spit the water on the ground, all this careful not to return the used water to the basin. The purpose of this step is to purify our hands and our mouth. After purifying, we enter the tea room through a window like opening about a foot off the ground and probably three feet square. As we enter the ledge on our knees, we remove the wooden sandals. This type of entrance requires the participant to come into the room in a bowing posture, to promote humility. Once in the Tatami room, we were allowed to sit on bench with a table. Traditionally, we would have sat on the floor on our legs in a pose called seiza.
We began by learning about the significance of a tea ceremony and its connection to religion. Traditionally, the ceremony would have phrases from Zen Buddhism incorporated. Our teacher happens to be a Christian reverend, so instead of Buddhist sayings she used scripture from the bible. There are still teachings from Zen that can be applied in a Christian lifestyle, for example how Zen encourages to look at each task as an opportunity to be in worship (even doing the dishes!). We also learned the proper procedure for receiving and drinking the tea. In this we learned that the ceremony is very much a polished ritual, to show respect.
The tea ceremony proceeded in four parts. First, the moist sweet. This was a bun type ball called a Moshi, made of about 100 grams of rice pounded down into a sweet little ball.
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| Garden of the tea house |
There is now way we would have found this place on our own, literally on an alley sized road behind a hospital, the house is hardly visible behind the larger buildings.
We arrived at the front door and traded our shoes for wooden sandals. As the ceremony takes place on a traditional Tatami mat, we were instructed when we signed up for the event to wear white socks. It isn't so easy to wear wooden flip-flop type sandals with socks, but it wasn't for long. We walked through the garden on a stone path to a stone fountain. There, we use the bamboo ladle to wash the left hand, the right hand, then to rinse our mouth and spit the water on the ground, all this careful not to return the used water to the basin. The purpose of this step is to purify our hands and our mouth. After purifying, we enter the tea room through a window like opening about a foot off the ground and probably three feet square. As we enter the ledge on our knees, we remove the wooden sandals. This type of entrance requires the participant to come into the room in a bowing posture, to promote humility. Once in the Tatami room, we were allowed to sit on bench with a table. Traditionally, we would have sat on the floor on our legs in a pose called seiza.
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| Where the teacher sat and prepared the tea |
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| Moshi |
Next came the thick tea. This cup is shared by all people at the table (we had three people per table). The first person would say "Osakimini" which means "I will go first." Each participant, when receiving the cup, bows and says "arigato" or "Thank you." Take the cup in your right hand and place it on the fingers or palm of the left hand. Turn the cup clockwise two twice (180 degrees), bows to the cup again and takes 3 1/2 draws (sips). Then place the cup on the table. Neatly folded towelettes are provided to wipe the lip of the cup three times, each with a clean piece of the cloth from left to right. Turn the cup counterclockwise twice (180 degrees) and pass the cup to the next person. Thick tea is very thick, like a spinach puree, and bitter. Not something I would choose for refreshment, but part of the process. It vaguely reminded me of the bitter herb in a Passover celebration.
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| Thick tea |
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| Dry sweet |
Next we had a dry sweet, a sort of sweet rice cookie with small sugar candies similar to what we might use to decorate a cake or cookie.
The fourth step was thin tea. This was more like a green tea we might drink for refreshment, however the teacher said the variety used for a tea ceremony was not typically used in restaurants or for general consumption. This tea might change to match the seasons, as part of the Zen was to be in harmony with nature. Each participant received a cup, turn the cup twice (180 degrees) and sip at your leisure. Then wipe the lip of the cup with your finger, wipe your finger on the napkin saved from the dry sweet, and admire the cup. Our cups were somewhat plain, but a tea service typically has some design on the face of the cup. This is what all the turning is for, the cup is presented the participant with the face of the cup facing the participant. The participant turns the cup to point the face out, towards the teacher or group.
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| Thin tea |
After the ceremony was complete, we visited a little and the teacher requests a photo be taken with each group. We got a group photo on our camera as well.
Our group had Olivia and myself, another single lady, a couple and their three children aged 16, 13 and 2. The youngest was a little noisy and a little squirmy, particularly during the teaching portions. The teacher was very benevolent, and tour guide says she enjoys children. The other staff member brought a Lion King board book and the little girl was content for quite a while.
After the tea ceremony we went to what is known as International Street in Naha. This very touristy area had shop after shop, mostly with the same stuff priced for tourists. Olivia and I started out by having lunch at another sushi-go-round. We tried a few interesting things, and with the help of one of our guides who went to the same place we learned the name of that horrible thing Jim tried at the first sushi go round: "Fermented Soy Beans" Yummy!?!
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| Some little fishes (left) and tiny squid (right) |
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| The Infamous "Fermented Soy Bean" roll |
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| Delivery truck |
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| Pickup truck |
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| Biker Gang - Mopeds/scooters tend to weave through traffic and at a stoplight move to the front of the vehicles waiting. |
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| Crew Cab or Japanese equivalent to an "Avalanche" |
Jim took us out to another of his favorite places for dinner, a Hawaiian restaurant called Ona Kau Kau. They, of course, had spam (and lots of other delicious fare!)
Finally, home after a long day we discover The Box had finally arrived. Mailed on May 17, it arrived on base on June 28. At least it wasn't all for loss. Packed with games, outdoor toys and an inner tube, we might still be able to enjoy some of its contents.
