Japanese Tea Ceremony
Posted by
Brittney Murray
Monday, March 28, 2011
8:08 AM
Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Elizabeth Johnson, a friend of mine from college who had just returned from Japan after studying abroad. While in Japan, Elizabeth was able to participate in a Japanese tea ceremony which is a practice that’s rooted deep in Japan’s culture. The tea ceremony, or Ocyaka (pronounced “oh kuh kye”) is a form of spirituality in Japan much like a church service is in the U.S. The three major schools of tea ceremony in Japan are the Urasenke, which is the most popular, the school Elizabeth participated in called the Omotesenke, and MushakÅjisenke. There are more similarities than differences between the schools. Imagine gansta rap, hip-hop, and R&B, they’re essentially the same thing, but still different.
Most ceremonies last between one to four hours, typically longer if food is served along with the tea. The food that is served is usually sweet, which I would imagine would intensify the bitter taste of the matcha, which is a green powder that the host makes into tea. If the host is a woman, she will be dressed in a traditional kimono and will stir the matcha until it is very frothy. I was curious how Elizabeth felt participating in such a ceremony and asked if she felt awkward at all during the ceremony. She was studying abroad with students from other countries as well, so she told me it wasn’t as awkward as one might think, even though she had to ask on numerous occasions when to say certain things. In Omotesenke, there are times during the ceremony where certain phrases should be said prior to drinking the tea, etc.
In Japan, tea, especially green tea is an integral part of their culture, so much so, that nearly every vending machine in Japan contains a bottle of cold green tea. The tea ceremony is something that’s so important to Japanese culture, that often women will learn how to perform the ceremony prior to marriage so that it may be performed with her husband. The tea ceremony is a very intricate and beautiful ceremony, that many people take years upon years to master. It’s like playing the guitar, it’s very difficult and takes years to become adept to, but once you do the results are beautiful.
In response to the earthquake and tsunami that have devastated Japan, I urge you to click the link and donate to the Red Cross. Every little bit counts no matter how much you're able to give.
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