“Tea* is fun because it’s play” said my grandmother, who taught me about tea from an early age. While practicing the tea ceremony seems strict, detailed, and full of formality, for some reason, I have always felt very comfortable when sitting in my grandmother’s small tatami room, drinking aromatic matcha.

Since I have lived abroad for a long time, every time I return to Japan, I went to tea practice. I got up early in the morning and went to my grandmother’s house to practice in a kimono, but there was always so much to learn, from the wearing of the kimono, to the utensils, and most of all the different kinds of tea procedures that it seemed endless.

One day, I asked my mother, “Why do we continue Tea? My legs hurt from sitting, and what is the significance in continuing this tradition?” My mother said, “Yes, but I think you’ve already taken what you have learned from tea and applied it in your daily life. Like when you visit your friend’s houses, you notice what they have prepared for you and you talk about it.” It sounds easy, but it’s not. I think tea is practice, and the real stage is how you can make use of it in your daily life.” This conversation brought me feel closer to tea, and I realized that the tea ceremony is about cultivating the spirit of enjoying beauty in everyday life. Wearing a kimono and handling art utensils is to become a part of the process. Only then can one notice the various imperfections and beautiful things called “wabi”.

Rikyu (great master of Japanese tea ceremony) loved to quote this poem as to express the meaning of wabi.

“To those who long only for flowers, fain would I show the full-blown spring that abides in the toiling buds of snow-covered hills.”

It means that though some people wait only for spring to see the treetops full of cherry blossom, the beauty of spring is sown in the small green buds under their feet.

Each person has their own way of expressing themselves, and for me it was tea. To learn from tradition, I look at tea from my own perspective, think about how to evolve while continuing to ask questions in my daily life, and enjoy the time connecting with myself and with others through teatime.

The tea ceremony at Soka’an is based on Omotesenke Fushin’an, and incorporates content that is easy to participate in even for those who are experiencing the tea ceremony for the first time.

*Tea (Japanese tea ceremony): Comprehensive culture in which the host welcomes guests while enjoying nature through tea. Deeply related to Zen, Tea is a culture that symbolizes the uniqueness of Japan.

Photo Credit: Manbo Key