A Tea Ceremony in a Kimono

皆さん, こんにちは! Minasan, konnichiwa! Hello everyone! 🌸

Now I could finally tick off two more things on my to-do list. Together with my colleague Tomoko, I borrowed a kimono and we walked through the streets of Kyoto to do a small photoshoot. For example, we were in the Gion district and at the Yasaka shrine. 👘

Luckily you are helped to put on and take off the kimono because it's not that easy! You also have to get used to walking in a kimono, but it works, even if your feet hurt after a while because, in my opinion, the shoes are not the most comfortable. Nevertheless, it is worth trying it out, because it is a cool experience and looks nice! Dressed in a kimono, we went to take part in a tea ceremony. I will tell you now how this works. 😉 The duration of a tea ceremony can vary widely. We opted for a 20-minute session, but there are also offers that are more longer but to get a good insight, 20 minutes is enough. During a tea ceremony, certain procedures have to be followed, but don't worry: you can participate without knowing them because everything will be explained well during the ceremony! Nevertheless, it cannot hurt to find out beforehand what is going to happen. 😉 The tea house where the ceremony takes place is usually surrounded by a simple garden. In front of the house, there is a washing point where you can wash your hands. After taking off your shoes in front of the entrance, you can enter the tea house. The floor is usually covered with tatami mats and if you look around you should discover a corner that is decorated with flowers and wall decoration. When everyone has entered the room, you are assigned a place and you kneel. A cross-legged position is also okay and sometimes there are even small stools. When everyone is seated, the ceremony can begin. You will probably be given a briefing at the beginning and you will be given some information before the host begins to prepare Matcha tea. The tea is served to the participants one after the other. The host fills the cup up and places it on the tatami mat in front of you.

Now you may have to say a few words before you can drink the tea, but it may also work without it. But it is important to take a little bow before you take the tea in your hand. Just pay attention to the host's instructions, so nothing should go wrong. When drinking the tea, you must place the bowl on your left hand and rest your right hand on the side of the bowl. Now turn the bowl clockwise twice before drinking the tea with 3 to 5 sips. You must sip audibly on the last sip. As soon as you have finished drinking, turn the bowl back to its starting position, which means twice counterclockwise. 🍵

After everyone had their tea one after the other, we were allowed to try mixing the tea ourselves. In addition to the tea, a few traditional Japanese sweets (Wagashi) are also served. After we finished the tea, we tried it and had a little conversation.

The tea ceremony was an exciting and interesting event so give it a try if you have the chance!

次回まで! Jikai made! See you next time! 💕