Have you ever discovered your own culture through the eyes of a foreign friend? That’s exactly how my journey with tea ceremony began.
About twenty years ago, I went on a trip to France. Until then, I’d always been a little obsessed with the UK—I saved up every chance I got and visited seven or eight times to see my host family I stayed with during my homestay as a student. But on my seventh trip, I hopped on the Eurostar to Paris, then took the TGV to Avignon. France felt so different from the UK I knew, and I completely fell in love with it. Of course ,the UK still holds a special place in my heart, and I’d love to return someday, though.
After that trip, I realized I wanted more than just sightseeing—I wanted to talk with people, to connect. So when I got back to Japan, I signed up for French classes and even found two pen pals online who were around my age. They were both wonderful, and we ended up becoming long-term friends, visiting each other in Japan and France.
At first, my goal was to speak French with them. But since my French didn’t improve much, our conversations soon shifted to English. One of them, a man living near Biarritz, was especially fascinating. He loved Japan so much that he studied tea ceremony in France, built a tea garden, and even constructed his own tea room.
Meanwhile, I was Japanese, but I barely knew anything about my own culture. He kept asking me questions about Japan and tea that I couldn’t answer. I felt I couldn’t just ignore it, so I researched and explained things in English as best I could. It wasn’t easy back then—no Google Translate, no ChatGPT!
That’s when it hit me: I knew so little about my own country, and it was embarrassing. So I made a decision—I would study tea ceremony.
Learning tea was not quick. But I was fortunate to meet an amazing tea teacher. It took years to get the basic movements right, and now I can also put on kimono by myself.
When I had learned enough to perform a simple tea ceremony, I visited France and shared a bowl of matcha with him in his handmade tea room, wearing a kimono. It was such a moving and unforgettable experience. Even though it was in the south of France, his tea garden and tea room felt so authentic that I almost forgot I was outside Japan.
The world of tea keeps expanding: scrolls, sweets, flowers, gardens, utensils… It feels like a universe with no end. And the more I learn, the more curious I become.
In the end, making one perfect bowl of tea for a guest is about care, presence, and hospitality. That’s the heart of tea, and it’s what I keep learning.
Funny enough, it was a foreign friend who pushed me onto this path. But because of him, I finally started to feel—yes, I am Japanese.
⇩This is from my YouTube channel — a short video of me making matcha. I share my favorite home cooking and a glimpse of my daily life with my vegetable garden in Japan.
A moment of quiet joy — whisking matcha at home.🍵🌿
Thank you for reading. Learning the tea ceremony has been a journey of discovering not only tradition, but also myself. I’ll keep sharing little moments from my life in Japan — from my garden, kitchen, and everyday reflections. See you in the next post!
by WANOKA
※Please refrain from using or reposting the photos and images in this article without permission.
コメント