My cup of tea

There's always a bit of nervousness right before we meet our host family, especially this time, because we were all going to different towns with different Rotary Clubs.

This time I got lucky. The family I'm staying at owns a hotel with hot springs in Narugo, a small moutian town in the Miyagi Prefecture. They also have a daughter who is my age. Yesterday, instead of visits to the mayor or a bank, like was on the original itinerary, I hung out with Eriko all day.

She is taking lessons on how to perform tea ceremonies, so I tagged along. I didn't realize how complicated and meticulous tea ceremonies are. An 80-year-old woman instructed her in a soft voice how to step into the room, which foot to step with first, how slide her hand on a ladle, stir the tea, and clean the stick she used to make the tea. There were two other students there who were older than Eriko. Apparently, you remain a student for about 50 years before you can become a teacher yourself, and even so, this teacher is still a student elsewhere herself.\

Despite the formality, the students laughed at their mistakes, and there was a certain ease I imagine a real tea ceremony wouldn't have. I got to participate, because the person who makes the tea serves it to each of the guests. And yes, there is a procedure to drinking the tea to, including bowing on your hands and knees, turning the bowl in your hand clockwise several times, drinking and turning it counterclockwise. The entire process is geared to show reverence for the tea, with the most style and grace possible. It was fascinating, but long. We were there for about three and a half hours, and they other women sat back on their knees the entire time. They gave me a chair, which I was thankful for, since my feet fell asleep after about five minutes.


Lesson learned: Tea isn't just tea in Japan.