Thank you so very much with speaking to the beauty and simplicity of the Japanese tea ceremony, Dr. Miki! I learned about it when I watched The Karate Kid 2, based in Okinawa, Japan. Daniel aka Ralph Macchio and Kumiko aka Tamlyn Tomita experienced a wonderful Japanese Tea ceremony. I personally love the undying spirituality and sweetness of heart that is inherent of being there in Japan. Oh how I wish I could travel there, Dr. Miki!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love that you first discovered the tea ceremony through The Karate Kid 2!
I hope you can visit Japan one day. When you do, I’d love for you to experience a tea ceremony in person — the soft sound of the whisk, the warmth of the bowl, the calmness that fills the room. It stays with you long after the moment ends.
You’re more than welcome for sharing! “Sharing is caring”. I completely understand and agree with you. I can hardly wait to go to Japan. It’d be amazing to meet you one day too. Anyways, I surely feel like I would love to experience a Japanese tea ceremony in person too. I also would love to definitely enjoy sushi and hibachi in Japan!
Yes, I certainly know that one, Dr. Miki! I remember years ago watching the anime Naruto, and that’s when I first learned about hibachi. I know that Japanese restaurants currently serve hibachi because there’s an Akasaka Sushi and Japanese Steakhouse location here in Manassas, VA and I have been eating sushi alongside Chicken and Filet Mignot hibachi for months now every two weeks! Trust me, I know this one, wholeheartedly so! 🥰🙏🏽❤️
You’re definitely welcome, Dr. Miki! I fundamentally and wholeheartedly agree with you about Japanese food culture!
I am really glad you get to enjoy hibachi-style meals at Japanese restaurants also, so you’re truly getting it even more to do with the culture. Maybe you’ll start a new thing for how long you enjoy doing these hibachi-style meals. You could try enjoying sushi too, like I have been doing. Thanks so much for feeling like it’s been so much fun doing so. I truly look forward to these meals when they come to pass. I will get to again next week, not this week, so I just have to wait until then, that’s all. Much appreciated and much love, Dr. Miki! 🥰🙏🏽❤️
I had the privilege of attending a tea ceremony in Kyoto in 2003 with my close Japanese friend and my husband. It’s among my most precious memories. I am attending another tea ceremony this Sunday with my sister for her birthday. It’s taking place in a tea house on Monte Verità, near Locarno, in southern Switzerland, and is held by a Japanese tea ceremony master. I am looking forward to it. Here’s an interesting fact: near the tea house there is a small tea plantation. It’s the only one in Switzerland and I suppose among very few in Europe.
Thank you for sharing your experience — that sounds truly special! And it’s amazing that you’ll be attending another ceremony this Sunday! The fact that there’s a small tea plantation nearby is fascinating as well! I hope you enjoy the ceremony, and please let me know how the experience was!
I’ve done several tea ceremonies both here in the UK as part of Buddhist practice and more traditionally in Japan both in Tokyo and Kyoto. In Tokyo I was asked to pick my own tea bowl for the ceremony and asked for something Wabi Sabi. I was given this misshapen earth coloured bowl and at the end of the ceremony we were told how old our bowls were and what they were worth and mine was worth thousands and was a very old Korean tea bowl!
Thank you for sharing your experience, that’s incredible! Choosing a misshapen bowl for its wabi-sabi feel makes perfect sense, and I can imagine how special it must have felt to learn that it was actually a very old Korean tea bowl worth thousands. What a memorable moment!
Yes — strictly speaking, it’s not the traditional way, but honestly I think it’s more important to enjoy the experience!
When I went recently, there were elderly people who also couldn’t sit on tatami in seiza (that’s the formal “kneeling position” in English), so sitting cross-legged was totally fine.
Thank you so very much with speaking to the beauty and simplicity of the Japanese tea ceremony, Dr. Miki! I learned about it when I watched The Karate Kid 2, based in Okinawa, Japan. Daniel aka Ralph Macchio and Kumiko aka Tamlyn Tomita experienced a wonderful Japanese Tea ceremony. I personally love the undying spirituality and sweetness of heart that is inherent of being there in Japan. Oh how I wish I could travel there, Dr. Miki!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love that you first discovered the tea ceremony through The Karate Kid 2!
I hope you can visit Japan one day. When you do, I’d love for you to experience a tea ceremony in person — the soft sound of the whisk, the warmth of the bowl, the calmness that fills the room. It stays with you long after the moment ends.
You’re more than welcome for sharing! “Sharing is caring”. I completely understand and agree with you. I can hardly wait to go to Japan. It’d be amazing to meet you one day too. Anyways, I surely feel like I would love to experience a Japanese tea ceremony in person too. I also would love to definitely enjoy sushi and hibachi in Japan!
Thank you!
And, hibachi! You know that one! How did you learn about hibachi? I didn’t know it was that famous internationally!
Yes, I certainly know that one, Dr. Miki! I remember years ago watching the anime Naruto, and that’s when I first learned about hibachi. I know that Japanese restaurants currently serve hibachi because there’s an Akasaka Sushi and Japanese Steakhouse location here in Manassas, VA and I have been eating sushi alongside Chicken and Filet Mignot hibachi for months now every two weeks! Trust me, I know this one, wholeheartedly so! 🥰🙏🏽❤️
Thank you for sharing that, Michael! And wow—that’s amazing! I really think that Naruto introduced so many people to Japanese food culture!
I sometimes eat hibachi-style meals at Japanese restaurants too, but not that often, so it’s fun to hear how regularly you enjoy it.
You’re definitely welcome, Dr. Miki! I fundamentally and wholeheartedly agree with you about Japanese food culture!
I am really glad you get to enjoy hibachi-style meals at Japanese restaurants also, so you’re truly getting it even more to do with the culture. Maybe you’ll start a new thing for how long you enjoy doing these hibachi-style meals. You could try enjoying sushi too, like I have been doing. Thanks so much for feeling like it’s been so much fun doing so. I truly look forward to these meals when they come to pass. I will get to again next week, not this week, so I just have to wait until then, that’s all. Much appreciated and much love, Dr. Miki! 🥰🙏🏽❤️
Thank you for this beautiful description of tea ceremony. I hope to experience this elegant ritual when we visit next year 🍵
Thank you so much for the kind comment! That’s wonderful you’re visiting Japan next year — have you decided which places you’ll be visiting?
Picture perfect except for the silly mask.
Thank you for your comment! I actually didn’t even notice the mask until later.
I had the privilege of attending a tea ceremony in Kyoto in 2003 with my close Japanese friend and my husband. It’s among my most precious memories. I am attending another tea ceremony this Sunday with my sister for her birthday. It’s taking place in a tea house on Monte Verità, near Locarno, in southern Switzerland, and is held by a Japanese tea ceremony master. I am looking forward to it. Here’s an interesting fact: near the tea house there is a small tea plantation. It’s the only one in Switzerland and I suppose among very few in Europe.
Thank you for sharing your experience — that sounds truly special! And it’s amazing that you’ll be attending another ceremony this Sunday! The fact that there’s a small tea plantation nearby is fascinating as well! I hope you enjoy the ceremony, and please let me know how the experience was!
I’ve done several tea ceremonies both here in the UK as part of Buddhist practice and more traditionally in Japan both in Tokyo and Kyoto. In Tokyo I was asked to pick my own tea bowl for the ceremony and asked for something Wabi Sabi. I was given this misshapen earth coloured bowl and at the end of the ceremony we were told how old our bowls were and what they were worth and mine was worth thousands and was a very old Korean tea bowl!
Thank you for sharing your experience, that’s incredible! Choosing a misshapen bowl for its wabi-sabi feel makes perfect sense, and I can imagine how special it must have felt to learn that it was actually a very old Korean tea bowl worth thousands. What a memorable moment!
I always enjoy your posts, they're like a little morsel of civilization.
Thank you so much for the kind comment! I’m really happy to hear that. I hope I can keep sharing many more pieces of Japanese culture with you!
(cross-legged is okay)👍👍👍
Yes — strictly speaking, it’s not the traditional way, but honestly I think it’s more important to enjoy the experience!
When I went recently, there were elderly people who also couldn’t sit on tatami in seiza (that’s the formal “kneeling position” in English), so sitting cross-legged was totally fine.