Wedding and Tea Ceremony

The background to our current Japanese adventure is the anticipation of the upcoming wedding of Sarah Pinchevsky and Hideki Aniya. With wedding thoughts in our heads, we seem to often spot young couples who take their wedding photos in beautiful surroundings, wearing traditional Japanese clothes. It represents to us how the Japanese society, with all its modernization, still maintains its strong sense of culture and tradition.
This sense of maintaining tradition and culture in a modern society is best represented in the practice of the Tea Ceremony. On this visit we felt very privileged  and honoured when we observed and participated in two Tea Ceremonies.


The following quote resonates with how I felt when entering the Tea Ceremony Room:
"If you experience a small intimate tea gathering as a guest, the cares of the world will start to lift as soon as you walk on the moist stepping stones of a garden, sit at a covered waiting bench and rinse your hands and mouth at a water basin"
Both of our wonderful hostesses live in modern apartments, therefore the above mentioned activities took place indoors. But I definitely felt lifting of worries, sense of calm and peace, as soon as I entered the Tea Ceremony Room and sat on the tatami mat.


I realize now that participating in a traditional tea ceremony in a modern apartment is a microcosm of modern Japan where modern life and old time traditions peacefully coexist.


The 2 photos introduce you to the clothing, setting and utensils of the tea ceremony.


The elegant lady who is conducting the tea ceremony solo is Marie Takahashi, our friend Nahoko's mother. Takahashi-san introduced me to the Tea Ceremony on our previous visit to Japan, and this time I was re-invited with Marcel. Her elegance and generosity are treasured by us, 


Many thanks to Takahashi san and the other wonderful sensei (teachers), for sharing your Tea Room with us


Arigatoo Gusaimasu


Piki