Tea Pak will deal here periodically with a range of issues concerning the tradition, culture and technology of tea around the world. We shall start by telling you about a few aspects of the Japanese "tea cerimony".

The Tea Cerimony

This famous cerimony actually arose in China, and was brought to Japan around 700 AD by Zen Buddhist monks. Every temple has a well-kept garden, with a building made of natural materials, such as wood, bamboo and paper: this is the tea room, set aside especially for the famous cerimony. Before entering the room, the guests must wash their mouths and hands in the running water flowing from a small stone fountain near the entrance. The house has only one, bare room, where the Tea Master prepares the drink according to a well defined ritual pattern, and dilutes a powdered and bitter tea (matcha) in water, mixing it with a bamboo whisk.

Traditionally, very sweet cookies are eaten to make up for the bitterness of the tea. Courses are also held to teach how to perform tea cerimonies; small but nourishing quantities of food are served during the first lesson. The cooking tradition stemming from the tea cerimony is called chakaiseki ryori.

The classic tea cerimony lasts several hours, and provides participants with an opportunity to find spiritual peace and harmony - the actual tea drinking is of secondary importance. In Japan, about one million people regularly attend tea cerimonies.

From: Kiyoshi Hayamizu and Yuhei Hoshino, "Giappone - La cucina nel mondo", Edizione Euroclub, 1997, p. 22