Tea Ceremony on Bunka no hi

'Bunka no hi' is the National culture day in Japan and therefore a tea ceremony was arranged in one of the local parks.
A good friend and her mother invited me(b) to join, and that is an invitation I would never turn down. The atmosphere alone is reason enough to join, the air tingling with respect, humbleness and discipline. The joy of being surrounded by beautiful kimono clad ladies is another good reason for signing up. The excellent tea a third. Tea ceremony is almost like a group meditation where the World is no bigger than the tea ceremony room and everyone's attention is on the art of making and enjoying the tea.

I got the chance to participate in two different kinds of tea ceremonies. One was Iemotosenke, the other omotesenke.


The women on the far left is my friend's mother.