Gakusei Travels

夏の浴衣会!

Today we got to partake in a tea ceremony. The Tsuda Fureai Network is like a program, I think, through the school, and they help Tsuda Exchange Students have Memorable moments during their stay in Japan by experiencing Japanese culture.. This time, we got to wear a yukata (Summer Kimono) and experience Japanese summer events, including the tea ceremony.

I actually did not know this event was happening at first. I guess they put the flyer in my mailbox, but I never actually check my mail, so I missed the RSVP deadline by a couple days. They were nice enough to still let me attend. A group of us went together to Denenchofu Station where we met with everyone else to go to this woman named Ms. Fukuda’s house. Idk how, but some people left the same time we did and we got separated, yet they got there before us?? One of the older ladies also was lowkey rude. I didn’t have time to eat breakfast, so I quickly grabbed a croquette at the station. When she saw me eating she snapped at me, “no. no walking and eating.” Like, excuse me? I’m not a little kid, and don’t tell me what to do. I know it’s a cultural thing to not walk and eat but 1. you didn’t have to be so rude about it and 2. it’s not illegal so sue me. I just shoved the rest of the food in my mouth, cause it was almost gone anyway. That particular woman though was pretty rude and strict all day to be honest. She would scold the other girls, particularly Sam, for the littlest things. My friends started calling her きびしいばば. (Kibishii baba) Which is like “rude old hag.”

Anyway, when we made it to Ms. Fukuda’s house, they were pretty welcoming and kind, offering us drinks and places to sit. I want to say it was 12 of us students that went? So what they did was then separate us into groups of six. The first group went up stairs to get changed into the yukata. The yukata is basically the summer version of a kimono. Regular kimono are insanely heavy with more layers, which is why they’re usually worn in the winter or at important events. The yukata honestly though was still pretty hot to wear, because of how hot it was outside. However, compared to the one I wore back in May at Asakusa, there wasn’t nearly as many layers, ties, and pieces to put on.

While the first group changed, my group got a little history lesson on the tea ceremony tradition and I understood none of it. I couldn’t even begin to tell you want was said. I just kind of nodded along and pretended to be engaged.

After about 30 minutes, it was our turn to get changed. So all my friends and everyone knows that my favorite color is purple. Everything I own is purple from my phone case and accessories, to my suitcases, even my blog is purple themed. It’s honestly a running joke at this point. Since everyone knows this, they specifically left the purple yukata alone for me to wear lol.

The girls all got their hair styled up with accessories. I knew from the moment one of the ladies gave me a kind of concerned look, they weren’t going to be able to do my hair. She was sweet about it, but she was like “do you want to get your hair done too? It may be a little difficult…:” I was like yup never mind. Aicha came through for me. She helped me braid the back of my hair up so we could put it in a ponytail. She then braided some of my bangs, and I was able to get some hair accessories for a quick look that still ended up being pretty cute and matched with everyone else.

Once everyone was changed we had lunch which was kinda meh. But I didn’t want THAT woman to find another reason to scold me, so I just made a small plate and finished everything I got.

Next was the fun part; the tea ceremony. So I’m going to do my best to recount the events. I apologize if I get some stuff wrong. I was doing my best to understand the Japanese instructions.

We start off with a sweet. Matcha for the tea ceremony is INSANELY bitter, so you start with a sweet (お菓子/okashi) to kind of cleanse your pallet. We had something called “anko” which is a dessert made from red bean paste called “azuki.” I don’t really know how to describe the texture. The ball shaped treat broke apart with little resistance from the toothpick, and it kind of dissolved in your mouth. It wasn’t overly sweet, which is what I liked. It was really good and I highly recommend it. Also, before we take the treat, we’re supposed to say to the person sitting after us “お先に” Osakini, which basically means, “I’m eating before you,” in almost like a humble way.

To make the tea, you put one and a half scoops of the matcha powder in your bowl. Then you add about 87ml ( I think it was milliliters) of hot water. You use this whisk called a “chasen” which is made from bamboo. It has several thin tines to help whisk the matcha into an almost foamy liquid. You whisk it back and forth and once it foams up, you circle around in a の shape to make sure to get the excess powder from the side. So the slight problem was that I’m left handed…so it was kinda backwards for me. They were first trying to correct me at first, but I was trying to explain I’m left handed. I can’t do anything with my right hand without making a mess.

After it’s mixed, you’re supposed to drink it in three sips, and on the last sip, you slurp it to signal to the ceremony host that you’re finished with your drink. There’s also some special way you’re supposed to pick up the bowl with your left hand and spin it a certain way with your right hand because the front of the bowl is supposed to face one direction and a whole bunch of other stuff I didn’t quite understand. There were way too many rules and guidelines to just drink a cup of tea. And again, it’s insanely bitter. I think the sweet did soften the impact, but I’m still not a fan of matcha.

Either way, it was still a pretty cool experience, and I had fun taking pictures with everyone in the yukata.