Chanoyu: What Have You Been Studying for So Long?

I have been studying Chanoyu, commonly referred to in English as the Japanese Tea Ceremony, for 7.5 years as of this writing. While my sensei considers me an intermediate student, in many ways I feel like a beginner. 

I'm almost universally met with a "Wow!" when I share that I've been studying for this long. And what most folks are too polite to ask is, "What's taking so long?" :-)  It's a fair question!

First, there isn't one "tea ceremony." There are many variations, based on numerous factors such as season, guests, occasion, utensils, location and much more. Also, the further into my studies I go, the more complicated and lengthy the procedures become.

Second, it's physically demanding! It's hard (at least for me) to sit on my knees for long periods. Add to that the need to walk in a specific manner, make each movement with deliberation, and rise gracefully from the kneeling position (with precious tea utensils in my hands). It takes practice, conditioning, and skill to make this all look effortless. There is much to be learned! 

Third, we learn about many Japanese art forms and much history as we go. This includes the art and craft of pottery, ceramics, iron, bamboo, calligraphy, lacquer, wood, incense, flowers and more. We learn and tell stories about the tea utensils and the people who have made them.

And finally, I've referred so far to Chanoyu, which means hot water for tea. The term Chado, or the way of tea, is another expression, one of great depth, used for tea ceremony. There are four grounding principles in the tea ceremony: Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility. To me, Chado expresses the spirit one has when approaching tea ceremony with discipline, mindfulness and care, and when attempting to apply the four principles to life.

Like ballet or painting or writing, there are elements of both discipline and art that can be studied, practiced and honed over a lifetime. One of my favorite experiences of tea ceremony was when I was invited to a tea gathering in Nara, Japan a few years ago (as a guest of my sensei). We watched as women well into their 70s and 80s practiced tea, with their sensei being nearly 90. They moved fluidly through the steps of the ceremony and appeared to radiate with their love of tea. May I be so fortunate!

Whisking Matcha for Enjoyment at Home

Hello and happy Spring!  I'm going to be writing a series on the "Japanese Tea Ceremony" experience, known as Chanoyu or Chadō (the Way of Tea). But before we dive into that, I want to share how you can easily make and enjoy a bowl of matcha at home. 

And when I say bowl, I mean just that! In this style of drinking matcha, each person gets their own bowl of tea. I'll be making thin tea, called usucha. It's the frothy kind and it's amazing!

It's important to understand that there are many different schools of Chadō, and each has its own way of making tea. There are differences in how to whisk, the desired frothiness, etc. And yet each produces a beautiful and delicious bowl of tea. The school from Japan that I am associated with is Urasenke.  My local school is Issoan. Even though the instructions below are not for a tea ceremony, the style I've learned will show through.

In the picture above, you see a shaped "mountain" of matcha in a traditional tea caddy. Below are the typical implements: a bowl, whisk, scoop, tea caddy and a water ladle. You will not need all of these things.

What you WILL need: 

• A bowl with a wide enough bottom for the whisk to move freely. Something like a rice or cereal bowl.
• A measuring cup
• A mesh strainer
• Teaspoon
• Bamboo whisk 
• Matcha 

I recommend two investments for home enjoyment of matcha: A bamboo whisk (chasen) and good matcha. A reputable source available in the US is Ippodo. Please be careful where you buy your matcha and do not use cooking grade. You are ingesting the ground-up leaf and the flavor is intensified. You want the good stuff for drinking. Expect to pay $25-30/canister for a decent matcha.  See this site for more options. Also, don't buy large quantities and store the canister of matcha in a plastic bag with the air pushed out, in the freezer. 

To make your bowl of matcha:

1. Rinse your bowl with hot water, then dry it out.  This pre-warms the bowl and removes liquid that might cause the matcha to clump.

2. Place the mesh strainer over the bowl. Measure in a scant (less than full) teaspoon of matcha. Tap the strainer or use the back of a spoon to push the tea through. Straining the tea helps reduce lumps.

3.Now add between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of hot water, ~170 degrees Fahrenheit. Please do not use boiling water. When I remove my kettle from the heat source and take the lid off, it takes ~3.5 minutes to cool to the right temp.

4. Take your whisk and lightly press down any floating tea. Then move the whisk briskly in a straight up-and-down motion. (Other tea schools do this differently.)  See the video below. You do not need to press down hard on the whisk (that can break the tines). Placing your hand over the top of the bowl helps to steady it.

                                                                            5. Keep whisking until you see a thick foam forming.
                                                                            Keep going a wee bit longer.  Then move the whisk
                                                                            across the top lightly to pop any big bubbles.

                                                                            6. Set the whisk down and enjoy the tea! 
                                                                            Matcha is commonly enjoyed with a small sweet.

Notice how the foam gets thicker over time.  Keep going!

If your matcha froth isn't thick, try using a little more matcha, a little less water, or whisking a little longer.

Otsukimi

Photo by Marjorie Yap, of Issoan Tea School

This photo captures the peacefulness of our recent tea gathering at the Portland Japanese Garden, for Otsukimi, or moon viewing, an event I look forward to every Autumn.  Read more here. (That's me in profile.)

Portland Japanese Garden Cultural Crossing

Architect Kengo Kuma in front of  the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center

It's an exciting and important weekend here in Portland! The Japanese Garden opens the Cultural Crossing expansion, to members today and to the public tomorrow. This $33.5M project began 10 years ago as part of a master site planning process. I had the good fortune to attend the media day, and I am eager to share what I learned. 

Umami Tea Cafe with beloved Yoshino cherry tree just about to bloom

First, there was a 2-year search to find the right architect. Internationally renowned Kengo Kuma rose to the top of those in consideration. But how to get someone of such stature to consider a project of (relatively) small scope?  After all, he is designing the 2020 Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Garden CEO Stephen Bloom had a plan. He invited Kuma to visit Portland as a guest lecturer, and allowed the garden to work its magic. Kuma saw the potential and the importance of the project, and here we are today.

New entry to the garden - the Tanabe Welcome Center
Near the parking lot at the base of the hill

There were three main goals with this project: 

1. Manage the growing attendance of the garden to respect its peace and quiet, and protect the fragile landscape. Attendance has grown rapidly in the past few years, from 120K in 2005 to 400K in 2016. The  new cultural crossing expands the garden's footprint to allow more space for the visitors to span.
2. Provide more opportunity for cultural education. In fact, the Japanese Garden Training Center, the first of its kind in the US, will be established.  This program, taught in English, will provide courses for amateurs and professionals, and serve as way to develop a community of skilled caretakers for the ~250 Japanese gardens in the US.
3. Address logistics issues, providing more accessible space for people with disabilities. In addition, create a safer and more pleasant environment for pedestrians as they enter the garden.

As you walk up the hill and cross the glass-sided bridge, notice how the tea cafe appears to float

CEO Stephen Bloom: "We are no longer just a garden. In fact, we are a center of culture and art for Japan."

Additional features include a larger gift shop, the Umami Cafe - a beautiful space to have a bowl or cup of tea, and the castle wall.

Shiro-zumi Castle Wall, function and beauty

This wall was built in the traditional manner of dry stacking rock. It serves as a design feature and a retaining wall for the steep slope behind. The project leader, Suminori Awata, is a 15th generation Japanese stone mason.

Sadafumi Uchiyama, Garden Curator
Diane Durston, Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art & Education

Also quoting Stephen Bloom, "It takes a village to make a village."  Many dreamers and doers have been involved for the long span of this work. In addition to the leadership of Stephen Bloom, Sadafumi Uchiyama has worked tirelessly to bring the expansion to fruition in a way that maintains respect for the original garden and allows for new services. Sada-san was emotional as he told us about his journey over the past several years. Likewise, Diane Durston spoke about her excitement at the expanded educational and cultural programs the garden will now be able to offer. 

There's so much more to show and tell, and the best way to experience this is to visit. I recommend you allow yourself to go slowly, quietly. The Cultural Village and the gardens will speak for themselves. 

Toraya Cafe - Kyoto

Beautiful views of the interior garden at the Toraya Cafe

One of my favorite experiences while in Kyoto was wandering little streets, with my dear friend AM, and discovering the Toraya Cafe (Toraya Karyo Kyoto Ichijo). Returning to this little piece of heaven is a must-do the next time I visit. 

I had known of Toraya, a famous maker of Japanese confections and tea sweets, from my tea studies. The company has been around since the 16th century, and is well known for its yokan. At the cafe, you can enjoy these sweets and a delicious bowl of matcha or brewed tea. If the weather is nice (and in late October, it was perfect), sit outside and take in the peace and beauty of the garden. 

I love this photo!

Enjoy these photos, and imagine a peaceful breeze that gently ripples the water, delicious and artful sweets, tea that both stimulates and soothes, and nurturing conversation. This was my experience. 

Matcha and kuri (chestnut) yokan

Sencha, with an edamame custard with brown sugar glaze

I will close my eyes and go there too.

If you visit Kyoto, here's a tip: One of the retail shops is near the west side of the Imperial Palace. The cafe is tucked about a block down the side street.

Kyoto Sweets

I recently visited Kyoto, Japan with my Chado (Japanese Tea Ceremony) Sensei and three other students. I learned so much about Chado and Japanese culture.  We had lovely weather and incredibly generous local hosts.  A primary goal was to have sweets and tea every day (often more than once).  And so... an obvious way to start summarizing is through a sweets play-by-play!  Here's most of them, with a bite of context for each.  (Not included are some very special sweets from events we attended that will live on in our hearts, but not in photos.) 

Photo credit: Marjorie Yap

These sweets hold a special place in my heart. They were from our first tea experience in Kyoto, at Ochaji Cafe. Yamaguchi-san gently guided our jet-lagged bodies and minds through a lovely light meal, thick tea (koicha) and thin tea (usucha).  The sweets above are the traditional kinton style of wagashi ("wet" sweet), soft sweet bean or sweet potato paste that has been grated. It's served before koicha. So delicious and lovely.  The sweets below (higashi, "dry" sweets) were served just before the usucha. Crunchy apple-flavored sugars, chewy jelly strips and senbei (crispy rice crackers, lightly sweetened, with a thin film of miso paste).

Photo credit: Marjorie Yap

We enjoyed the persimmon mochi sweet below in Arashiyama. The outer dough is soft and chewy, filled with a persimmon/bean paste.  The tops are from real persimmons.

This beauty is from a sweets bar (think sushi bar), where the expert makes the sweet right in front of you.  If you haven't figured this out, sweets in Japan are all about seasonality!  This is a chrysanthemum. 

The sweets below were from an assortment served to us at the famous Ippodo shop on Teramachi.  Kinton (upper left) in autum colors, wrapped yokan and on the bottom,  manju - a rice bun filled with - you guessed it.   Bean paste!

A friend and I visited the Kyoto Confectionery Museum. While the descriptions were in all Japanese, we still learned and enjoyed from the experience, especially the tea and sweets at the end. Lucky us, it's chestnut season. We savored a glazed chestnut and a bean paste chrysanthemum.  

Now on to Toraya, which is worthy of a post unto itself!  For now, let me say that it's a bit of heaven - serene and with great tea and sweets.  The two delicacies below are from there.  The first, a green soybean (edamame) and silken tofu square, in a brown sugar sauce.  The second, yokan with chestnut pieces. (Since being home less than a week, my friend has replicated this yokan with success, I am delighted to say!)

Next up - a sweets class!  We got our chance to practice hand forming the sweets.  One of these below is the professional ginko leaf, one is not.  It's easy to tell.  :-)

I did a little better with the persimmon sweet.  They all four tasted great.  

And here is another (professional) variation of the chrysanthemum.  Notice the delicate fade of white to purple in the center.  The secrets: lots of patience, practice and precision.

The sweet below is another favorite among favorites.  My girlfriend and I were wandering the back streets near Daitokuji temple. We found a tiny little sweets shop (many of them are), which seemed to specialize in this interesting mochi.  It's filled with bean paste, with some whole beans to give texture, and a savory/saltiness to the mochi. Unusual and delicious!

Photo credit: Ana Martinez

Another trip to Toraya...

And then a day trip to the famous tea-growing region and tea-company town, Uji.  During an informative tour at the matcha company Marukyu-Koyamaen, we enjoyed this dango sweet. 

Later that day, after I wandered through tea shop after tea shop, I enjoyed this sweet at the Kanbayashi cafe. It's hard to tell in the photo, but there is a chestnut at the center, and it's surrounded by what might be kudzu-gelatin-based "leaves." that wrap around.  Of course, delicious.

Next, a small pause in our schedule before we headed to the countryside for the final leg of the trip. Four sweets below from the Japanese Tea & Gallery Kyoto Saryo in Kyoto Station. 

And finally - a feast of sweets to close out our last dinner in Japan.

What an indulgence - to live where there is a Japanese sweets shop within easy walking distance of wherever I go!

Headed to Kyoto

I hope to drink many bowls of tea over the next two weeks, while I'm in Japan!  I'm traveling with my Sensei and three other tea students to the heart of the Japanese tea world, Kyoto.  We'll visit the headquarters of the Urasenke school (of which we are affiliated), have tea and sweets as often as possible, take in the beauty of and pay our respects at temples (Buddhist) and shrines (Shinto), eat fabulous meals, enjoy Japanese gardens, visit museums and as the trip comes to a close, stay amidst the tea fields. I'm overflowing with excitement! I'll share photos here, a few while I'm traveling and more when I returned.  Please wish us safe travels! 

Tea Ceremony for Mom

My mother recently visited  and I was happy to be able to honor her with a Japanese tea ceremony. Thanks to my Sensei, I was able to hold the gathering at the traditional tea house in the Portland Japanese Garden.

Guests arrive and enjoy a welcoming hot water in the waiting area. Next, the host will silently bow to the guests, signifying that s/he is ready.  The guests  walk on a stone path, through the beautiful tea garden (shown below), to the tea house. Guests rinse their hands, symbolically purifying themselves, before entering the tea room.

Upon entry, guests appreciate the scroll, the flowers and the kettle. The scroll below is Ichigo Ichie, often translated as "one lifetime, one meeting."  It emphasizes the importance of the present experience, never again to be repeated.

Flowers for a summer tea ceremony are often presented in a basket. Tea flowers are always freshly picked and are in the spirit of wildflowers. Fancy hybrids or flowers with strong fragrance are avoided.  The host (in this case, me) arranges the flowers "as they grow in the field." Here we have a late summer grass, brown-eyed Susan, scarlet flax, white balloon flower, Rose of Sharon and morning glory.

Once the guests are settled, the host offers official greetings and serves the sweets. I served a moist sweet made from sweetened bean paste (it's delicious!), that looks like the Japanese balloon flower. My mom had helped me shape these sweets, which was extra special. It takes some practice! I also served a pineapple ground cherry (cape gooseberry). 

Next, I made tea for the guests. This is the high point of the experience. The goal is for the guests to feel a spirit of shared heart with the host and other guests.

The host and guests share conversation about the tea utensils and their history, and other things in the tea room. Every item has been specifically chosen. The host considers the season, the guests, the setting, etc., as s/he chooses the scroll, the flowers, the utensils and even the specific tea-making procedure. It's part of the idea that no two gatherings are the same. 

It's hard to see in the photo above, but there is a hosta leaf on the top of the water urn, above my right knee. I chose the Habuta procedure, which uses a leaf as a lid for the water urn.  It's a special procedure for summertime.

After the discussion regarding the tea utensils and final thanks, the meeting adjourns with a bow. 

Tea, in all its forms, offers so much beauty. I hope we all can pause to enjoy the peace that comes with a bowl (or cup) of tea. 

Change of Seasons and Upcoming Events

Changing of Seasons
Have you noticed the changing light as we tilt toward Fall?  The afternoon sun comes in at a slant for us, and it's beautiful. I love noticing the light and where it shows itself in our house throughout the year.  Right now, it's lighting up the hanging scroll in my 2-mat tatami room.  This is a new space and I'm so happy with it!  I can practice my tea skills and keep my knees and ankles fit for sitting on the floor.  The scroll above shows the characters for Wa, Kei: Harmony and Respect. It's the first half of Wa-Kei-Sei-Jaku, the four principles of tea (Chanoyu, Japanese Tea Ceremony).

Upcoming Events
I am very happy to share that I'll be participating in the following two events!

Bowl-Style Brewing Class at Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants
This Sunday, Sept 20th at noon, Portland, OR.  Registration. We'll practice one of the oldest, simplest and most profound styles of brewing. Nothing but tea leaf, a bowl and hot water.  And of course, you.


Northwest Tea Festival
Saturday and Sunday, October 3rd and 4th, Seattle, WA.  Information. Along with my Sensei, Marjorie Yap, I'm teaching a class on How to Be a Guest at a Japanese Tea Ceremony.  Also  happy to be participating in the Wu-Wo Tea Brewing. This is a GREAT event, full of classes, tea tastings, tea things for sale and wonderful people.  It's one of the highlights of my year.


Happy Autumn!

Sunrise Solstice Tea in the Garden

Today is the summer solstice, the "longest day of the year," thanks to the Western Hemisphere's deepest tilt toward the sun. The sun rises and sets at its northernmost point along the horizon. It's funny, really, as the solstice is considered the start of summer and yet it's also the tipping point towards winter. From here, we lose a bit of light each day even as the temperatures continue to rise. That's because the land and oceans are still warming.

Humans are deeply connected to the shifting seasons and the moon phases, even though most of us don't acknowledge these subtle patterns in our life. It's something I aspire to observe.  I rose extra early to enjoy a solstice sunrise tea. I confess - it wasn't easy dragging myself out of bed - but I'm so glad I did! I took my chabako kit (a box with all the necessary implements for making matcha in the traditional style) to one of our garden plots. It was cool and quiet. The robins were beginning to hop around and the bees were still asleep inside of the hollyhocks.

I tried to follow the forms and practices of this tea procedure as best I could. I was both host and guest, which is unusual in a Japanese Tea Ceremony and required some adjustments. When I said, "otemae chodai itashimasu," thank you for making this bowl of tea, I was thanking all the people involved and the earth's generosity in bringing me this bowl of tea. It's an interesting contemplative experience if you dive into the thought of being both host and guest. 

I enjoyed being alone and spent some time journaling. Both tea and writing nourish me.

About an hour into the morning, the sun broke through the clouds, and everything began to sparkle.  

By the time I departed, about two hours after I began, the bees were humming and the sounds of human activity were floating in my direction. It was a time to go. A wonderful morning.