What a perfect day to be inside. It was rainy and pretty cold today, but we were going inside a temple to learn about the tradition of the tea ceremony.
There were women lined up in the most beautful kimonos to great us. Upon entering the temple, there was another group of women playing koto. We were served green tea after tasting some sweet treats that were more like astronaut ice cream than anything else I’ve ever eaten. Then it was our turn to try. The person sitting across from us made tea that we tasted, then we made tea for them.
After tea we were taught to play the koto. They let us practice individually with a numbered sheet of paper that was matched up to the strings. Eight of us at a time got the chance to sit down and play together. Let’s just say that the women in kimonos get to keep their job.
Next we were taken into a different room of the temple where they showed us the four types of kangi writing and had a master demonstrate for us. Some of us were even given the chance to try it.
And finally, we also learned about Ikebana, the art of flower arranging! A Master from the temple explained it to us first, then they let us take our turn at that too! It was pretty cool. They let us pick a vase to sit down at and they had already provided a newspaper packet of flowers to use. We all made a go at it, then the Master came around and gave us tips. He had to tell me to make prettier lines because I had left too many leaves on and it looked busy. He told Rachel to let the flowers talk to her before he rearranged hers. They offered that we could take them back to the hotel for the next day or so, but we all opted to leave them there. I think everyone enjoyed it, and I was proud to leave mine behind with the hopes that someone from the temple might enjoy it for longer than I could!
By the way, No, that is not my handywork that you see to the right! My camera ran out battery, so I have it on video; that is one of the samples for us to view!
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