Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese tea ceremony can be considered as a part of their culture. Even though it may be a simple ritual it plays a significant part in the Japanese tradition. A simple tea making session can involve an individual to a group of people. The tea ceremony is considered as an art as there are certain protocols that a person needs to adhere to while going through the ceremony. (Refer below for the details on tea ceremony).

The Japanese tea ceremony is not merely a traditional ceremony, it also serves as a medium that allows people to gather and interact with one another. The social gatherings organised are known as either chakai or chaji. Chakai is an informal gathering while chaji is a formal one. During such gatherings the host will invite those that usually get along with one another. The guests will be served with tea and some sweets. To the Japanese, a tea ceremony also acts as a symbol of friendliness.

The tea ceremony can be considered as an art due to its beauty. The Japanese people believed that the food and drink will be evaluated by the people even before they taste it. Hence there is a need for the snacks and tea served during a chaji to be pleasant looking. The tea ceremony is perfected with its choreographed movements, since as mentioned earlier there are procedures need to be done in tea ceremonies.

Tea ceremonies are also often considered by the Japanese as a way to relax and let them to forget about their problems. This is because the tea ceremony allows them to enjoy the sweet and relaxing scent of tea and at the same time learnt to wait patiently while the tea is being prepared.


Annex
1) Main procedure during a tea ceremony
• Bow when receiving the cup
• Receive the cup with right hand and place it on the left palm
• Turn the cup 3 times clockwise before drinking the tea
• Once the tea is finishing give out a slurp sound as gesture to tell the host that the tea is nice
• Wipe the part of cup that your lips touched
• Turn the cup anticlockwise thrice and hand it back to the host