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  • Japan Tea Tour, Spring 2024
    June 5, 2024

    Japan Tea Tour, Spring 2024

    Our first morning in Japan began with a drive up to the Haruno Mountains in Shizouka Prefecture. It was a perfect blue sky spring day. The narrow road spiraled up into mountains that were wooded and matcha green. Wherever the...

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  • Visit to Roji-en, Japanese garden in Delray Beach, Florida
    February 24, 2019

    Visit to Roji-en, Japanese garden in Delray Beach, Florida

    "Strolling through a pine forest or bamboo grove, viewing the rock formations, arrangement of plants, and cascading waterfalls, pausing to ponder the quiet surface of the lake and the shoreline - little by little we are encouraged to lay aside the chaos of a troubled world and gently nurture the capacity within to hear a more harmonious, universal rhythm…This is the tremendous power the Japanese gardens at Morikami Park hold for us." - Hoichi Kurisu, Master Garden Designer of Roji-en.
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  • Chanoyu presentation
    January 29, 2017

    Chanoyu presentation

    A rare presentation on Japanese Tea Ceremony or chanoyu was held recently at Leaf Tea Bar, a newly opened tea house in South Wedge. A booked out audience of tea enthusiasts participated in the ceremony that was led by Rie Maywar, a local certified chanoyu instructor.
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  • Photo of teaware
    March 17, 2016

    Chado - Lesson 2

    We began with a review of the four principles of Chado, or Chanoyu for our second class on Japanese tea ceremony. I had been unable to recall all of those principles in the last blog post since taking notes and photos during the lessons are not encouraged. Total focus is demanded.

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  • Photo of Enkyoji Buddhist Temple of Rochester
    March 7, 2016

    Chado - Lesson 1

    Ichi-go Ichi-e, ONE time ONE chance,” said sensei* Atsuko Nishida-Mitchell. She was quoting the great 16th Century tea master, Sen No Rikyu who laid down the principles of what we know today as the Japanese tea ceremony. According to Rikyu, every tea ceremony had to be approached as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. And so it seemed to me, this opportunity to learn about the tea ceremony in a series of classes, the first of which took place this past weekend at the Enkyoji Buddhist Temple of Rochester.

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  • Photo of people in field growing tea for matcha
    August 18, 2014

    Less bitterness in shade-grown tea

    Photo of people in field growing tea for matcha

    Manufacturing of fine tea is nothing less than an art. There are endless variables a tea maker has to consider at every step. The impact of sunlight is one among many variables, and the “o-oi-shi-ta” technique practiced in Japan brings it to sharp focus.

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  • July 22, 2012

    At a Japanese Tea Ceremony

    A tea enthusiast’s fantasy came true for me recently - to participate in a Japanese tea ceremony, not just witness one. The whole experience was incredible, starting with where it took place. The ‘teamaster’ lived just about 10 minutes walk...

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