Serendipitea

The tea ceremony was an excellent experience in which I learned much about the Japanese culture. As we walked up the stairs and into the tea room, I couldn’t help but feel that I was a spy going through a secret passageway, as I had always imagined in my childhood adventures. But then, the air was quiet and peace came over me. There was a missing wall on the left side, displaying nature in the form of an Asian garden. It reminded me, as much as nature tends to, of the Philippines. There was a particular arrangement and pathway that the tea master so kindly told us represented something in Japanese Shintoism. Then, we were finally seated on the floor. Even the décor of the walls symbolized important ideas and beliefs.

The most interesting part to me was the uniqueness of the tea. Usually, tea is bland and additives are used to create flavor or a specific texture. This time, however, I was surprised to find myself caught off-guard—the tea was stronger than any other that I have tasted; it was rich, creamy, and bitter. I took it to be a good thing…after all, it was extremely popular, and an entire ritual was based upon it. I also loved the way everything was organized and formalized. To cultures that are not familiar with these customs, the ceremony appears to be strange. Why go through all the meticulous effort when it means nothing? To me, it meant nothing. To them, it was everything. I remembered the things I do every day that means nothing to other people. I felt like an anthropologist doing fieldwork, but on a much smaller scale, of course.

I have come to appreciate the diversity of the world, and witnessing the beauty of one culture materializes the wonders of our differences. Mankind is not one solid thing, and we should stop putting ourselves before others just because we are most familiar with our own ways. I was thankful for the tea master (and the tea ceremony program) and the way he answered all our questions, and I would definitely go to another one!