Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ Ｔｅａ Ｃｅｒｅｍｏｎｙ

I had the pleasure of being invited to attend a Japanese Tea Ceremony last week. My dear friend Mariko teaches the tea ceremony and knows that I like to "partake".
If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend it as something well worth experiencing. Just tell your host that it`s your first time and you need instructions.
The tea ceremony is highly structured and has many rules. As a guest, your host will instruct you and help you enjoy. As you learn the rules, it`s even more fun.
In olden days the tea ceremony started with a meal and ended with tea. Now it`s just tea. There are different ceremonies for different seasons and occasions. There are also different "schools". It`s quite interesting but very deep. People spend their whole life just in the study of it. That is one of the reasons that I prefer to be a guest.
Thank you, Mariko, for inviting me.
It was lovely.