Tuesday, November 3, 2009-

I knew the Japanese were smart people- they made my Grandma Beske’s birthday a national holiday! Someone needed to do it = ) Hope it’s a good one grandma.

But today really was a national holiday 文化の日 Bunka no Hi or Cultural Day, something that I would certainly say I experienced. First of all I got to sleep in until 11 which was a holiday in itself! I checked the results of the boys’ soccer game against Apple valley and was so impressed with their 2-3 score. That’s really saying something against a powerhouse like AV! But by 12:30 my host mom and I had hopped in the car, picked up my host dad’s sister and another woman and were on our way north. We drove until we came to a town at the base of the Nasu mountain chain that marks the northern end of Tochigi Prefecture. They we attended the Nasu town Satou Tea Ceremony. The procedure was the real deal and it felt like a privilege to be allowed to watch, let alone to take pictures!

We actually attended two ceremonies, the first is of the picture above. The main host is the woman in the kimono preparing the Ocha Green Tea. All of her movements are short, precise, and delicate. The second was on the floor circled around a tatame matt stage. The host worked from a tea post fit into the floor. The room smelt of warm tea, wild flowers (half because of the ones for the ceremony, half because most of the old women smelt like rose scented perfume), and sweets. Below are some photos of the process and those I shared it with. I was the only foreigner at the ceremonies and people were even taking pictures of me drinking tea and bowing to the servers. Many seemed impressed that I would share their appreciation for the Japanese culture.

During the afternoon my host dad took me over to his friend’s house where we talked over tea, smoked salmon, sushi, rice, and sake, so I certainly felt Japanese there. After that we made our way to a temple that was having its 祭りMatsuri, or traditional festival. The area was packed with bright stalls, food vendors, trinket salesmen, and chilly visitors. The weather was much cooler today, probably dropping into the low 50s with a wind from the mountains up north. Even as a Minnesotan I felt no shame in wearing throwing on a big sweat shirt as soon as I got home. One more picture from the shrine is included below. It’s of a gigantic mask that represents demons and apparently is worn during these festivals. Just so you don’t think it has something to do with the tea ceremony…I hope it’s clear that that would be pretty out of place!

The beautiful pottery and bright green tea are perfectly combined

A bright red paper umbrella with a colorful and intricate center hanging over the ceremony

The cutest little Japanese girl sipping tea as her mother looks on

The sweet desserts meant to hide the bitterness of the powdered green tea

Some of the ceremony pieces

The incredibly expensive pottery used for the procedure

Yet you can tell why when you look closely, each one is so unique

The scary mask at the temple NOTE: NOT IN A TEA CEREMONY!! = )