Tuesday, November 25th

The morning featured our third tea ceremony this month. For most Japanese they would be fortunate to experience a formal green tea ceremony once in their lifetime-which shows the hospitality we have enjoyed during our trip. The famous Japanese Tea Ceremony has nothing do with enjoying a cup of tea. Japan Mad Easy, “It is a way of developing character, refined manners, sensitivity, and the ability to appreciate natural beauty. The formalities of the tea ceremony are very mechanical and precisely prescribed. It is following these formalities exactly and doing so in the right frame of mind that is the essence of the tea ceremony. There are several interesting contrasts -- for example, in the building and room where the ceremony is performed there is a digital clock and calendar in the corner. The light fixture in the room doesn’t use anything a but a flourescent bulb. We receive a sweet treat prior to drinking the tea (which is made from some type of beans , sugar (sato), etc. which is pressed into an attractive multi-colored flower. At this ceremony there are six participants and two cups of green tea are prepared (three of us share each cup). Fortunately I am seated in the position of the guest of honor so that I receive the cup. I am required to turn the cup three times (for good karma) then I drink as much as I want-which is one swallow. I am really wide awake. That is definitely some full-bodied dark green tea. Scott VanAsche drinks one swallow which leaves our final drinker Peter Cooper with five swallows. Peter definitely took one for the team this morning. When asked what I thought of the tea, I used the wise words of my friend Harvey Dean, “I never tasted anything quite like it”. They seem happy and I have told them the truth. We make a short PowerPoint presentation to the Shin Fuhi Rotary Club. In the afternoon we visit the Kititagawa Water Springs which is the shortest river in Japan. Then a visit to the Yoneyman Memorial Hall, which honors the man who brought Rotary to Japan in 1920. A visionary man who still has an impact on his country and the young people of the World through scholarships which are awarded annually in his name even though he died over sixty years ago. Our schedule says that we are to give a presentation to a welcome party this evening but none is required. A young lady who has accompanied us today is the daughter of the assistant governor who will be my home host in two days. More to write but I must leave my host home to start my day.