Experience some culture!

Traditional Japanese Arts -   茶道　and   日本舞踊

For those of you who don’t know, I have been taking up a few hobbies since I came to Japan. It started with running this time but four and a half years ago, when I first came to Japan, I studied traditional Japanese dance. I have been trying since I got here to get back involved with it and in the middle of January, I finally succeeded. But, before I get too involved in talking about this relatively recent progression, let me first talk about tea ceremony (sado) which I have been a member of since around November.

One day, while sitting at one of my elementary schools a fellow teacher asked if I would like to accompany her to tea ceremony on Friday night. Prior to this invitation, I had never really thought about joining any traditional arts besides nihon buyo (Japanese dance) but I accepted. It turned out the ladies were a ton of fun and although I wasn’t prepared for it to last well into my Friday night (it started at around 6:30 and didn’t end until after 10), I had fun. So much fun that I decided to go back. Now I am a regular member (though they still don’t charge me dues, :-X) and we meet about 3 times a month on either Friday evening or Saturday morning. I am still not very graceful about mixing the tea but it is certainly teaching me patience. Lots of patience. I even get a little bit of other arts too, like ikebana (flower arrangement) because my teacher and the other members are certified in these skills as well.

Let me explain a little about tea ceremony because when you hear I spend 4 hours, three times a month, drinking tea you may not quite understand if you have never seen it. It isn’t for everyone, and I still find it a little ironic that it suits me since when I got here I was stressing over everything and had the patience of a hummingbird. Regardless, tea ceremony consists more of enjoying the company of others and enjoying watching the process than actually drinking tea. I think it also has a bit to do with munching on yummy snacks. :-). We spend a good bit of time preparing the tea and snacks and utensils for the actual ceremony before we enter the tearoom, then we all sit around a hole in the tatami (woven leaf) floor where there is a small brazier in the ground. Part of the ceremony begins when one member places charcoal ceremoniously in the brazier and situates the iron kettle on the stand inside. Incense is also used to keep the room smelling nice. During this part of the ceremony, everyone leans over the brazier in interest and watches the arranging of the charcoal. We take turns admiring the decorations on the incense holder and the flower and calligraphy exhibitions in the corner of the room.

One the water has begun to heat, we all head back in to prepare the individual settings for the tea ceremony we will do first. There is the ‘high class’ ceremony involving thick tea where everyone drinks from the same cup and ‘low class’ where we all get our own cup and the server has to mix the tea for each person. We rotate who is the server and depending on the server, we decide which version of the ceremony we will do. It takes about 30-40 minutes for each ceremony and we don’t all enjoy tea and snacks every time. Most of the time we use a lottery system to decide who does serving, clean-up, who drinks and who eats candy. They say it is to keep it interesting. I would have to agree.

Despite the congeniality and humor we indulge in for most of the ceremony, it is important to note that we are very serious and follow all the procedures to a T. Even drawing the lottery piece is completed delicately and in a certain manner. You pick up the box with your right hand, after bowing to your neighbor on the left, pass it to your left hand using the right hand to open it, pull out the piece with your right hand and place it exactly three weave lines down from the seam of the tatami directly in front of you. It isn’t a hassle though because everyone is talking and laughing while we pull the tiles and if you make a mistake someone gently corrects you until you no longer make mistakes. You are welcome to watch everyone around you and can take as long as you like. I believe this is the essence of tea ceremony for me. Enjoying the company of others in a very Japanese setting (rigid rules enforced but completed elegantly) while eating and drinking merrily.

I could continue to describe for you every aspect and movement of tea ceremony, but wouldn`t you rather experience it yourself? K says it isn`t for everyone but I am a firm believer in trying everything once so get out there and enjoy yourself some tea!

Besides tea, I have been enjoying weekly lessons in nihon buyo from a local kimono shop owner who also happens to be the grandmother of one of my students. H sensei is very kind and not exactly what I would have expected in teacher but let me describe how we met before I go into too much detail. As I mentioned, getting involved in nihon buyo took a lot of time and pushing on my part and the part of those around me. I mentioned wanting to be involved in dance from my first week of employment here and it started a cascade of events leading up to rejection by three different teachers in Yamaga. The first would not even meet with me and rejected just the idea of teaching me. The second met me, sized me up, and then rejected me under the guise of saying I am too tall. I am 5 foot 5 inches (164cm) on a good day. The third claimed I would not be able to understand the complexities of the dance because I did not know enough Japanese.

Just when I was beginning to give up hope, thinking I had exhausted all the possibilities available in the 50km radius of my house, I had a tea ceremony event in the city with A sensei and the gang.



It was a really fancy meeting and everyone was required to come in kimono (including me!) so we went to the local kimono shop to rent the necessary materials and have them put on us (very few people, especially young people, are capable of putting on a kimono by themselves it turns out). We went to the shop and while H sensei was `installing` me in the kimono (it is like a cloth corset around your torso from the chest down to the middle of your thighs), my friend A mentioned I was interested in dance. Japanese people are always helping me out...:-/

H sensei gave me her phone number and said if I was really interested, I could call and we would see about lessons. She already had two students so she definitely tried her best to put me off. The tea ceremony event was a lot of fun and consisted of sitting and watching professional tea ceremony people perform the ceremony in a series of presentations. It was nice to be able to enjoy the ceremony in the professional atmosphere but it was difficult to focus because the room was kind of crowded and I was not accustomed to sitting western style (ie on a chair) in a kimono or while enjoying tea. We usually sit on the tatami floor (bamboo weave flooring).

About a week after the ceremony, I had some free time and decided to contact H sensei. Instead of calling though, I thought it would be a better idea to just pay her a visit. When I showed up at her shop, she was pleasantly surprised saying she didn`t actually expect me to call and that she was afraid I didn`t have the drive to actually learn dance. Well, she handed me a yukata (cotton kimono) on the spot and told me to show her what I`ve got. Once she saw I at least knew my way around putting on the traditional dress independently, she became much more relaxed and even friendly. We learned part of a dance that day and the rest, as they say, is history! I now go weekly on Monday after work and practice for about an hour and a half. She charges me 1000yen a lesson, a fee I would happily pay, and in exchange I get brilliant, private lessons and tea when we finish.

Now I spend about 5 hours a week on my traditional Japanese arts and I love every minute of it. Some people choose to get involved in Japanese sports (like judo), but whatever you chose, if you come to Japan, indulge yourself in something Japanese! I guarantee even if you try a few things and don`t find them enjoyable, there is something for you out there, be it flower arrangement (ikebana) calligraphy (shodo) or archery (kyudo) to name a few.

As always, it has been a pleasure, Love!