Exclusive tea ceremony

Miwa (alias), one of our classmates from tea school held a private tea ceremony at her place.  Four guests; our master, another classmate, my wife and I were invited.  Big open tea ceremonies are not bad, but I realized that this kind of exclusive ceremony is more enjoyable.  

I found great hospitalities at Miwa’s ceremony, not only on her performance of the day, but also on the preparation.  Miwa thought about the menu of cuisine for weeks, and prepped it from the day before.  She cleaned her house and garden.  She picked fresh flowers from the field in her neighborhood in the morning.  Those unspoken efforts delight the guests.  The same kind of preparations is needed even for open ceremonies, but I was touched when I think of what she has done not for anybody but for us. 

Moreover, I was surprised to find out that she made the confectionary by herself!  I wonder how long it took her to prepare all these things.  The sweets were beautiful and looked like a seasonal flower, hydrangea placed on an actual leaf.

Miwa used a teabowl and tea container which she got from our master previously.  I think this was one of her consideration selecting guest’s related items.  It stimulated us to talk about the utensils and flowers. 

I feel that at the big open tea gathering, I focus on the ceremony itself.  I mean that I tend to care about manners and how the ceremony proceeds.  On the other hand in the private ceremony, the focal point is on the people and it has a friendly atmosphere.  I was able to simply enjoy the time with familiar fellows.

The homemade sweets

The meal served in the ceremony