Category: blog post

Next year’s Sakura mochi

The delicious sweet we have in April called Sakura mochi is composed of a bean paste and sweet sticky rice wrapped with a pickled cherry leaf.   We enjoy it while the Sakura cherry trees are blooming.  The interesting thing is that the Sakura blooms before there are leaves on the tree.  After the petals have …

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The last of the Sakura

To my regular readers, I am sorry that I have not posted in so long.   I promise to post more regularly in the future.

In the meantime, Sakura season has come and is nearly gone.  The late cherries are dropping their petals like snow and it is getting warm and sunny here in the Pacific …

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Hatsugama 2013 Happy New Year

Happy New Year.  It is the year of the snake, and the chokudai for this year is “standing.”

We are lucky enough to have a robust chado community in Portland and so far there has been two Hatsugama chakai with two more to go.

Issoan Tea School held Hatsugama on January 5 at two seki.  …

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One last opening for the Introduction Class

Ed Note: The class is now filled. Please contact me if you’d like to get on the waiting list.  The new Introduction to Japanese Culture and Chado Class begins this Friday, January 11, 2013 and meets on Fridays for 10 weeks.  We have a new venue at

Portland Tea Enthusiasts’ Alliance 828 Southeast Ash Street, #204 …

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Winter intensive

The day after Christmas, December 26th we had our first Winter intensive at Issoan Tea School.  For my students it was their first intensive.  We started at 3 pm and ended at 9:30 pm.  In between we sat zazen, practiced warigeiko, reviewed movement in the tearoom,  did five teamae, laid the charcoal shozumi and rebuilt …

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