Tag: tea ceremony

Preserving Japanese traditional culture

A couple of weekends ago, Mr. SweetPersimmon and I attended a festival not far from Portland, Oregon put on the the Kominka Collective.  This non-profit organization’s mission is “to save old Japanese folk houses while preserving and passing on traditional carpentry methods.”

The word kominka refers to houses built at least …

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Robiraki 2023

Yesterday, Issoan celebrated the opening of the winter hearth.  The day was cold, rainy and windy.  A great day for a cozy tea gathering.  Guests arrived from across town, from Seattle area, and half a world away via zoom for two seki.  It was especially exciting for three new students, who had never attended a …

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Autumn has arrived

Here in the Pacific NW we are usually blessed with beautiful clear days and pleasant temperatures for Autumn.  The new school year starts, and football season begins.  But for me, moon viewing signals the beginning of the Autumn.  This year the September moon came late in the month, but we had hot weather into the …

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Your best tea

They say you do your best tea after 60.   Having lived past the age of 60 I’d like to think that I am doing my best tea now.  Yes, I am a little stiffer in my legs and slower to get up and down, but I am at an age to have less concern …

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Chakai at the Tea House of the Winter Moon

It is not often that I get to be a guest at a Chakai.  So when I was invited by my friend Christopher Ezzell to a Chakai, I was thrilled and delighted.  Christopher lives on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, about a three hour drive from my house.  Since I had not been …

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