Filed under: Blog Post | Tags: ceremony, Culture, order, ritual, society, tea
One of the most special experiences was the tea ceremony. The entire setting was perfect, we had a great view from the 65th floor of the tallest building in Japan juxtaposed to the traditional tearoom with its simple elegance. I had a general idea of what a tea ceremony entailed due to my extensive knowledge of Karate Kid Part 2, but the explanation of the importance of the details was great. As with many things it is the attention to detail that makes this ceremony special: the practiced movement, the protocol and the respect for the guest. When I saw the ceremony in the movie I had no idea what the importance of rotating the cup was, it’s to show off the design, or the purpose for the elaborate procedure. The tea ceremony is a very spiritual thing that is an important part of Japanese culture. Japanese culture is built on ritual and order; this need for order seems to permeate to all aspects of their society.
