Green tea party

We had a pretty busy weekend. On Sunday night, we were invited to a tea ceremony at a tea house one town over in Ariake. Every year they invite English teachers from the area to the ceremony. It was a beautiful garden with sculpted trees and soft, finely cut grass. I went with Scott and two other teachers, Anna from Ohio and our Brit friend Alex. We weren’t quite sure what to expect as it was our first time to a formal tea ceremony.



The women from the tea house were all dressed in beautiful kimonos. They were all so friendly, especially the older ones. One older lady said I was a very pretty person and then slapped Scott on the back and said “Nice job!” in Japanese. It was so funny! We were relieved that we didn’t have to feel so uptight and that they were so welcoming to us. The mayor of Shimabara also attended and was super friendly. He said in English to us, “Good evening. Welcome!” and then in Japanese said, “And that’s all the English I know.” Too funny!



There was a table set up in the front where you sit and are served a Japanese cake (sweet red beans wrapped in mochi) and tea. It was a little nerve wracking being up there and unsure of which way to turn the cup and how many times and all, especially when the local news was filming it all! But it was a great experience and the tea was nice. They whisk it so that the top turns into a soft foam. We also got interviewed by several local newspapers and the TV station. One guy kept trying to get me to say that the tea tasted like medicine! There were a lot of characters there.



After the tea, we headed back to Kunimi. 9/23 is Kunimi Day in the town because the name Kunimi corresponds to the numbers, 9,2, and 3. We got back just in time for the fireworks show and then walked through some booths at the festival. I bumped into a lot of students who greeted me with shock, horror, and giddiness. Some of my junior high students were kind enough to take a pic with me (though I’m not sure if those boys in the back are my students or not. Hooligans!).



The next day I had a holiday so we all ended up riding our bikes around town. We found this cool Samurai house/garden right around the corner from my house. We took the 200 yen tour by this older gentleman who spoke a few words of English. The grounds have been there for over 400 years. The garden was immaculate and had this steps to the top where you can get a clear view of the town, the ocean and the mountains. Those Samurai sure knew how to live. We plan to go back in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full display.



The rest of the day we spent riding bikes and playing in the school yard behind my house. It was a fun day despite all the darned bug bites! Of course, the next day at school everyone said they saw me riding bikes around town and read in the paper that I went to a tea ceremony. But the day ended well with more autographs!