Tea ceremony
5 stories
Matcha is in every café now. What is it, and is it really good for you?
Matcha lattes are everywhere, and so are the health claims. What makes matcha different from other green tea, and what can honestly be said about it?
Why Does Japan Find Beauty in Things That Are Cracked, Worn and Fading?
A bowl mended with gold, a blossom that lasts a week, a worn old tea bowl. Why would a culture treat the flaw as the point, and does Japan still live by it?
Why does a Japanese tea ceremony make a simple bowl of tea so complicated?
Many visitors can't tell what is going on at a tea ceremony. Every turn of the bowl and every wipe has a reason. Here is what the slow ritual is for.
Why do Japanese tea sets come in fives, and almost never in fours?
Look at a Japanese tea set and count the cups. It is usually five. There is a folk explanation, and it hangs on one word that sounds like another.
Why do judo, kendo and the tea ceremony all end in "do"?
Judo, kendo, aikido, the way of tea: one little syllable, "do", ends them all. It means "way", and how it got there is younger, and stranger, than you'd guess.