Protected: USQ-Summer 2023
Jacaranda Hanami Picnic Chakai – 花見茶会
Mikako sensei organized and invited her friends and students with their families from the Japanese school Chado club to the “Jacaranda Hanami Picnic Chakai in 2022” (花見茶会).
Jacaranda was blooming in time, the weather was very kind to us, and it was a perfect day for Hanami Chakai.
About 20 people gathered and enjoyed a lot of gorgeous and delicious Japanese picnic dishes and Sushi in Jubako(重箱).
After drinking and tasting all the Japanese traditional meals, we had “Nodate” （野点）the Picnic style of the Tea ceremony.
Matcha was “Seijo no Shiro”（清浄の白） from Koyama-en in Kyoto（小山園、京都）, the sweets were 3 types of “Ohagi” were Japanese half-solid sticky rice cake coated with sweet red bean paste, black sesame and soybean powder（おはぎ/粒あん、黒胡麻、きな粉）, and 2 types of dry sweets “Kangori” （寒氷）sugar candy and “Akita Butter Mochi” （秋田バター餅）dried butter rice cake. All those sweets were made by Mikako sensei, her students, their parents and her friends were so delighted.
Mikako sensei gave the first temae as a host, following her student Izumi (Year 3) gave the second temae to her mother and friends. What a great effort she had shown since she started to learn Chado in June of this year!
Spring Festival at the Embassy of Japan
On Friday 23 September the Canberra Group performed a tea demonstration at the Embassy of Japan. The tea demonstration was part of a reception called “Spring Festival. The guests were greeted by the Spring cherry blossoms which are now at their best in garden of the Ambassador’s residents.
There were three sittings of 10 guests at each demonstration using misono tana. Our ceremonial scroll features a tanka from ‘Manyoshu’ which cerebrates the arrival of spring. Accordingly, the sweets prepared by our group members to serve on the day were called ‘haru no irodori’ (春の彩).
There were other activities inside and outside of the residents, with many people showing interest in the tea demonstration. Those people who could not find a place to sit on the 10 chairs, stood behind the chairs and watched with great interest. When each demonstration finished the guests and the other audience members spontaneously applauded. Among the guests was Ambassador Yamagami and his wife.
Each teish, hanto, the MCs and all the mizuya helpers did a wonderful job so that everything went very well.
Sakura Matsuri – Spring Festival in Cowra
On September 24th, we presented the Japanese Tea Ceremony in the Japanese Garden in Cowra for Sakura Matsuri. Luckily, the weather was beautiful as it had been raining the night before and drizzling in the morning. The event was extremely successful, we had the highest numbers of visitors setting a new record, 219 guests came to our chado demonstration, including Mr. & Mrs. Tokuda, new Consul-General of Japan and Mr. & Mrs. Shono, Director of the Japan Foundation. We also donated the funds on the day. Our legendary Mrs. Matsunaga who made the okashi saved us from running out of sweets! Canberra groups came to support this events a well.
Chado Workshop in Leura, Japanaroo
On 11 September, we conducted a chado workshop in Leura for the Japanaroo 2022 event. On a beautiful late winter day, members demonstrated chado Tsurigama style. All guests then tried whisking matcha. Shingo Yamagami, the Japanese Ambassador was present, his first visit to the Blue Mountains. Mark Greenhill, Mayor of the Blue Mountains also joined and met with the Ambassador. Thirty-six guests enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere of the mountains.
