Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Really big tea party
Well, anyone interested to go to a tea party...As to Guinness World Records the largest simultaneous tea party consisted of 14,718 people drinking powdered green tea (matcha) according to the Japanese tea ceremony and was arranged by the city of Nishio and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Nishio, in Nishio-city, Aichi, Japan, on October 8, 2006.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Japanese tea ceremony
Japan is certainly the country where tea preparation...if done in traditional way...is very complex.
For a Japanese tea ceremony is not only preparation of a beverage. It also has much deeper, spiritual meaning.
Japanese tea ceremony (chado or sado, "the way of tea") is influenced by Zen Buddhism. It is actually ceremonial preparation of powdered tea or matcha by specially trained person for a small group of guest. Everything is done in
very peaceful atmosphere.
Tea ceremony can be preformed as single event. This is called cha-no-you ("hot water of tea"). There is also cha-ji or chakai ("tea meeting") which is treated as full tea ceremony which includes kaiseki (a light meal), usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea). This full ceremony lasts about four hours.
Person preforming tea ceremony has to be very educated. Apart from all kind of knowledge about tea this person has to know issues in connection with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics. That is why education of such person lasts for several years or even whole lifetime. The person preforming tea ceremony usually wears kimono.
It has to be said that even being a guest at tea ceremony is not easy. Person has to learn proper gestures, phrases etc.
What objects are needed to preform a Japanese tea ceremony? This tea preparation equipment is called dogu. Dogu includes
following basic object (full list of objects is very long and complex):
1) chakin is rectangular white linen or hemp cloth used for ritual cleaning of the tea bowl.
2) fukusa is square silk cloth used for ritual cleaning of the tea scoop and the tea caddy. Fukusa is also used to hold hot kettle or pot lids. Guests of the ceremony use fukusa to examine some objects during ceremony. Fukusa for men is usually purple and the one for women is orange or red.
3) hishaku (ladle) is made of bamboo with a nodule in the central part of the handle. Hisaku is used to move water to and from the iron pot and fresh water container.
4) tana ("shelves")includes different wooden or bamboo furniture used in tea ceremony
5) chawan (tea bowl). Shallow ones are used during summer as tea in them cools faster.
6) chaki (tea caddy) Chaki has two styles: natsume and cha-ire.
7) chashaku (tea scoop) are used to carry tea into the tea caddy. Chashaku are made from ivory, bamboo, Japanese apricot etc.
8) chasen (whisk) is carved from bamboo. Old and damaged chasen are not just thrown in garbage. They are carried to tempeles where they are ritually burned in the ceremony called chasen kuyo.
Japanese tea ceremony actually appears in several variation depends which traditional school is preforming it. Three main schools are Omoteseneke, Urasenke and Sansenke.
Tea ceremonies are usually organized outside or in a tea room or a tea house.
Now something about the ceremony itself, the way it is actually preformed. Guests entering the room where the ceremony is organized admire its beauty. Then everyone kneels on determined places on tatami mat. When guests are seated, the host (ceremony preformer) enters the room. He or she brings all the objects neccessary for tea ceremony. The hosts ritually cleans them with fukusa cloth. Moves during this process are specially determined. It takes lotof practise to learn them properly. Everything is done slowly, in kind of peaceful way. After this process the actual tea preparation begins. The water is boiled in metal or pottery kettle or pot. Hot water is thenpoured or scooped with the hishaku into the chawan. The chasen (tea whisk) is checked in a special way before being used to whiskthe hot water. The whisked water is then poured out into the kensui bowl and the tea bowl is cleaned with a chakin (linen cloth). This is done to cleanse the bowl after each guest has their tea, as well as being part of the ritual cleansing process.The guest are then offered some sweets. When everything is clean tea preparation begins. A small amount of powdered green tea (macha) is scooped with the chashaku (tea scoop) out of the natsume (tea caddy), into the tea bowl. Hot water is then poured or scooped into the tea bowl. The tea and water are then whisked quickly, making tea for the first guest.The first guest is offred tea by the host. He takes the tea. He appologizes to the guest sitting next to him for getting tea first.
It took me quite a while to write this post. And I know it is probably a bit difficult to read.
To make everything more fun I put this video. It's the best I could found on the Internet.
For a Japanese tea ceremony is not only preparation of a beverage. It also has much deeper, spiritual meaning.
Japanese tea ceremony (chado or sado, "the way of tea") is influenced by Zen Buddhism. It is actually ceremonial preparation of powdered tea or matcha by specially trained person for a small group of guest. Everything is done in
very peaceful atmosphere.
Tea ceremony can be preformed as single event. This is called cha-no-you ("hot water of tea"). There is also cha-ji or chakai ("tea meeting") which is treated as full tea ceremony which includes kaiseki (a light meal), usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea). This full ceremony lasts about four hours.
Person preforming tea ceremony has to be very educated. Apart from all kind of knowledge about tea this person has to know issues in connection with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics. That is why education of such person lasts for several years or even whole lifetime. The person preforming tea ceremony usually wears kimono.
It has to be said that even being a guest at tea ceremony is not easy. Person has to learn proper gestures, phrases etc.
What objects are needed to preform a Japanese tea ceremony? This tea preparation equipment is called dogu. Dogu includes
following basic object (full list of objects is very long and complex):
1) chakin is rectangular white linen or hemp cloth used for ritual cleaning of the tea bowl.
2) fukusa is square silk cloth used for ritual cleaning of the tea scoop and the tea caddy. Fukusa is also used to hold hot kettle or pot lids. Guests of the ceremony use fukusa to examine some objects during ceremony. Fukusa for men is usually purple and the one for women is orange or red.
3) hishaku (ladle) is made of bamboo with a nodule in the central part of the handle. Hisaku is used to move water to and from the iron pot and fresh water container.
4) tana ("shelves")includes different wooden or bamboo furniture used in tea ceremony
5) chawan (tea bowl). Shallow ones are used during summer as tea in them cools faster.
6) chaki (tea caddy) Chaki has two styles: natsume and cha-ire.
7) chashaku (tea scoop) are used to carry tea into the tea caddy. Chashaku are made from ivory, bamboo, Japanese apricot etc.
8) chasen (whisk) is carved from bamboo. Old and damaged chasen are not just thrown in garbage. They are carried to tempeles where they are ritually burned in the ceremony called chasen kuyo.
Japanese tea ceremony actually appears in several variation depends which traditional school is preforming it. Three main schools are Omoteseneke, Urasenke and Sansenke.
Tea ceremonies are usually organized outside or in a tea room or a tea house.
Now something about the ceremony itself, the way it is actually preformed. Guests entering the room where the ceremony is organized admire its beauty. Then everyone kneels on determined places on tatami mat. When guests are seated, the host (ceremony preformer) enters the room. He or she brings all the objects neccessary for tea ceremony. The hosts ritually cleans them with fukusa cloth. Moves during this process are specially determined. It takes lotof practise to learn them properly. Everything is done slowly, in kind of peaceful way. After this process the actual tea preparation begins. The water is boiled in metal or pottery kettle or pot. Hot water is thenpoured or scooped with the hishaku into the chawan. The chasen (tea whisk) is checked in a special way before being used to whiskthe hot water. The whisked water is then poured out into the kensui bowl and the tea bowl is cleaned with a chakin (linen cloth). This is done to cleanse the bowl after each guest has their tea, as well as being part of the ritual cleansing process.The guest are then offered some sweets. When everything is clean tea preparation begins. A small amount of powdered green tea (macha) is scooped with the chashaku (tea scoop) out of the natsume (tea caddy), into the tea bowl. Hot water is then poured or scooped into the tea bowl. The tea and water are then whisked quickly, making tea for the first guest.The first guest is offred tea by the host. He takes the tea. He appologizes to the guest sitting next to him for getting tea first.
It took me quite a while to write this post. And I know it is probably a bit difficult to read.
To make everything more fun I put this video. It's the best I could found on the Internet.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Green tea
It is by some called a „true“ tea. During production it is minimally oxidized. Some tea experts believe that all kind of small details influence making of high quality green tea. For example, different tea leaves require different time of picking. Some must be picked at dawn,some at dusk...The drying of tea leaves is not done unless it is necessary (for storage or transportation purposes).
Green tea is the most popular kind of tea in China, Japan, Korea, Morocco and the Middle East. It is becoming more and more exceptable in western world too.
Many high quality green teas are made in China. Eastern coastal region Zheijang is a home of great green teas like Longjing („Dragon Well“), Hui Ming, Long Ding (also known as „Dragon mountain“), Hua Ding, Qing Ding („Green Top“). Gunpowder („zhucha“) green tea is originally from Zheijang province but nowdays it is also grown in other parts of China.
Jiangsu and Anhui regions (east China), Jiangxi (southeast China), Henan and Hubei regions (central China) are some other green tea growing parts of China. As you have already noticed Names of local teas in China are rather exotic...Here are few more examples Chun Mee („Precious Eyebrows“), Hou kui („Monkey tea“), Lu An Guapian („Melon seed“), Yun Wu („Cloud and Mist“)...
Green tea (Ryokucha in Japanese) is so popular in Japan that people just call it „tea“ (ocha). The best Japanese green tea is the one from city of Uji in Kyoto prefecture. Very popular type of green tea in Japan is Matcha („rubbed tea“). It is powdered tea used mainly in tea ceremony. Matcha is also used as ice-cream flavour and in production of other sweets.
Green tea should only be drunk while it's hot. It should never be drunk if it was brewed more than 24 hours ago.
Claims that green tea has positive effect to human health are nothing new for people of China, Japan, India or Thailand. They are using it for thousands of years in controlling bleeding, healing wounds, regulating body temperature etc. In 1191 Zen priest Eisai wrote The Kissa Yojoki, or Book of Tea. There he describes positive effects of green tea on five vital organs, especially the heart.
Green tea contains, when compared with other teas, the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. As to the University of Maryland Medical Center in the USA there are reports claiming green tea can improve condition of people having atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, cancer, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), diabetes and liver disease. Some studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat.
I'll finish this post with a video...It describes...in rather simplified and a bit funny way the preparation of a green tea...The video was made by some Japanese students. Have fun!
Green tea is the most popular kind of tea in China, Japan, Korea, Morocco and the Middle East. It is becoming more and more exceptable in western world too.
Many high quality green teas are made in China. Eastern coastal region Zheijang is a home of great green teas like Longjing („Dragon Well“), Hui Ming, Long Ding (also known as „Dragon mountain“), Hua Ding, Qing Ding („Green Top“). Gunpowder („zhucha“) green tea is originally from Zheijang province but nowdays it is also grown in other parts of China.
Jiangsu and Anhui regions (east China), Jiangxi (southeast China), Henan and Hubei regions (central China) are some other green tea growing parts of China. As you have already noticed Names of local teas in China are rather exotic...Here are few more examples Chun Mee („Precious Eyebrows“), Hou kui („Monkey tea“), Lu An Guapian („Melon seed“), Yun Wu („Cloud and Mist“)...
Green tea (Ryokucha in Japanese) is so popular in Japan that people just call it „tea“ (ocha). The best Japanese green tea is the one from city of Uji in Kyoto prefecture. Very popular type of green tea in Japan is Matcha („rubbed tea“). It is powdered tea used mainly in tea ceremony. Matcha is also used as ice-cream flavour and in production of other sweets.
Green tea should only be drunk while it's hot. It should never be drunk if it was brewed more than 24 hours ago.
Claims that green tea has positive effect to human health are nothing new for people of China, Japan, India or Thailand. They are using it for thousands of years in controlling bleeding, healing wounds, regulating body temperature etc. In 1191 Zen priest Eisai wrote The Kissa Yojoki, or Book of Tea. There he describes positive effects of green tea on five vital organs, especially the heart.
Green tea contains, when compared with other teas, the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. As to the University of Maryland Medical Center in the USA there are reports claiming green tea can improve condition of people having atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, cancer, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), diabetes and liver disease. Some studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat.
I'll finish this post with a video...It describes...in rather simplified and a bit funny way the preparation of a green tea...The video was made by some Japanese students. Have fun!
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