日本語は英語の後に続きます。Japanese follows.
At the end of September, when the lingering
summer heat continued, I welcomed three
international sisters from Colombia and
Germany. It was an exciting tea ceremony
experience for the three of them who came
to Japan for the first time.
Instead of proper “tabi (Japanese socks with
split toe)”, they put on tabi socks with pictures
of “sushi”, “maneki-neko (beckoning cat)” and
“jizo (guardian deity of children)”, outdoor
“zori (Japanese sandals)”, and cleaned their
hands and mouths at the “tsukubai (stone
washbasin)” before entering the tea room.
First of all, they had bowls of matcha I made
with seasonal Japanese wagashi sweets.
After that, they made matcha by themselves
using “chasen (tea whisk) and drank it. The
youngest was busy taking Instagram photos
in her Yukata (an informal kimono).
They seemed to enjoy the tea ceremony
experience, and as a token of their gratitude,
I received a colourful and cute handmade
basket made of Colombian palm leaves.
厳しい残暑が続いた9月末、コロンビアと
ドイツからインターナショナルな三姉妹を
お出迎え。三人とも初来日ということで
ワクワクの茶道体験。
足袋代わりにお寿司と招き猫、お地蔵さんの
足袋型ソックスを履いて、露地草履をはき
つくばいで手と口を清め、席入り。
まずは和菓子と抹茶を一服。その後、茶筅で
抹茶をたて、御自服。末っ子は浴衣を着て
インスタグラムの投稿写真を撮るのに大忙し。
楽しんでいただけたようで、お礼にとコロンビア
のヤシの葉で作ったカラフルでかわいい手作り
バスケットをいただいた。