Buying matcha became quite hard – even here in Japan. Most online shops are constantly sold out and even my teacher could not order the matcha we usually use for koicha (thick tea). We will start making koicha with the same matcha we usually make usucha (thin tea) with in our lessons.

It’s one month since I came back from the short training course at Fushin'an. Somehow nothing changed, but also somehow so much changed.

不審庵の短期講習会の終了から1ヶ月が経ちました。何も変わっていないような、でもなぜかすごく変わったような気がします。

Camelias of Nezu Museum 🌺
I went to see the Samurai Tea Ceremony Exhibition. Compared to other museums they had a lot more detailed English translations.

根津美術館の椿🌺
武家茶の展示を見に行きました。他の美術館と比べて、細かい英語の翻訳が多かっただと思いました。

Beginning of March, I participated in the short training course of the Fushin'an. It was a full week deep diving into the world of tea and the Omotesenke 🍵

3月の初めに、不審庵の短期講習会に参加しました。お茶の世界と表千家深く入り込む丸一週間でした 🍵

First Hatsugama in a Kimono 👘 初めて着物の初釜

今回、自分が着付けしなくて、先輩が教えてもらいました。少しずつ自分ができるようになってきます😌
This time, I didn‘t dressed myself, but one of my Senpais explained it to me. Little by little I might be able to dress myself soon 😌

Happy New Year and welcome to the year of the Snake 🐍 あけましておめでとうございます。今年は巳年ですね！

Just for momiji season the tea room at Osaragi Jiro Memorial Museum in Yokohama is open for the public 🍁 On my self-imposed mission to visit more tea rooms I was excited to take a look.

紅葉の季節のみ、横浜の大佛次郎記念館の和室が一般公開されています🍁もっと茶室を訪ねろうとする私は、楽しみにして参りました。

参加している茶道教室のお寺さんが花祭りを行っています🌸
このきっかけで立礼点前の練習になりました🍵

The temple where I go to tea class is holding a Hana Matsuri (flower festival) 🌸
On this occasion we got to practice Ryurei Temae (a tea ceremony performed with a table) 🍵

We have a new kettle at tea ceremony class. It’s called a sukigi kama and used to slowly raise the ashes in the ro (fireplace) as it is becoming spring.

茶道教室に新しい釜があります。透き木釜と言い、春がくるので、灰がどんどん高くなるために使うと言われました。

Yesterday‘s and today’s matcha 🍵
昨日と今日の一服🍵

On Saturday my tea ceremony teacher and her husband invited us to a very special dinner. We eat fugu for the first time. At one point my teacher even called me a real chajin, which made me feel really honored 😌

土曜日、先生のご主人にとても特別な夕食に招待されました。初めてフグを食べました。ある時、先生は私を本物の茶人と呼びました。とても光栄に感じました😌

Today’s tea ceremony practice was also Hina Matsuri themed 🎎

今日のお稽古もひな祭りのテーマでした🎎

Soon it is Hina Matsuri! We went to see some decorations at a traditional Japanese house and also got to drink some sencha 🎎🍵✨

もうすぐひな祭りですね！近くの民家の飾りを見に行きました。煎茶も飲みました〜🎎🍵✨

A souvenir from my precious Kyoto trip last November 😌

I stumbled across a woodblock print shop on my last day and wondered—what if I find something tea ceremony related?! I skipped through so many beautiful prints and finally found it. A tea ceremony woodblock print 🍵

Recently, I found these two chawan at Book Off Super Bazaar—a huge second hand shop in Japan. I love to browse through second hand ceramic sections. You never know what you might find. And I was lucky to come across these beauties. I wonder what stories they could tell 😌

After several month, I got to practice koicha again today. Which reminded me I really have to look up the name of my dashibukusa.

今日、久しぶりに濃茶の練習ができました。といえば、出帛紗の名前を覚えなければならないのですね。

Today is 抹茶の日Matcha Day in Japan 🍵✨

I took this as an occasion to finally start something my thoughts have swirling around for a while: an account dedicated for my love for tea and everything tea ceremony 🍵💕

To celebrate, here follow some facts about Matcha Day 💚