The small town with the name Yoshino lies on top of a mountain in the Nara Prefecture surrounded by cherry trees. There is a huge old gate half way up to the top. It once was the gate between earth and the spiritual world, and history tells that pilgrims went there to leave everything earthly behind them and come closer to heaven. It was a place where spirituality was trained and developed. Even today, the place is a popular pilgrimage. Even though the town is flooded with tourists, it still has this captivating traditional Japanese flair.
A few kilometers up north, we attended a Japanese Tea Ceremony in the former capital of Japan, Kyoto. Well, it was not an official ceremony but one for tourists. The “real ones” are a particularly serious matter for serious people (cough). The so-called “Way of Tea” is a cultural activity, performed on special occasions like New Year, weddings and birthdays. Its history goes back to the 9th century and it is influenced by Zen Buddhism. Every step, every move and almost every word is given and it requires years of study to become a tea master in Japan. Wikipedia describes the procedure completely, so I am not going to write about that. Harmony, respect, purity and tranquility are the principals of the ceremony and the actual tea is matcha, powdered green tea. Initially, I wanted to make a short movie of the ceremony. But unfortunately, the tea master didn’t allow video recordings during the ceremony because of the disturbing noise of the camera. Tranquility.
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