Aid For Japan recently staged an event to invite people to take part in a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. The event was designed to help raise funds for the charity, but also helped to introduce people to a fascinating aspect of Japanese culture.
The tradition of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (also known as chanoyu, sado or simply ocha in Japanese) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of powdered green tea (matcha). It is served with traditional Japanese sweets to balance the bitter taste of the tea.
The venue of choice was Wasoukan – a West London-based kimono boutique and matcha bar (www.wasoukan.eu). Over the course of 2 sessions, the team at Wasoukan took attendees through the careful process of the Tea Ceremony. As well as the tea, some traditional sweet cake (dorayaki) was also available. Plus, the attendees were offered the opportunity to try making tea by themselves.
This event raised £140 towards Aid For Japan’s efforts to support the orphans in Japan, but also brought a small slice of Japanese culture to London at the same time.
Aid For Japan extends its grateful thanks to the staff at both Wasoukan and Wagashi for their generous support. Photos courtesy of both Wasoukan and Angela Shaffer.
