I hadn't anticipated anything particularly interesting happening this week, but it seems things have a funny way of working out. For the better, in this case. One of my classmates is using a tea house for her Foods of Kyoto observation project. And she dragged me along, as well as a couple of my Japanese friends, Kenji and Ryuji. We went up to Teramachi-dori and then some, to this store called Ippodo. Upon internet research, they've been around for a while. How very Kyoto.
Anywho, the prices were the first thing I saw. Namely, expensive. But I like tea. A lot. So I ordered sencha (for some reason, the waiter's description of sencha was really appealing). I didn't expect what was coming next: they brought me two cups, a can of tea, and a pot. And then gave me VERY specific instructions. You pour water into one cup. Transfer to the other cup to cool it. Wait till the steam becomes more scarce, then add it to the pot. Wait exactly 50 seconds, then pour till the last drop. Drink.
WHAT.
It was good, by the way. Bitter, but good. Christina's was more complex, with four cups. Looked like some sort of twisted board game. I think Ryuji's tea was the kicker though: matcha so thick it looked like paint. Tasted great though. And the wagashi. My god, I LOVE traditional Japanese sweets. Hands down, wagashi and tea is the best snack, ever. Not that you'd want to have it every day, but the cultural experience is unrivaled.
Also, talking with Ryuji brought back my massive banks of tea-related knowledge. The cultural significance of tea, the history of how it came to Japan, the aesthetics that go with it. I can't believe I forgot how awesome tea is! I'll have to join a circle or something next semester. Coincidentally, Ryuji knows the descendant of Sen-no-Rikyu. If you don't understand the significance of that statement, (http://bit.ly/OchGGj).
So, tea is cool, Sam knows Japanese history, and I'm still not dead despite the amount of work I have. Pretty much all is going well. Except that my host dad probably just told me to put on a shirt. Darn, and here I was enjoying the not-sweltering Japanese summer.
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