Japanese Tea Ceremony Provides Sereni-Tea

A golden mat adorned with several ornately decorated teacups, a kettle of hot water, a whisk, a tea powder container and a matcha scoop were arranged delicately on the floor. About 15 students gathered around, anticipating the start of a Japanese tea ceremony.

The tea ceremony, held Jan. 30 in Cuneo Hall, was co-sponsored by the Karate Club and the Japanese Cultural Club. The host of the ceremony, Mami Takahashi, has studied tea making in Japan for 20 years.

At the start of the ceremony, Takahashi educated the audience about the Japanese phrase “otema-e choudai itashimasu,” which translates to “thank you for making tea.” Takahashi said the phrase is used to extend gratitude toward the server of the tea before it’s sipped. 

The matcha, bright emerald green in color, tasted very bitter, herbal and earthy. Takahashi said this is the reason matcha is typically served at tea ceremonies instead of other types of tea — its bitter taste promotes alertness to surroundings. 

“It makes a very strong blend to almost shock you, awaken you,” Takahashi said. “Because it’s very bitter, it gives you a shock. So it’s intentionally made very strong.”

Takahashi also said matcha was the predominant caffeinated beverage in Japan at the time of the tea ceremony’s origin during the 9th century.

Fourth-year environmental science major and JCC president Caitlin Gromacki said sweets are also traditionally served at tea ceremonies to balance out the tea’s bitterness. Attendees enjoyed honey cake and a round pastry called manju.

Gromacki, who is half Japanese and attended the ceremony, said she appreciated Loyola’s celebration of her culture through the event and believes it’s an effective way to educate people about Japanese culture. 

“I think aside from directly affiliated people, just individuals who are even interested in Japanese culture, I feel like it’s a really nice way for them to open up about what’s done culturally and how it’s culturally significant and just getting those basic experiences,” Gromacki said.

Since 2022, the JCC has co-hosted a tea ceremony with the Karate Club every spring semester, according to former Karate Club president and 2023 Loyola alumna Julia Hopkins.

Hopkins said the Karate Club’s tea ceremony was an effort to integrate tradition and culture with the martial arts practiced in the club.

“The tea ceremony and the other culture-oriented events that we co host speaks to our philosophy as a club where we don’t really want to just silo ourselves into doing karate,” Hopkins said. “We kind of want to make it a holistic experience for the whole person.”

The ceremony began with the distribution of the sweet pastries to attendees. Meanwhile, Takahashi brewed the tea and started pouring it into cups, which were then passed out to attendees when they had finished eating the pastries.

Hardly a word was spoken as tea was brewed and served. The tranquil near-silence drew attention to the soft sounds of Takahashi pouring boiling water into a teacup, scooping in matcha powder and whisking the mixture. 

“I liked being able to see the process of making the tea up close and noticing how careful and precise the tea master was,” Gromacki wrote in an email to The Phoenix. “Every step was done carefully with precision, which I really enjoyed observing firsthand.”

Beyond being a meditative practice, tea ceremonies are a hospitality ritual hosted at all times of year, according to Takahashi. The cups are patterned with flowers, cherry blossoms and paper cranes to signify the changing seasons. 

Upon being served, attendees gently grasped the teacups from below with their left hand and from the side with their right hand, as is customary in Japan. This method of holding a teacup allows it to be more easily rotated with the front side facing servers as a sign of respect, according to japan-guide.com.

The cups didn’t hold much tea — little more than enough to cover the bottom of the cup — inviting attendees to sip slowly and deliberately.

Takahashi said the slow, relaxed pace of the ceremony fosters peace of mind and composure.

“People learn how to be calm, how to enjoy calm and self-control, which is shared with many different cultures and martial arts,” Takahashi said. “Control not only physically, but self-control in the mind, too.”

The JCC’s next event will be Feb. 13 in Cuneo Hall room 103, and will celebrate the Japanese art of Ikebana, or flower arrangement.