Moon-Viewing Tea Party

Invited by my teacher
Going to a tea party with Mutchan
A tea party featuring cartonnage and tea boxes
Not knowing which one I would get

It was supposed to be just Mutchan and me, but more and more people kept joining us
This person and that person... bringing along acquaintances
Oh my...

My teacher, as one of the organizers, held the moon-viewing tea party at a soba restaurant that has a tea room

The senior students I always see at the practice hall were dressed in kimonos, looking elegant as they performed the tea ceremony

Under a cloudy sky, the day gradually turned to dusk

Even though the moon could not be seen, the flame of the Japanese candle and the faint light of the stone lanterns visible from the garden
Were inviting us into a world of deep colors

From somewhere, the sound of a pine cricket chirping softly echoed

The main guest was Ai-san, who has been studying the Omotesenke style for many years
Dressed in a kimono with a small floral pattern
Kimonos truly suit tea parties

The first session was the tea box ceremony
I have watched the practice at the studio several times, but I just stare

All the tea utensils were small and adorable

Mina-sensei, the teacher's daughter, explained the tea box ceremony

When I took a bite of the freshly steamed bun, there was a chestnut inside the red bean paste

Since Mutchan is older than me, I invited her to the seat of honor on the right
“But Kana-chan, you are the senior student,” she said
“Mutchan is older, so this is fine,” we whispered to each other

As always, the two of us were in our own little world

Could it be that I will eventually perform this ceremony too?
I think that is still a long way off

A lovely golden heart shape
The tea bowl that Mina-sensei used at her wedding came to me

It is hard to drink from if you turn the bowl twice
I resigned myself to it, thinking it couldn't be helped

Even so, the hot matcha soaked into me

An exotic tea bowl purchased at the Turkmenistan Pavilion at the Osaka Expo was also used

I stared at the tea box utensils as if to burn them into my memory
The small feather whisk and the unusually shaped tea scoop

Everything was compact

After finishing the viewing
And returning to the waiting area
My teacher appeared
And greeted Ai-san, the main guest

To Mutchan and me,
"You two will eventually become people on this side, too."

I had vaguely realized it, but I didn't expect to be wearing a kimono and acting as a hanto (assistant host)...

Beside me, Mutchan insisted,
"I absolutely won't! I'll do it in my next life."

Whether it's a past life or a next life, I think it's fine as long as you enjoy the present.

When we were guided from the waiting area to the seat where we would be served soba, having been told that preparations were complete,

there was a cartonnage box there.
Oh, so they make tea with cartonnage here.

While eating the small bowl of moon-viewing soba topped with warm grated yam,
I couldn't eat it well because the grated yam kept slipping off my chopsticks, which I was using with my unaccustomed right hand.
As I was struggling,
"You're slow at eating, aren't you?"
I was told by Ai-san, the principal guest sitting next to me.

"I'm actually left-handed; I'm trying to use only my right hand for chopsticks to practice for when I make tea."
It sounded like an excuse, but that's what I said.

After the soba was finished,
a beautiful cartonnage box was placed in front of Ai-san.

Inside the box were lovely chocolate-covered cookies and rabbit-shaped sugar candies lined up.

I took them onto a piece of kaishi paper,
and passed them to the person next to me.
Before I could even catch my breath, the tea preparation had begun.
This person was also a senior student I had met at the practice hall.
As expected, tea preparation must be done in a kimono...
Even though she must have been nervous, she was preparing the tea as if it were flowing, without showing any of that atmosphere.

Here, the person who makes the cartonnage explains things to us.
She is a lovely senior student with short hair and sparkling eyes.

The fun time passed by quickly.

In the pitch-black darkness after the rain,
the five of us walked along carefully so as not to slip.

On the way back, we had a taxi called to take us to the station.

"That elegant soba didn't fill us up, did it? Shall we eat something before we go home?"
"That sounds good," "I agree," everyone said one after another.

Someone said, "I want to eat Chinese food," and others agreed, "Let's do that."
However, a table for five didn't open up easily.
Since we were being made to wait so long, I thought in my heart that another restaurant would be fine, but it seemed one person really wanted to eat Chinese food.
Is waiting also a form of training?

There is a lesson to be learned until the very end.

With two servings of thin tea and soba included,
they say the price is exceptional.
Ai-san, who served as the principal guest, suggested that we all thank our teacher together.

Etiquette is important in tea.