ea Experience in Oimachi.” It was a great pleasure to welcome back those who had previously attended, and we were delighted to see a participant from last October’s “Kumihimo and Knot Amulet” seminar and workshop join us with her husband.

The experience began with a hands-on practice of using the 'tsukubai' (stone water basin) for hand purification and learning the etiquette of entering a small tearoom. Participants then enjoyed 'omogashi' (main sweets) and 'koicha' (thick matcha tea), followed by 'higashi' (dry sweets) and 'usucha' (thin matcha tea). Chairs were provided for those who found sitting in the traditional 'seiza' posture difficult.

The first tea gathering of the year, called 'hatsugama', is a special occasion to celebrate the New Year and welcome guests. To mark the season, we used a new green bamboo 'chashaku' (tea scoop). Also, We served 'hanabira-mochi' as the main sweet and 'kohaku-chiyo-musubi' and 'matsuba' as dry sweets (from Sasama).

In the alcove, we hung a calligraphy work featuring an 'Enso (circle)' with the phrase 'Setsugekka (Snow, Moon, and Flowers)' at the center, written by Chiyoda Genkai from Hakusenji Temple, located a little closer to the sea from our venue, to commemorate the establishment of our NPO Kissako Cha Know You. Alongside the hanging scroll, we displayed 'wabisuke' camellia and 'musubi-yanagi' (tied willow). We shared the history and significance of 'musubi-yanagi,' which we learned from Aiba-sensei, the instructor of the 'Kumihimo and Knot Amulet' workshop, in both Japanese and English for native speakers of each language.

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