Japanese tea, something special to see and enjoy
There are many pressures in today’s world, and there is a variety of ways to relieve stress, such as listening to soothing music, doing some quiet exercise or taking time for a cup of coffee.
For some, a Japanese tea ceremony, better known as chanoyu, chado, or sado, followed by a special drink from a tea-bowl is the best way to relax and refresh the mind.
The tea ceremony is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which a skilled practitioner will prepare matcha, or powdered green tea, in a tranquil setting inviting guests to try a bowl of tea.
The practitioner or the host (teshu) wears a kimono, a traditional Japanese costume or a subdued formal wear during the ceremony. He/she will use a piece of cloth to clean the tea bowl and handle hot kettle or pot lids, a bamboo ladle to transfer water to and from the iron pot and fresh water container in certain ceremonies, a bamboo scoop to scoop tea, a bamboo whisk to blend tea and tea-bowls of different sizes and styles to serve the tea.
When everything is prepared, the host will put an appropriate amount of green tea powder into the tea-bowls and add the right amount of hot water, then use the bamboo whisk to blend the tea with precise, prescribed movements. Finally, the ceremony’s assistants (hanto) will offer fully-made tea-bowls to the guests, who are seated on tatami mats in the tearoom or house.
The guests will also be invited to eat sweets wrapped in a special kind of decorated paper before enjoying the special taste of tea. The reason behind this is that the host wants the guest to perceive good things or happiness from the sweetness at first followed by the bitterness of the taste of tea, as is happening in their lives, which is considered as a philosophy of living.
Like the peace and tranquility of the tea ceremony, Japanese-styled tea shops in HCMC are located on quiet streets which add to the relaxing experience.
Co Hoi is a new establishment styled like a traditional Japanese tea house. Open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., the tea house is hidden from busy streets in HCMC’s Tan Binh District at 26/18 Hoang Ke Vien Street. The name Co Hoi means everyone is welcome to come to the shop to enjoy Japanese tea, to learn about Japanese culture and to meet Japanese people.
When guests enter the shop, the first thing they have to do is take off their shoes and put on a pair of Japanese slippers sulipa. The entrance lobby is decorated with cherry blossoms and paper decorations, and the female servers are dressed Japanese costumes. These servers greet their guests in Japanese with a bow and a smile, and then change to English or Vietnamese to invite guests to the Western or Vietnamese tea rooms.
There are two tea rooms, one is typically Japanese, called washitsu, with low square tables beside wooden chairs instead of cushions as the host wants guests to feel comfortable while sitting for a long time in the tea room. The other is decorated in Western style with tall modern chairs.
The guests order the kind of tea they want to drink from the menu, the tea is VND30,000 to VND60,000 per teapot. The servers are available to demonstrate how to make the tea and snacks are available at reasonable prices. There is also a library, a film projection room, and a terrace. The library is full of books and magazines with information about Japanese culture and people. The film projection room seats nine people at a time and presents documentary films about Japan. The terrace is used to for smokers.
Kissaten, which was established in 1989, is a blend of traditional Japanese tea house and modern coffee shop. Located at 361/21/2 in an ancient-styled house on an alley hidden behind a busy street Nguyen Dinh Chieu in HCMC’s District 3, it is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The shop is lit with yellow lanterns and decorations made from origami and paper fans, making the shop look like an authentic Japanese tea house. The female servers wearing kimonos, a traditional Japanese costume, serve guests in a mezzanine in the house with compartments separated by bamboo curtains, creating a private space for guests. The host will perform a tea ceremony by request as they listen to Japanese and Zen music.
The shop has a variety of Japanese tea imported from Japan such as Gyokuro (Kyoto), Matcha Usucha (Uji), Matcha Kojcha and some famous Vietnamese teas such as Thai Nguyen and Bach Mao at VND20,000-VND160,000 per teapot for four guests. Tea is also served by the cup, and tea-cream made by the shop is available for guests who are fond of ice cream.
Finally Saigon Urasenke Chado Club at 141 Xuan Hong Street in Ward 12 in HCMC’s Tan Binh District is open every Saturday and Sunday afternoon for university and college students and office workers who are interested in the Chado, tea Japanese ceremony, better known as the Way of Tea.
There are currently 20 members at the club. Each member pays VND200,000 initiation fee and tuition fee for each course, which is VND30,000 per month for students and VND80,000 per month for office workers. Registration for lessons in Japanese tea Ceremonies can be done via clbtradaosaigon2007@yahoo.com
