The Japanese tea party

Mom spent most of her childhood in Japan. One day, to rid our boredom, she organized a Japanese tea party for me and my friends.

She placed bamboo plants at the four corners of the room. A Japanese tatami mat lined the floor. The low tea table took center place. A vase with beautiful cherry blossoms adorned the side table and a lovely orange colored paper lantern hung low over the table. A huge Japanese fan spanned the centre of the opposite wall. The dress code was ‘kimono’ so everybody came dressed in hired kimonos.

Everybody removed their shoes outside and entered the room in their socks. They washed their hands in the portable stone basin mom had kept especially for that. We proceeded to the table where Mom’s beautiful Japanese tea set sat prettily. There were little cup cakes and loads of green tea. Then Mom made us play a game. She taught each of us a Japanese word which would be our name for the evening. The winner of the game was the one who could remember the most names.

It was a fun tea party and a great way to learn a little about Japanese culture.