Dear Friends,
We tend to feel gloomy these days because it is an uncertain time for everybody. So I would like to share an interesting book. I hope it cheers you up a bit.
“Every Day a Good Day” - This book, originally written in Japanese, was very popular in Japan a few years ago. It became even more recognizable after it was adapted into a movie. I had heard of the book but hadn’t had a chance to read it until last year when I received the book as a Christmas gift.
I have been studying tea ceremonies for a while so when I saw the English subtitle, “Fifteen lessons I learned about happiness from Japanese tea culture”, I became even more intrigued.
The book says, “…. in essence, tea is nothing more than making a single bowl of tea”. That’s true. Can you imagine people spending years learning how to make a single bowl of tea? But that is the truth! I go to class to learn how to serve a bowl of matcha. But the more I learn about the Japanese tea ceremony and its depth, I realize how much more there is to study. Even so, I always feel good after my tea ceremony class.
The popularity of matcha in NYC still surprises me. It started out as a new flavor for beverages. However, people seem to sense that matcha is not just a drink, but something more profound. This book is translated into English as well as many other languages so that people around the world might begin to feel the mystery of tea. If you are interested, please check it out. There may be different nuances in each language, but this English translation is great. You will find that learning one thing teaches you a lot. Everything is within. We may not need many things to feel happiness. Please don’t forget to wash your mind as well as your hands!! Every Day is a Good Day!
Best,
Kumiko
Edited by Mika Sumida