Our Annual Chaki event at Glebe Town Hall on October 26th was a wonderful success, thanks to everyone’s support! The event featured both a tea demonstration and a hands-on workshop, allowing guests to experience the art of making a cup of tea themselves. In addition, we offered a lunch box, along with a tea and kimono shop, adding to the authentic experience. We received many positive comments from our guests, who thoroughly enjoyed the day. Thank you all for making it memorable!
We will have an Annual Chakai on 26th October 2024 at Glebe Town Hall.
There are three sessions available and it costs $60 per person which includes:
Please book early to avoid disappointment!
The booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CVHBB
August 3rd 2024
The calligraphy is わけいせいじゃく(wa ke i se i ja ku) highlights the core values of the tea ceremony: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. These four elements are central to the practice.
The demonstration showcases 御園棚 (mi so no da na) is a style of the tea ceremony where participants sit on chairs rather than on tatami mats. This adaptation is intended to provide a more comfortable experience for those unfamiliar with traditional Japanese seating.
Thanks to a grant from the Japan Foundation, Urasenke Sydney was able to demonstrate chado to the public and run workshops for school students in Cowra during the shire’s Koyo Matsuri festival on 3rd and 4th May.
Hatsugama is a traditional Japanese event held to celebrate the beginning of the New Year. The term “Hatsugama” translates to “first kettle” in English, referring to the first tea ceremony of the year.
The Hatsugama ceremony is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and tradition, and it holds significant importance in the practice of tea ceremonies, which are known as “chanoyu” or “sado.” The ceremony involves the preparation and serving of matcha, a powdered green tea, in an intricate and highly ritualized manner.
On September 23rd, Urasenke Sydney volunteers from Sydney (Yoshiaki Matsunaga, Ryoko Freeman, Itoko Inoue, Emiko Shirato, Taeko Pegios, Tomomi Nakaya, Takeshi Shibata, Kana Ide), Newcastle (Robert Davies) and Canberra (Kyoko McKay, Takako Mizogami, Lee Walsh, Sachiko Inuzuka, Jayde Ohashi, Nobuyuki Ohashi presented the Japanese Tea Ceremony at the Japanese Garden in Cowra for the Sakura Matsuri Festival. Fortunately, we had a gorgeous day (maximum 21.3oC) after a few days of hot weather. The tea ceremony was very successful. Shuichi Tokuda, Consul-General of Japan in Sydney, with his wife and Yukihiro Ohira, the director of the Japan Foundation attended. However, we had fewer guests, about 160 guests, compared to last year’s 219 guests. Possibly it was because of the recent hot weather, or possibly because the cost of admission was raised to $10 this year.
Anyway, the guests enjoyed our performances and beautiful matcha with handmade Japanese sweets. Our range of sweets was greatly increased and improved by the addition of Mrs Matsunaga’s okashi, which were very popular! When some members were performing the tea ceremony, other members were working hard in the kitchen making yakisoba (stir-fried noodles), so all members were busy. As the Association does every year, the profit will be donated to The Japanese Garden in Cowra.
