- Isejingu, a private tea house in Ujiimazaikecho, Ise, Mai prefecture.
- Ihoan tea house in Hagashiyama, Kyoto.
- Shokin-tei tea house located in Kyoto.
- Joan tea house located in Inuyama-shi, Aichi prefecture.
- Jikouin tea house located in Yamato-koriyama-shi, Nara prefecture.
- Choushukaku tea house located in Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa prefecture. Beautiful !!
- Isuitei pavilion located in the Hashimoto gardens in Kyoto.
- Sa-an tea house located in the Daitokuji temple grounds in Kita-ku, Kyoto.
- Kasumidoko-seki tea room located in the Sa-an tea house.
- Kan'in-no-seki tea room located in the Sa-an tea house. Wow !!
- Part of the Chashitsu tea house located in old Edo Tokyo.
- The beautiful Byodo-in temple, which also serves as an open tea house ground located in Uji, Kyoto.
- This is the mother load for me; this is the kind of tea house that pulls at my heart string the most ... so breath taking !! Located in Yokohama prefecture.
- Koto-in tea house: the gate and wall to enter. It is an incredibly old and traditional tea house grounds that is protected and only open to small numbers of people wanting to view it. Located in Kita-ku, Kyoto.
- Koto-in tea house located in Kita-ku, Kyoto.
- Large tea room in Koto-in tea house.
- Interior view of a part of the Koto-in tea house. Beautiful !!
I hope you have enjoyed these stunning, beautiful architectures of Japan. Of course, there are thousands of tea houses all throughout Japan! I hope to visit my share of tea houses when I get to Japan (^_^)
So I am going to start a post called "Japan Favorites", once a week. I will fill the post with all sorts of things that I like ranging from Pictures, Videos, and other media/gadgets all about Japan! So .... Let's Go !!
This Week's Theme: Japanese Tradition
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A Matcha Tea set. "Matcha" is the native green tea that is grown and harvested in Japan. The tea has a strong, bitter, grassy, earthy, ancient flavor as it is brewed strong. Traditional Matcha is made with only hot water; no additives like sugar, milk, honey, etc. The tea leaves are harvested and ground into an extremely fine powder - using a stone grind by hand. This lively tea has a soothing smell that is sure to tame your senses and put your mind in tune with nature. Matcha is the traditional tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies!
A beautiful photo of a traditional tea ceremony. Though Japan has become modernized in some parts, it still and will always hold onto its ancient traditions - like tea ceremonies. You can see the attire that is worn; Kimono. The tea house where the ceremony takes place, has a wooden 'hole' in the floor where an iron pot called a "Tetsubin" is placed and used to make hot water. There are several components required to make a tea ceremony, a true tea ceremony. Look Below For The Video!
Notice the long handled cup that is used to transfer the hot water, to the bowl full of Matcha. There is a long scoop that is used to make perfect measurements of Matcha. A distinct bamboo whisk is used to whisk the Matcha and water together, to finish preparing the tea. The bowls are even very critical for drinking Matcha! Take care to enjoy this beatiful, ancient, and intriguing tradition!
Here is the finished product: ready to drink Matcha !! I order pure, high grade Matcha straight from Japan about once a month or so (the amount will last me a little while), and truly, it is a wonderful tea to have! Not to mention the extraordinary health benefits that Japanese Matcha has on the body! OH, Wonderful Wonderful !! (^_^)
These two women are dressed as traditional Miko. A Miko is a Shinto priestess who was trained to take a daily life to keeping after a Shinto shrine. Her duties would include knowing sacred cleansings and purifications to the shrine, as well as the sacred Kagura dance (which was also performed in the shrine). Miko are still present in today's Japan!
Of course, here is the ever-so elegant and beautiful symbol of Japan: Geisha. A Geisha would partake in many actions and duties, and was indeed a symbol of Japan. She would apply her own facial paint and makeup, while a talented trained person would updo her hair into the traditional Geisha style. She wears a layering of Kimonos witha specially picked out Obi (the band/bow that goes around the waist of a Kimono), making for a truly Beautiful woman.
A stunning and beautiful art of putting on the paint and makeup!
A Hina Matsuri doll display. Hina Matsuri is a tradition also called the "Girl's Day Festival", which celebrates all young girls and ladies in Japan. The girls make Matsuri dolls and place them in their homes on the day of Hina Matsuri. Public festival displays are welcomed to be viewed by everyone. The dolls are beautifully crafted and are made and dressed with real, ancient materials!
Musha Jinji is a traditional style of Archery in Japan. There are many different styles of archery, this is just one of those 'many'! Mostly men participate in Musha Jinji.
O-Mato Taiki is another style of archery. This is an all women's archery, and they truly make it a gorgeous art!
Setsubun Festival is one that takes place in a shrine, this one in particular is the Yasaka Shrine. After traditional music and dance is shown on the stage in the shrine grounds, Fuku Mame beans (fortune beans) are thrown and showered onto the crowd as of course, a wish of good fortune (^_^)
Here is the Gagaku dance that is performed in the Setsubun festival. The traditional outfit is kept in pristine condition and passed down for each dancer to wear, while performing this beautiful dance.
Here is one of my favorite traditional dances: the Geisha/Maiko dance. Take time to enjoy, in my own opinion, the most Beautiful dance in the world.
The Japanese Onsen. An Onsen is a natural hot water spring that allows for the ultimate relaxation, bath, and tranquility. There are natural hot springs located everywhere in Japan, some are isolated to the public, and are therefore created into Onsens! Some Onsens offer an indoor bath, a place to stay the night, and plenty of delicious traditional Japanese food!
Hot springs have been used by the Japanese since very early in history. Just think about the fuedal periods (like the Edo period), where the shinobi (ninja), Samurai, and Soldiers would come to a hot spring or Onsen to relax their beaten and tensed muscles and scrub off that beautiful hard work of the day! Hot springs are the God-sent natural bath of Japan for sure!
These are just a scratch on the surface of Japanese traditions !! I hope you've enjoyed this gorgeous, small selection of the mystical traditions of Japan. I hope to have made your eyes see Japan perhaps, a bit differently today! (^_^)
I have not chosen a university yet, to pursue my teaching career. I'm 16, so I have some time left to find the one just right for every aspect of my life (^_^)
The courses that I want to take are English, Early Childhood (Elementary level), and maybe Secondary (a little bit above Elementary level) education. To even become a certified teacher, it will be a 4-year course plan, and you need a 4-year degree in order to work in Japan (as a foreigner). I am looking forward to this! That was not sarcasm either lol; I understand the work that is going to go into becoming a teacher, and I am preparing myself for it.
Where will I be located? That I'm not quite sure of yet. I would like to stay in Pennsylvania and attend one of its universities, but I've always wanted to go to California for schooling. California has many more universities and very high rated ones too. Although it would be like a dream to move out to Cali for a university, but at 18, I might as well stay close to friends and family for now. The support and encouragment will be greatly effective during my late nights of study and work lol. Perhaps I could transfer to Cali after a year or two? Who knows! (^_^)
Depending on what university I choose, I may or may not have to live on campus. To be honest, I've always wanted to live on campus if I ever went to a university, so I am willing to go either way. Of course, if the university is too far of a drive, then I will cling to campus life with joy!
I will also have to plan out my approximate graduation date, as I would like to graduate before summer hits. I will explain more about that later in other posts, though.
In my previous post: "I'm all Ears ... And Eyes !!", I never meant to come off that the Japanese are 'stone strict'. No. They are just taught Respect, Etiquette, the Correct ways to Live in Their Culture, and Politeness at a young age so that they may continue practicing those ways of life as they get older. Japan simply has more unison and perhaps, expectations, than we do in America.
Honestly, I must say that I agree! I like the thought of the Japanese way of life and teachings far better than American. Don't go and think I'm turning against my home country now! Trust me, like any good minded American today, we all have PLENTY of dislikes and gripes about America's state right now. But I'm looking at it as a whole. Our 'culture' ... if we even have one.
Is America's culture all about Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Fried foods, Cheap Imitations, and Stupid Laws? Yes haha, I think it is. However, I must say that it is our past that cultures our country. It is the same with Japan as well. Only, Japan sticks to its historical and deeply rooted cultures and traditions more than America would ever give time for. But you must also think, Japan's cultures and traditions are those that are very unique and different than what America's historical culture was. In America, we had the Colonial Periods, The ever-so-popular 50's and 60's, the Cowboys Era, The Midevil Time Period, The Cavemen. Don't you see it all coming together now? America has no possible way of clinging to its history ... it is a yearly ever-changing culture in itself! BUT. Look at it this way. Maybe that is why America has literally every single stereotype, race, fad, and style that it has today! What a diverse country. With huge diversion, comes huge controversy and wide-spred opinions ....
YUCK!
I have plenty of ticks against American government and lifestyle, but no country or nation is perfect. But we all have our own likes and dislikes when it comes to lifestyle. Mine just happens to feel at home in Japan's lifestyle! And once I get to that Island Nation, I will continue to unfold its life's secrets (^_^)
