June 5, 2026

Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility: The Japanese Tea Ceremony

[Text and photos by Program Director Luke Strosnider]

After a short subway ride and jaunt through the bustling streets of Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, our group removed our shoes and gathered on tatami mats to experience a Japanese tea ceremony.

A woman in a kimono leads a Japanese tea ceremony. — Peacefully and intentionally, the tea master leads our group through the ceremony.

After we were welcomed into the space and given a brief primer on the four guiding principles of the ceremony — harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility — then we were led through the tea ceremony.

A woman speaks to a group while holds a sign featuring Japanese characters for harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. — Our host welcomes us to the ceremony and explains the four guiding principles of the ceremony — harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.

Before the first sip, we were treated to delicate handcrafted sweets shaped like flowers and seasonal motifs called wagashi. This aspect of the ceremony is tradition meant as a balance to matcha's natural bitterness.

A platter of traditional Japanese sweets — We were offered sweets before our tea; a balance to the bitter matcha tea.

We were given the opportunity to carefully place vibrant green matcha powder into bowls and use a bamboo whisk to make a frothy cup of tea.

Green powder in a tea cup. — Matcha powder in a tea cup, awaiting the addition of hot water.

It was a beautiful reminder of what travel does best: it slows us down and opens us up. A cup of tea, it turns out, can hold a whole culture.