Japanese tea house offers lessons at night

By Teri Olsen
Collegian Reporter
September 20, 2006

Did you ever wonder if anyone actually uses the Japanese tea ceremony house behind the Peale House? Or wondered what, exactly, a Japanese tea ceremony is? If you have, you’re in luck. The University does in fact use the tea house and is currently offering a non-credit class on Thursday evenings teaching students about Japanese tea ceremony, also known as chanoyu.

Japanese tea ceremony lessons are taught at La Salle nightly. La Salle is the only place
in the Philadelphia area that offers tea lessons - Maureen Kolodziej

The class is taught by Morgan Beard, an adjunct at La Salle.

“The class is basically just straight instruction in tea ceremony—I do talk a bit about the history and philosophy of it,” Beard said.“But really the intention is just to give students hands-on instruction, which is something that they can’t get elsewhere.”

Beard has been teaching tea lessons, which are sponsored by the Foreign Language Department, at the Japanese tea house for the past two years.

“The first two years I was working closely with Akiko Douglas, who teaches Japanese here, and giving lessons mainly to Japanese students,” Beard said. “This year, I wanted to open classes up more to the student body.”

Two students, David Sautter and Diem Pham, attended the opening session on Thursday, Sept. 14. Pham, a senior philosophy major, was first introduced to the Japanese tea house when she took Japanese I and II her freshman year.

“I came upon the Japanese tea ceremony fliers while walking to class in Olney. I thought the concept was interesting, and since the sessions are free, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Pham said.

According to Sautter, a recent transfer student and junior at La Salle, “the whole ceremony is very relaxing and puts you in a meditative trance. Assuming you put yourself into it, you will come out feeling much more calm and thoughtful.”

The tea served at the ceremony is different from tea available in most grocery stores.

“I must say the tea prepared at these tea ceremonies, compared to store-bought tea, regardless of quality, is much different that what you may suspect,” Sautter said.

The tea, which is green, is made from ground tea leaves. It has a thin layer of foam and a very distinctive taste.

Those attending the tea ceremony can choose from a thin or thick (paste-like, but still drinkable) tea. The tea ranges in taste from sweet to bitter, depending on the grade, and is served without any additives. Yes, this means if you go, you will have to drink your tea without cream or sugar. But what you experience while taking part in the ceremony will more than make up for it.

The Japanese tea ceremony is not simply about drinking a cup of tea. It is about the group that has gathered together and every single move, by both the host and the guests, is carefully planned out.

“After you get used to the rules, you start to notice little things changing about yourself. You’re paying more attention to the way you hold things, or the way you walk across a room, or the way a flower looks in a vase,”Beard said. You start to discern little differences in the taste of the tea, depending on how old it is, who made it, what you ate beforehand, and a dozen other little differences. “You start to relax and enjoy the quiet peace of the tea room.”

At the opening session, Beard performed a simple tea ceremony for the attendees, called bon temae, to give them an idea of what they would learn in the class.

“There was nothing simple about bon temae. Each step our instructor took was like a dance in itself, following a specific pattern,” Pham said. “I was amazed at the confidence, gracefulness and delicacy that Morgan displayed.”

“I have been fascinated by Japanese culture for several years, specifically the traditional customs, practices and belief systems,” Sautter said. “I certainly recommend to those who know little or nothing about Japanese culture: you have nothing to lose, it’s free!”

Japanese tea ceremony lessons are taught at La Salle because the University is affiliated with Urasenke, the largest school of tea ceremony in Kyoto, Japan. La Salle, which is the only place in the Philadelphia area where you can receive tea lessons, is also the only university in the United States to be an official branch of a tea ceremony school.

The classes are being held Thursday evenings at the Japanese tea house. There is still room in the class if anyone is interested. If you can’t fit into your busy schedule, don’t worry. Beard said the class should be offered again next semester.

For more information about chanoyu, you can visit the Urasnke La Salle Web site at www.phillytea.org.

olsent1@lasalle.edu