1968

We came to our car, and I got busy typing up my notes when a young man by the name of Schaefer came by. He was all alone, on R&R from Vietnam, and seemed lonesome, so we asked him to sit down and talk. I fixed him a cup of coffee, but then in a few minutes two Japanese girls came to our car inviting us to tea. We grabbed our cameras and followed them up the hill near us.

On a mat spread on the ground sat a woman in a dark kimono, and seven Japanese girls. All except one, wore ordinary western type clothes, sweaters, blouses, skirts or simple dresses. One or two had on hose, but most wore heavy white socks. The only other girl wore a light colored kimono. Sandals facing outward were placed at the edge of the mat. We got down on our haunches as best we could to join the group.

We learned this was going to be a lesson in how to serve a Japanese ceremonial tea. Each girl had to take her turn serving the tea. She would sit down in front of the teacher, pick up a small black box and set it carefully in front of a thermos with hot water. Every detail had to be done just so, with the right hand for each movement, and each hand held in just the right position. A small white towel was used to wipe the spoon, which was a lacquered wooden spoon, long handled but with a small bowl. Then the towel had to be folded precisely, and laid in a particular spot. There were but two "cups" for the service, and each cup was filled with hot water, brushed with a bamboo brush, dried in a definite way with another clean white cloth, and the waste water poured into a container at the side. The small black laquered container was opened, the lid set exactly at the edge of the tea tray, two teaspoons of green tea put into the bowl, and the lid replaced on the tea box. Next hot water was poured into the cup, and carried to one of us or one of the girls sitting around the edge of the mat.

The girl who was serving the tea would bow low to the recipient, and the guest was supposed to bow to the server. The recipient set it to her right, and bowed to the person to her right; then she set the cup to her left and bowed to the person to her left. Next she set the tea in front of her, and bowed to the girl serving the tea, who bowed back. Lifting the

cup in her left hand, and supporting it with her right hand, she was to shift the cup to her right twice, and then drink the tea, and eat a piece of a sweet which was served in front of each of us.

When one had drained the cup of the rather awful green liquid, one turned the cup in reverse two movements, studied and admired the design on the cup, and set it down. Somebody would come to get it, kneeling and bowing as she did so. The girls and the teacher sat on their haunches all the while. We each had three cups of the "tea" which we decided was more like alfalfa water. The sweets were laid out on napkins and except for eating one with the tea, the others apparently were supposed to be wrapped up a certain way, and taken home.

The tea things including several large thermos pitchers had been brought from their homes in what looked like a baby carriage, but it is the kind of vehicle they use frequently.

Burt invited them to visit our "house" after the tea ceremony, and when we could go, we rushed down to clean up the place. They came shortly, and all of them were impressed by our "house car". Before they left, they took some pictures of us, the car, and all of them with us. Mr. Schaefer took a group shot, too. So we had another interesting experience in our journey around the northern hemisphere.