A Missed Connection at Hankyu Arashiyama — A Hilarious Start to a Memorable Workshop
“I’ve been waiting for you for 20 minutes! Where are you?” I was waiting in front of Hankyu Arashiyama Station, holding a sign with the Thai flag. It turns out, my customers from Thailand had already been waiting for me at the same time and place. However, I was completely unaware of their presence, which was a huge blunder on my part.
When they saw me holding a sign with the Thai flag, they rushed towards me. I was way behind schedule, and I knew they had other things to do after the workshop. I felt awful about keeping them waiting, and my face turned bright red with embarrassment and guilt.
On our way to Komurasaki An, I had a conversation with Turawat in Japanese. Impressed by his fluency, I asked him, “Where did you learn Japanese?” His unexpected reply was, “I studied it on my own in Thailand.”
Passarada is a photogenic beauty with a lovely smile and a good command of English. When speaking with Turawat, she converses in Thai, but she switches to English when interacting with Naoko and me. It dawned on me that English truly is a universal language, understood and spoken across the globe.
Turawat was experiencing the tea ceremony for the second time, and Passarada, for the first time. They were excited to try their hand at grinding the tea leaves. With a big smile on their face, they carefully turned the millstone, transforming the
coarse leaves into a fine powder. It was clear that they were enjoying this new aspect of the tea ceremony. Using spoons and brushes with practiced ease, they scooped up the matcha powder from the millstones and placed it in the tea strainer cans.
Over two decades ago, Naoko and I traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, their homeland. We joined a guided walking tour of Wat Pho and Wat Arun, and visited the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. One time, we got lost and were at a loss what to do, when a woman approached us with concern and asked in English, “What’s wrong? Can I help you?” We told her where we wanted to go, and the woman kindly gave us detailed directions. Thanks to her, we were able to reach our destination safely. We still can’t forget that woman’s kindness. When I told Turawat about this, he replied, “Thai people can’t stand to see someone in trouble and will gladly lend a helping hand.”
As the workshop concluded and I presented them with their Certificates of Completion for Tea Ceremony Workshop, Passarada beamed with a warm smile and said, “Please do let us know if you ever visit Bangkok. We’d love to show you around!”
