A Tea Ceremony Experience that Deepened Family Bonds–A Heartwarming Encounter with a German Family
Standing in front of Hankyu Arashiyama Station with a print of the German flag raised, my eyes met with a man’s. He waved his hand as he approached, followed by his wife, a boy, and a girl.
We greeted each other in English with a “Nice to meet you!” and began the conversation nervously. My heart raced as I experienced the precious opportunity to speak with a German person for the first time in my life.
I felt a strong bond between the German family during this tea ceremony. The mother firmly held the plate while her daughter ground the tea leaves, and the son chatted happily with his father, who listened with a smile. They were so close that they seemed like close friends, which was really heartwarming. Naoko and I don’t have children, so they seemed very fresh and even enviable to me.
After seeing them off at the entrance when the workshop ended, Naoko and I enjoyed coffee and Japanese sweets while reminiscing about the enjoyable interaction with the German family. Before bed, I sent nearly 90 photos taken during the workshop to Oliver’s email.
The next morning, I received the following response: “Dear Aki, dear Naoko, Thank you very much for the nice email and the great photos. We had a wonderful afternoon at your home. We were deeply moved by your hospitality and the tea ceremony. We will gratefully take the memories of this heart-warming day back to Germany with us. Kind regards also from Sibylle, Pauline and Oskar Oli“
