An Australian Trio Finds Peace in the Tea Room
It was colder than usual this morning. I was waiting for a family of three from Australia, shivering slightly. After a while, they arrived right on time. I greeted them cheerfully, saying, “Welcome to Kyoto,” and they nodded with a smile. Looking at their son Theo’s legs, who was wearing shorts, I said, “It’s cold today, isn’t it?”
Japan is heading towards winter and getting colder. On the other hand, Australia is located at almost the same latitude as Japan, so there is no time difference, but the seasons are opposite because Japan is in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia is about to head into summer.
I guided them from Hankyu Arashiyama Station to Komurasaki An. It was about a 3-minute walk.
Jenny, the wife, and Theo, their son, are visiting Japan for the first time.
Adrian, the father, is on his third visit to Japan and always stops by Kyoto.
I like your socks!
Naoko and I don’t have any children. When I was a teacher, I used to think, ‘My students are my children,’ and interacted with them accordingly. Over the past 40 years, I’ve taught a total of 10,000 students. We’ve said everything we wanted to say to each other, and we’ve had our fair share of arguments. I’ve also taken over 100 students abroad on homestay programs. However, I never became a real parent to any of them. Now, looking at Adrian’s family, I feel very envious. I’ve wondered many things. ‘Do they always eat meals together as a family?’ ‘Do they fight over the TV remote?’ ‘Do they have a curfew?’ ‘What is it like to travel overseas as a family?’
It’s been about 10 months since I started my tea ceremony workshop. People from all walks of life have participated, including solo travelers, couples, friends, and families. Everyone is so cooperative and dedicated to learning about tea ceremony. I’m truly grateful for their patience with my imperfect English. After the workshop, we move to a separate room where I create personalized tea ceremony completion certificates with their photos. While they enjoy coffee and sweets, we have wonderful conversations. It’s an incredibly fulfilling experience. It feels like I’m making friends from all over the world. Both Naoko and I find our workshop to be very meaningful.
