Komurasaki An’s Milestone: From First to 100th Customer
Approximately seven months ago, Komurasaki An’s workshop began. The very first customers were Aine and Jack from Ireland. The experience, filled with a bit of nervousness and a lot of joy, is still vivid in my memory.
And today, we were finally able to welcome our 99th and 100th customers, Peter and Anna. I received a reservation from Peter on July 14th. It read, ‘Hi! I am the Brother of Aine, who visited you with Jack in January. She loved your workshop and recommended it to us. She said it was the highlight of her trip. We are really excited to meet you!’ When I read this email, I was so overjoyed that I shouted out. Peter is Aine’s brother! And what’s more, Peter is the 100th customer since Komurasaki An began!
When I found Peter and Anna in front of Hankyu Arashiyama Station today, I hurried over to them and sincerely said, ‘Welcome to Kyoto! I have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time’ I really appreciate them coming all the way to Kyoto on such a hot and humid day. On our way to Komurasaki An, I asked about Aine and Jack. I heard they are still doing well in Dublin, Ireland.
When I found Peter and Anna in front of Hankyu Arashiyama Station today, I hurried over to them and sincerely said, ‘Welcome to Kyoto! I have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time’
I really appreciate them coming all the way to Kyoto on such a hot and humid day. On our way to Komurasaki An, I asked about Aine and Jack. I heard they are still doing well in Dublin, Ireland.
I escorted them to the tea grinding room, where they met our tea master, Naoko. This encounter marked the beginning of a unique cultural experience for them.Interestingly, the tea grinding experience wasn’t offered when Aine was here. When I shared this with them, their faces lit up with excitement, realizing they were part of something special.
In my workshops, I explain the matcha-making process like this: ‘Farmers pick tender young tea leaves in May. These leaves are steamed, dried, and then ground using a millstone to produce a fine powder.’ However, as I had never personally experienced this process, I felt my explanation lacked authenticity. So, on February 8th, I visited Uji City, famous for its tea, and had the opportunity to grind matcha at Fukujuen. The process was much more physically demanding than I expected, and it took a significant amount of time for the fine powder to emerge from the millstone. I realized how time-consuming and laborious it must have been for people to enjoy a cup of tea in the past. Through this firsthand experience, I gained a deeper understanding of the process and can now explain it to my workshop participants with greater confidence. I wonder if Peter and Anna enjoyed the tea grinding experience as much as I did.
Both Peter and Anna are avid travelers. They’ve been to various European countries and Asia. Peter has been to Boston in the US, and Anna has been to Adelaide in Australia. I love Boston too and have traveled there several times. When I told Peter that Boston is a sister city of Kyoto, he was surprised. I once took my students to Adelaide to stay and study for about a month on a homestay program. We had a peaceful and relaxing time.
Traveling offers new discoveries and opportunities to meet new people. The warm hospitality of the local people still remains in my heart. They told me that their future hope is to travel to Africa. For this trip to Japan, after Kyoto, they will be visiting Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, and Okinawa. Typhoon No. 10 is approaching Japan, so Naoko and I prayed for their safe and enjoyable trip.
