Unexpected Connections: From a Mixed-Up Flag to a Heartfelt Tea Ceremony
Two women approached me as I stood in front of Hankyu Arashiyama Station, holding a print with the Irish flag. One of them asked, “Are you Aki?” She was my guest for the day. “Yes! Welcome to Kyoto!” (Oh, just as I’m writing this blog, I realized my guests today were from Australia. I had brought the Irish flag by mistake. Sorry about that. But the kind-hearted women didn’t say a word about it.)
It was a three-minute walk from the station to Komurasaki An, but we talked about a lot of things such as favorite foods, countries we’ve visited, and the fascinating differences between our languages. I thought Aimee and Kim were friends, but they were actually mother and daughter. When Aimee said, “She is my mom!”, I looked at Kim and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh, you are so young!”
As we chatted and laughed, the tea ceremony workshop unfolded in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. During the previous workshop, I realized that I talked too much while serving wagashi (Japanese sweets), preventing the guests from fully savoring the experience. This time, I made a conscious effort to allow ample time for the guests to enjoy the wagashi. After they finished eating the Japanese sweets, I felt so relieved and happy when they said, ‘It was delicious!
Kim, an immigrant to Australia, regaled us with tales of her initial struggles and hilarious misunderstandings due to language barriers, such as interpreting ‘single’ in ‘one-way ticket’ as ‘single’ in the sense of unmarried.
Aimee, who works in the eyewear industry, had visited Japan 10 years ago. This time, she took a company vacation and brought her mother, Kim, to Japan again. What a filial daughter! They are planning to go to Mount Fuji after that.
Naoko and I drove them to a hotel near Kyoto Station. We hugged them goodbye, promising to meet again someday. Our heartfelt exchange with them has become a precious treasure for me. Thank you!!
