At the request of CCxN (Cross-Cultural Connections) at Washington University in St. Louis, we gave a tea ceremony demonstration on the evening of Friday, April 17th for fifteen students, who also enjoyed handmade nerikiri sweets and matcha tea.
During the Q&A session following the demonstration, the students asked many thoughtful questions. What impressed me most was their strong interest in matcha itself, undoubtedly influenced by the worldwide popularity of matcha lattes.
As I reflected on the many conflicts and wars that continue around the world today, I found myself hoping that opportunities for young students to encounter a foreign culture such as the Japanese tea ceremony might help them deepen their understanding of other countries and cultures, and perhaps even inspire them to become people who can contribute, in some small way, to world peace.
