My next day in Kyoto was exciting and certainly different, as it involved a cooking class and a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. So, it was quite an early start and a fair walk to the Cooking Sun food school which is in an old machiya townhouse in central Kyoto. The school offers travellers the opportunity to cook and taste traditional Japanese cuisine. The class began at 9.30 am and ended at 12.30 pm. All the staff were friendly, and fluent in English, luckily, as I hadn’t managed to learn more than one or two Japanese words before my arrival – all my planned learning did not materialise! There were ten of us in total from different countries, including the USA and France, taking part in the cooking class. We had to put on a smart cooking overall each first before embarking on our cooking adventure. We were then all given a bento box to display our cooked delights in. I must mention that it was like a monsoon outside that morning, and everyone arrived a little wet to say the least. Anyway, we managed to produce a satisfying bento box that included Teriyaki chicken, tempura prawns and vegetables, and sushi rolls. This was our lunch, too, and it was extremely filling so I don’t think many people, including myself, managed to eat everything we had cooked!
So, after a busy morning and filling lunch, I decided to have a little wander around the main shopping district of Kyoto that has many of the large stores before venturing out again to the tea house. It was still like a monsoon outside, so it certainly wasn’t a day to be participating in many outdoor activities.
It was soon time to set off again on another adventure: the traditional tea ceremony which was at the Camellia Flower Teahouse in Ninenzaka. Ninenzaka, along with Sannenzaka are two sloping streets that lead to the Kiyomizudera Temple. These historical streets are lined with quaint shops and cafes, offering traditional Japanese crafts and cuisine; however, there is also a lovely little Starbucks nestled amongst them. This is a truly picturesque area of Kyoto with the mountains firmly in the background. I had a little wander around this area and up to the temple after the tea ceremony.
The tea ceremony was really authentic, and the process was explained to me at each stage. I learnt about the history and philosophy of the tea ceremony and its relationship with Zen Buddhism. Tea ceremonies are traditionally a way of sharing hospitality with your host in a relaxing environment that is far away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. This whole experience lasted for about 45 minutes and involved mixing and tasting matcha green tea, and beforehand tasting the traditional sweet treat that is supposed to take away any bitterness from the tea – these sweets, Wagashi, were made of a sweet bean paste and covered in bamboo leaves. They were quite big and tasted salty on the outside and then sweet on the inside. I didn’t really like them and only had a couple of bites. The tea, on the other hand, was quite refreshing, and I came to readily enjoy matcha tea during my Japan trip.
