Tradition

*“Tomorrow’s winds will blow tomorrow.”* *明日は明日の風が吹く* **- Japanese proverb -**  *** I've been meaning to share these images for a year now. They were taken whilst on holiday visiting my brother, sister in-law and nephew, @mrbonkers, in the far north of Australia. I was asked to take some for use on my sister in-law's social media and website and the bonus was I got to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It was my first one and was hoping for some great tea but it wasn't as tasty as Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea; it's made from ground *matcha green tea leaves,* and whilst not the best I've tasted, it was reasonable...and there was Japanese cookies too, so I was happy enough. My sister in law is full Japanese, as is her friend, so it was all pretty authentic although I'd not know if it wasn't I guess. They run a business doing kimono tea ceremonies and focus on keeping it very traditional and true to form including the kimonos which are made from silk, as opposed to the *yukuta* which are usually cotton. The kimonos are super costly items and take a long time to put on - I wasn't there for the dressing part of course - and seeing the tail end of the process one get's an idea of how complex it can be. The tea ceremony was all quite solemn and formal as you'd expect from a Japanese ceremony with very precise and deliberate movements throughout; it's rather cool actually. Traditionally the ceremony is all about inner peace and a bonding process between host and guest and in true Japanese style it is taken very seriously. Anyway, here's some of the images. I've also added two collages to this post just to fit in a few more images without making it a long-winded post. I know people's scrolling fingers fatigue easily. Hopefully the community moderators don't mute me for it.       *** Have you ever experienced a traditional Japanese tea ceremony? Let me know in the comments if you have, or simply feel free to comment as you please.