Reserve Your Place In A Temporary Tea Room

RIDGEFIELD — Ridgefield Library will continue its tour of tea cultures around the world by focusing its next “Planet Tea” program on Japan. The library will host a traditional Japanese tea ceremony on Saturday, October 7.

In Japan, the role of tea goes beyond delighting in a favorite beverage. When its preparation and serving is presented traditionally, tea can actually symbolize a way of life. Chado, or The Way of Tea, is a vital part of Japanese society and culture, one that infuses it with a quiet grace and spirituality.

Tea master Hisashi Yamada will be the guest presenter on October 7. Mr Yamada is from the Manhattan branch of the world famous Urasenke Chanoyu Center, one of Japan’s outpost educators in the authentic art and ritual of the Japanese tea ceremony.

The center is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, housed in a 19th Century carriage barn. There, an intricate and authentic re-creation of Kyoto’s ancient tea houses has been built to allow the western student to experience the spirit and atmosphere of Japan’s treasured tea ceremony in as realistic and inspiring a setting as possible.

On Saturday afternoon at 3 pm, the Dayton Program Room will act as Ridgefield’s own Japanese “Tea House” when the guest tea master and his assistant, both dressed in ceremonial kimono, will demonstrate the tea ceremony.

Attendees will be asked to leave their shoes in the foyer before entering the program room, where Mr Yamada will narrate the tea ceremony, while his assistant will demonstrate the ritualistic serving of the rare Japanese tea and sweet.

One audience member will be selected to act as the honored guest of the tea master’s, joining him in the ceremony and partaking in the tea service. Afterwards, Mr Yamada will be available to answer any questions and share his insights on the Chado.

The program is free, but reservations are required. Following the demonstration, a Japanese green tea and wagashi bar (traditional Japanese sweets created by the chefs of the Manhattan restaurant branch of Toraya) will be available for all our guests.

There will also be a raffle for visits to the Manhattan branch of Toraya Tea Room at the end of the program.

Contact Ridgefield Library’s circulation desk at 203/438-2282 for reservations. Ridgefield Library is at 472 Main Street/Route 35.