Japanese Tea Time

Being yelled at about proper foot placement while pouring the tea kettle isn’t everyone’s idea of a fun-filled Saturday morning. But for the members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chado Society, relaxation and tranquility go hand in hand with proper manner, speech, decorations and, of course, tea.

Every week, a small group of Harvard affiliates meet in a specially-designed tea room at 5 Bryant St. for the practice of chado—Japanese for “the way of the tea.” While the concept of chado is simple enough—steep and pour—the varied details, customs and ceremonies make it a bit more complicated than just plopping a bag of Lipton into a cup of hot water. Tea was brought from China to Japan in 1191, and traditional ceremonies became popular in the 14th century. Chado has since spread to the far corners of the globe—including Cambridge.

While setting up various decorations in the tokonoma—a small alcove in the tearoom used to display objects such as burning incense and flower arrangements—the group’s teacher, Aiko Rodgers Somi, explains some of the intricate details of the ceremony. For example, the calligraphy in the tokonoma corresponds with the season; because September is the moon month in Japan, it reads, “Moonlight shining on pine dew.”

After an hour-long preparation, the actual ceremony can finally commence. Before drinking the tea, the host gives the guest a few pieces of candy to compensate for the very bitter tea, which chado practitioners freely admit is “an acquired taste.” In contrast to the lengthy set-up, the actual drinking of the tea takes a few moments.

Afterwards, Seavitt tries to explain the variations between the three schools of chado.

“While there might be some differences between how many steps you take, the way you move your hands, the overall differences are fairly miniscule,” Seavitt says. “But the overall principle is the same—it’s just a way for the host or hostess and their guest to share some tea.”

The Harvard-Radcliffe Chado Society meets every week at 9 a.m., alternating Saturdays and Sundays, in the East-Asian Languages Building at 5 Bryant St.