15 Must Hear Stories about Tea Ceremony

Over the course of our lives, one can encounter many people, but what can really change the course of one’s life is the stories one encounters while traveling. One person’s story can provide a new perspective, which can change your point of view, thus altering your entire world. As you become more attuned to the world around you, the meaning of what you see in front of you also changes. And once you realize this, there’s no going back.

When you watch a movie set in your travel destination, when you meet people that have traveled there just like the protagonists, or read a novel that is centered around said destination, you also vicariously take a voyage there through the storyteller’s perspective. Your own trip will change in some way after you’ve learned the story of your destination.

This year, the first year of Reiwa, the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs is collaborating with ten domestic airports to develop the “Japan Media Arts Distributed Museum.” For this project, artists and creators of different showcase relics and materials from all over the nation in their own ways to provide an artistic gateway to the many unique regions of Japan. At the same time, these artworks introduce travelers to places where they can encounter charming, new facets of Japanese culture.

On display at Chubu Centrair International Airport are works dedicated to “Chanoyu,” or “The Way of Tea.” Chanoyu is a style of tea ceremony whose aesthetics and foundational philosophy are said to have been perfected by tea pioneer Sen-no-Rikyu. It’s nearly impossible to give a cut-and-dry explanation because one may only grasp Chanoyu after experiencing it for themselves. There are as many experiences as there are people in this world, and so we encourage you to discover your own “Way of Tea.”

Aichi Prefecture boasts many great historical leaders that had a taste for Chanoyu, including Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Many merchants, not just samurai, enjoyed Chanoyu, further cementing the practice as a lifestyle. It can even be said that it’s become the root of Nagoya’s coffee shop culture. So why not have a taste of the “Way of Tea” for yourself?

Add a little color to your trip and let us navigate you. Feel free to put one headphone in and listen while you travel. We hope you will see your trip with new eyes as we tell you the tale of this region.

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