Bilingual event seeks to introduce traditional Japanese culture to the wider world.

As it’s the Tokyo area’s most popular international air travel gateway, many people at Haneda Airport have either just arrived in Japan and are eager for their first cultural experience or are on their way home while hoping for just one more before they get on the plane. And what could be more Japanese than a tea ceremony?

Travelers passing through Haneda in early March might want to give themselves a little extra time before heading to their hotel or departure gate, as tea master Machiko Hoshina will be holding tea ceremonies inside the Haneda Airport Garden entertainment complex adjacent to the airport itself. Haneda Airport Garden doesn’t have a dedicated tea ceremony space, but that’s not an issue since this special event is a team-up between Hoshina and traditional wood construction and architectural design company Hanamasa Mokko, makers of the Mobile Chashitsu.

The word chashitsu literally translates as “tea room,” but it also refers to the dedicated detached cottages that Japanese aristocrats in ages past would build on the grounds of their estates specifically for holding tea ceremonies in. An abundance of land isn’t a prerequisite for feeling the appeal of tea ceremonies, however, and so Hanamasa Mokko developed the concept of the Mobile Chashitsu, a tea ceremony space made of sustainable wooden materials that can be assembled or disassembled in one hour, creating a tranquil and intimate atmosphere for the tea ceremony participants within an existing interior or even outdoors in the open air.

The Mobile Chashitsu is not only a way to make tea ceremonies more accessible for people in Japan, but also represents an opportunity to introduce the Japanese tradition overseas, since it’s a much more viable option for limited-time cultural events in other countries than building a permanent chashitsu structure.

▼ Hanamasa Mokko’s Mobile Chashitsu can be built in a variety of styles and specifications

That goal of raising global awareness of and appreciation for tea ceremonies is something Hoshina shares. Bilingual in Japanese and English, she’s traveled to perform tea ceremonies overseas, and the Haneda Mobile Chashitsu ceremony will also be conducted in those two languages so that even first-timers from other countries can easily take part.

▼ With the event taking place at Haneda, it looks like the confectionaries served with the tea will have an aerial motif.

The event, officially called The World-traveling Chashitsu, will take place on March 2, with available starting times for the 45-minute tea ceremonies being between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. A total of 45 tickets are available, priced at 15,000 yen (US$99) and reservable online here. While the current plan is for only a single day, the Mobile Chashitsu’s whole deal is that it’s quick and easy to install, so if there’s a strong enough turnout we might see more tea ceremonies at Haneda or other airports in Japan.

Source, images: PR Times
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