A Lifetime of Learning: Tea Ceremony at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi

One of the highlights of my recent trip home to Oʻahu wasn't a beach or a restaurant.

It was sitting quietly in a tea room.

I had the privilege of observing my mother's Urasenke tea ceremony (Chadō) practice at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi (JCCH) in Moʻiliʻili.

For nearly twenty years, tea has been part of her life. She has spent countless hours studying etiquette, preparing tea, arranging utensils, and refining movements that often appear effortless to an observer.

Yet what moved me most had nothing to do with technical skill.

It was her humility.

She listened carefully to her teachers.

She accepted correction with gratitude.

She remained curious.

Watching her reminded me that true mastery is not the moment when we believe we've learned everything.

It is the willingness to remain teachable.

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi is home to Seikōan (清香庵), an authentic Japanese tea house and garden located on the fourth floor of the Center's main building. The current tea house was redesigned and rebuilt after the original Seikōan—gifted to the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce in 1960 through the generosity of the 15th-generation Urasenke Grand Tea Master, Dr. Sen Genshitsu (千玄室)—was relocated to the Center. Today, Seikōan continues to serve as a place where practitioners gather to preserve and share the traditions of Japanese tea ceremony.

If you're visiting Oʻahu and have even the slightest curiosity about Japanese culture, I can't recommend enough exploring the Chadō Urasenke Tankōkai Hawaiʻi Association. Whether you attend a demonstration or begin studying yourself, you'll quickly discover that tea is about much more than preparing a bowl of matcha.

It is a lifelong practice of presence.

Of respect.

Of gratitude.

Of refinement.

Watching my mother reminded me that these lessons extend far beyond the tea room.

We are all students.

We are all teachers.

And perhaps the wisest among us are those who never stop being both.

As the Zen saying reminds us:

初心忘るべからず (Shoshin wasuru bekarazu)

"Never forget the beginner's mind."

May we all continue approaching life with humility, curiosity, and gratitude for the lessons still waiting to unfold.

So grateful that they will use my Jyoraku Matcha to continue their legacy with intention and care. 

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