When a Sweet Becomes a Season

During our recent outdoor tea session, there were sunflowers in full bloom, bowls of Jyoraku Matcha, homemade biscotti, plenty of laughter—and a beautiful assortment of wagashi that dear friends had brought with them from Japan.

They were almost too beautiful to eat.

And that is partly the point.

Wagashi (和菓子) is the broad term for traditional Japanese confectionery, but the more you learn about the craft, the harder it becomes to describe these creations as simply “dessert.”

Wagashi can engage the eyes before the palate ever becomes involved.

Color matters.

Shape matters.

Texture matters.

The ingredients matter.

Even the name given to a confection can carry meaning, sometimes referencing poetry, nature, literature, or a particular moment in the Japanese seasonal calendar.

A confection might evoke hydrangeas during the rainy season, cool flowing water in the heat of summer, chrysanthemums in autumn, or plum blossoms signaling the quiet approach of spring.

In that sense, wagashi can become an edible interpretation of time and place.

And I find that extraordinarily beautiful.

Why is wagashi served with matcha?

Within Japanese tea culture, the relationship between the sweet and the tea is intentional.

A confection is traditionally enjoyed before drinking matcha.

That sweetness prepares the palate for what comes next: the vegetal depth, umami, aroma, and pleasant bitterness of the tea.

Neither needs to overpower the other.

Instead, contrast makes both more noticeable.

Sweet and bitter.

The sweetness makes you more aware of the tea.

The tea makes you appreciate the confection differently.

It is such a refined approach to something seemingly simple: having a snack with your drink.

But that refinement is part of what continues to fascinate me about Chadō.

You aren't merely asked to consume something.

You're asked to notice it.

Notice the season.

Notice the vessel.

Notice what has been prepared for you.

Notice the person sitting across from you.

And perhaps most importantly, notice that this particular combination of people, weather, flowers, food, and tea will never occur in exactly the same way again.

Our summer afternoon eventually ended.

The wagashi disappeared.

The matcha bowls became empty.

But perhaps that's precisely why these beautiful things are worth our attention.

Art doesn't always need to be preserved forever to matter. Sometimes you get to eat it. 🍡🍵

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