bobie-lee.dixon@guardian.co.tt
Conversations of Japanese wine, food and even steelpan were among the topics guests indulged in at the residence of Japanese Ambassador to T&T Mitsuhiko Okada on Saturday, as they sat around the beautifully Japanese-styled set table to enjoy Kaiseki —a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner, in this case lunch and Cha Kaiseki—a tea ceremony following the Japanese cuisine.
The occasion was to mark and observe a special day on the Japanese calendar called Tanabata—Evening of the Seventh. The designated day, also known as the Star Festival, is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the coupling of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and Altair, respectively. The Japanese legend dates all the way back to the eighth century.
It proposes that the Milky Way separates these two lovers who only get to meet once a year on July 7. The day is also commemorated with the writing of wishes on a tanzaku or small piece of paper, which is then hung on a bamboo tree.
All guests present, including Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez, had the opportunity to participate in this act.
The contents of the Japanese cuisine are not just ordinarily prepared, but much thought goes into it, as presentation, layout and even colour are all sacred in Japanese culture.
A set menu of select food was served on an individual Japanese traditional bento (compartmented box) to each member of the gathering. The Kaiseki menu consisted of an assorted appetizer, steamed custard, clear soup, deep-fried prawn and sweet potato, roll-zushi and inari-zushi, assorted skewers and grilled salmon with vegetables.
Guests were also able to enjoy three of Japan’s award-winning rice wines—Kakuhou, Aizu-homare and Tose-shiragiku—before viewing a demonstration of the Japanese tea ceremony done by Mrs Okada.
In Japan, the tea ceremony is referred to as Sado and is based on the Japanese spirit of hospitality. Again it is more than just a hot drink, as it is a very important ritual that has a lot of meaning within the culture. The tea ceremony represents purity, tranquillity, respect and harmony and a lot of preparation goes into this important event that is based on Zen philosophy. The person making the tea and guiding the ceremony is known as a ‘tea master’ and earns great respect in Japanese culture.
Guests were told that when the tea is received from the tea master, one is to bow to show them respect. The bowl bearing ‘matcha’, or powdered green tea, a tea that also has medicinal value, must be picked up with one’s right hand then placed into the left hand and turned twice clockwise before taking a sip.
This tea is served with traditional Japanese sweets, which include cherry blossom sticky rice cake, sweet-bean jelly, rice jelly and floating island.