Last Saturday, I welcomed a family of three from Brno, Czech Republic, to my small tatami room studio in Neuss.
They were visiting the Düsseldorf area and were curious about Japanese culture, especially tea ceremony and matcha. Their daughter, who enjoys K-pop and Japanese culture, had never been to Japan before, so this became their very first tea ceremony experience.
It was a sunny afternoon in May, and the atmosphere felt very relaxed from the beginning.
I prepared seasonal satsuki nerikiri for them and performed hakobi temae for usucha before they whisked their own bowls of matcha afterwards.
During the experience, we talked about the history of tea ceremony, the origins of matcha, and the importance of seasonal awareness in Japanese tea culture — how even small details, sweets, utensils, and atmosphere often reflect the season.
One moment that stayed with me was when they said:
“It tastes softer than I expected.”
I hear this surprisingly often from people trying good matcha for the first time. Many expect matcha to be very bitter or difficult, so it is always nice seeing that moment of surprise and curiosity.
Even their daughter, despite it being her first time trying matcha, really enjoyed it.
Experiences like this remind me that tea ceremony does not need to feel distant or intimidating. Even for people completely new to matcha, a quiet moment together can already become meaningful.
Sometimes, during travel, those slower and quieter moments stay in our memories the longest.
And honestly, those moments are also why I love sharing tea so much.
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