N 84  The Tea Ceremony I had participated in

I was not in Japan , but at the Japanese ambassador’s residence. I had never dreamt to be in such a place. But because of a desire and some words I had uttered, that I who shun societies and activities had to be at the said place.

I had only spoken of my desire to plant cherry trees in Taunggyi, not only the native flowers , but also new species too. ( My blog No 7 The Cherry Trees of Taunggyi ) But now due to the efforts of the  people concerned the special Sakuras from Japan had finally reached our Myanmar soil and would  be handed to me as Taunggyi’s representative at this ceremony.

Ma April, the main person to make  this purpose successful made arrangements for me to get there. There were about 15 invited guests  and all  were  people who had helped to get the Sakura plants legally into the country. Also present  were needless to say the Sakura Exchange Association headed  by Mr Yamamoto and some Japanese nationals .

After a speech explaining why this ceremony was held by one Japanese personnel and my thanking speech, I had to walk to the top of the room  and received a model Sakura plant from Mr Yamamoto.

Thus the purpose of the ceremony concluded and some entertainment began. First a Japanese man sang a traditional song accompanied by his musical instrument, the Biwa. After that the tea ceremony began, but as the room is small we had to go in 6 at a time.

The room is fixed with tatami mats and in one corner is an alcove which displayed a hanging scroll. There is an adjoining room from where foods can be brought into this room. At the top the tea master who would be preparing tea sat in a kneeling position. We all sat at the end near the entrance in  kneeling position too . The tea master and all the Japanese ladies who were  helping there all wear kimonos.

At first the ladies brought us a small wooden plate with a lump of mochi ( Japanese rice cake ) and 2 candies, one in the shape of a cherry blossom, because this ceremony was about Sakura, and the other in the shape of waves. Oh… how artful are Japanese. These sweet candies had to be taken first because the tea is a little bitter, one lady explained to us.

When the plates were placed in front of each of us the giver as well as the receiver had  to place the 2 hands on the floor and bow to each other. While some started to eat the cakes the tea master started to prepare  the tea. He put some tea powder ( green colour )in a ceramic bowl and took some hot water from a ceramic jar which was in front of him  using a  a bamboo cup with a long handle and poured it into the ceramic cup and stir it with a tea whisk, so that it turned into a thick mixture .

Then one lady took the tea cup with both hands and placed it in front of the first guest  who was nearest to the tea master. Bows were exchanged once again and then the guest took the bowl with 2 hands and placed it in his left hand . Also to  hold the bowl with  his right hand he had to spread his thumb and pointer apart and placed them around the rim of the  bowl. He turned the bowl clockwise 2 times, as was the custom.  Before taking a few sips the  guest  bowed to the second guest.  After that the guest wiped clean the rim of the bowl and then put it down on the floor.

Tea was made and offered to one at a time. When our  turn came we had to be instructed again and we tried to do our best.

Japanese tea ceremony is meant to demonstrate respect through grace and good etiquette.I as well as many other people have heard of this tea ceremony , but I think only a few lucky people  had   experienced it. Beside receiving special Sakuras for our Taunggyi today I was also lucky enough to have to experience Japanese tea ceremony . So I am thankful  to the Japanese Sakura Association for the special Sakuras, and to  all people who made it possible for the Sakuras to reach our hometown, to HE the Ambassador for not only hosting this ceremony but also let us taste a piece of Japanese culture. As for me it is an experience I am not going to forget.

Travels in Vietnam

N   83   Hoi An Old Town

When we got up after our first night in Danang we were disappointed. The weather was not sunny and good. It was raining lightly and the sky over the sea was grey and gloomy. Seeing the trees on the roadside swaying I perceived that it  was windy too.

But that was the only day we would be staying in Danang and we had plans to visit Hoi An the old town. So good weather or not we had to go out. Maybe the rain will stop and the weather become clear later I hoped.

The distance from Danang to Hoi An is nearly 30 klms and the same route as the Marble Mountains. So it did not take long to reach Hoi An. The rain had not stopped as we had hoped , but getting somewhat heavier that while somebody was acquiring entrance tickets we busied ourselves buying umbrellas and cheap ponchos.We learned that we will be given a guide to guide us through the town.

So we started walking on the wet pavements of the town. Hoi An though it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not an occasionally visited deserted old place, but is a lively inhabited town where people are still living  in well  preserved centuries old houses ,built of brick and wood, their lives evolving around daily activities .It is  a well preserved example of a 15^th to 19^th century trading post . But as it is a tourist destination now their livelihoods are more or less related to the tourist industry .

The guide ( a woman ) first took us to an old family house. It is Tan Ky house. Taking care to step on the wet small courtyard we entered direct into a living room where we can see an alter dedicated to ancesters . And on the wall are old photos of deceased family members. There a girl who is a descendant of the family explained to us about the crab shell shaped ceiling supported by 3 beams in this room. We also saw a set of antique settees in the room.After that we wandered into the back of the house and saw what should have been sleeping quarters transformed into souvenir shops.

Then she took us to visit a silk weaving house. The steps from silkworm feeding on mulberry leaves until the weaving of silk are displayed here. And they also sell silk fabrics, scarves, clothing etc. The silk scarves some of us bought there for 12$ can be bought at some other shops at half the price.

We walked again leisurely on the streets that had only a few vehicles, peering into shops, when we find things we like to purchase, or just looked with interest. The guide took us to a Chinese meeting hall which is nice to take photos.

The next place we visited was an agar wood sculpture industry house.There are some agar wood sculpture work and incense making downstairs and on the first floor there is a display of Vietnamese paintings.

Then we came to Phung Hung Ancient House. Like in Tan Ky House there is a girl to explain to us about the house. It is one of the most famous architectural buildings in Hoi An, considered to be a cultural heritage of the town. It was built in 1780 and was mainly made of wood with 2 stories. The architecture of Phung Hung is a combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles.It is a wonder that a 200 years old wooden house is still intact and usuable.

There is a set of wooden settees downstairs, which some parts of it are inlaid with mother of pearls. ( Vietnamese are good at that craft )  Ko Aung one member of our group jokingly asked the girl how much is the price of it , and she replied  “ not for sale “. Well …..even if they are for sale they should go to auction houses like Sotheby or Christie I thought.

Lastly she took us to the Japanese bridge which is  one of the tourist attractions and did some explaining to us. It was constructed in the early 1590s by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters. In those times many Japanese and Chinese came to do merchandising and settled in Hoi An . The entrance to the bridge is guarded by weathered statues; a monkey on one side and a dog on the other.There must be some legends concerning them I thought .

Then the guide told us that was the end of the tour and if we want to explore more we do so freely by ourselves. I asked where the famous lantern making industries are and she just pointed to over the other end of the river. We also hadn’t  seen ceramics industry and would be glad to see one. But because it was wet and time for lunch , everyone didn’t have the heart to walk more. So we just turned  back to the way we had come towards where our car was waiting for us. 

Travels in Vietnam

N  82  Danang Part 2

After all of us had come back we drove to the city along the beach road to check into our hotel.

After dinner that night we went to visit the famous Dragon Bridge . With colours changing every few minutes it is really pretty and impressive. Lighted boats were also ferrying in the Han River below it.We could also see a ferris wheel and  the Han River Bridge which is a swing bridge that  swings open in the daytime and swings shut at night to allow shipping traffic to pass along the river.   Our driver told us there are 8 bridges in Danang. So I would like to call Danang a city of bridges and oh… also a city of lights because we saw lights everywhere . It is very well lighted. I felt thankful that we had chosen to visit the bridge at night time.

Because Danang is on the coast and we had booked a hotel on the beach we had imagined that we would have some activities on the beach , but because of the weather this was not to be. From the next day it was raining that we can’t even go to the seaside. We had chosen the wrong time to come to this part. (we heard from June to September is OK )So we had to be contented by just looking at the windy and gloomy sea.

After we came back from Hoi An , lastly we visited the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. It is on a hill not far from the city. The rain had not stopped but even became heavier, so that  we had to get down in the downpour with umbrellas and ponchos. We had to cross a wide courtyard to where the statue stand, and because rainwater was flowing over the tiles even our walking shoes  got soaked . So after paying homage to the Goddess (ours or not ) we did not spend much time there and got back into our car to come back to the hotel.

Danang had been in my memory since long ago. Maybe from the time of US- Vietnam war. It had been home to a major air base used by both the South Vietnamese and US Air Force then. I had not dreamt of visiting it . Some people also say that there are not much to see in Danang. That is not true. In my opinion every place  we haven’t been to is worth a visit. Whether it be in our own country or abroad. Danang is a place new to me and I am contented to visit it and I also thank my fate that had enabled me to do so .

( a large part of my thanks goes to my husband USTM who takes care of all the expenses )

Travels in Vietnam

N 81    Danang   (   Part  1 )

 The distance from Hue to Danang is about 100 klms. So we decided to travel there in a hired van , a 10 seater like we always used the previous days.

We visited the Thien Mu pagoda which is just outside the city of Hue, on the bank of the Perfume river . It has 7 stories, and is the tallest  religious building in Vietnam. The  construction of this pagoda is said to begin in 1601 followed by renovations during the course of time.

After driving sometime we reached Minh Mang’s (reigned 1820 -1841 ) tomb. Upon entering the precincts we saw the usual figures of elephant, horses, and court officials first. Then the stele house, salutation court, temples, pavilions, and oh… I nearly forgot , the lakes.So comments were given that these were  things tombs of emperors cannot do without. Quite different from tombs of Burmese kings which were so simple and without lavishness.

When we were nearing Danang city we started to see wide expanse of  water which the driver told us is a bay. Before we reached the city we  had lunch of seafood at an open restaurant,  which had to be crossed by a long bridge . It took some more driving along the beach to get into the city. It may be about 3:00 pm when we finally reach Danang.

Because there was still time I told the driver to take us to Marble Mountain. On the way there he took us to a marble statue selling mall for a rest. The marble figures big and small on display there are amazing.  They are of different sizes and colours, of religious figures, of animals and also modern sculpture.The Vietnam handicraft of marble sculpture is amazing and impressing that I even have a desire to take one Buddha statue home. And about marble lots of marble are produced around here that the marble mountain we were going to visit got its name from it I thought.

And so we arrived at Marble Mountain. I heard that there are 5 marble mountains , but we were able to visit this  main one only. As there is an elevator  we use it to climb to the top.Coming out of the evevator we reached a landing with railings where we can take photos and watch the panoramic view which is amazing.We could see the city at the low level and also the expanse of water far away.

 After that  we set out to explore around. Most places are places of worship, of Buddhism, and Confusionism, and there also are caves, tunnels, grottoes filled with these religious figures. In some places there are depictions of Buddhist religion scene such as the scene of Buddha’s birth, and Bhuddha giving sermon at Sarnath carved in white marble. And to my surprise , in a nitche of a mountain surface I saw a big sitting Buddha stature which I had never seen before. Some of us went farther to look around but as the path goes to higher ground that I and my companion did not follow, but chose to go down the steps  we 

saw there. I made a mistake because the steps are steep and each step is high too. I dared not look down but with his assistance climbed down step by step .But my knees got pained until I changed the leg that step down first. I felt so much relieved when I reached the foot.