Renew Yourself at Botanic Gardens Japanese Tea House

Wouldn’t it be nice to turn off the ignition in our speedy world? Lets just switch off for a minute. Even if it’s just for a little while. I recently experienced these feelings after attending a Japanese Tea Ceremony at Botanic Gardens. The mission: to put people back in sync with themselves. “The ceremony allows you to unwind. Your worry and ambition go away,” says Ebi Kondo, the curator of the Japanese Garden where the tea ceremonies are held. Kondo wanted to bring a piece of the Japanese culture to Colorado and keep it as authentic as possible. He is spot on with his idea- these ceremonies couldn’t be truer to form. The Ella Mullen Weckbaugh Tea House was built in Japan and reassembled here by a crew of nine men over a 14-day stretch. The Master of the Tea Ceremony, Tokyo Imanka, is from Hiroshima. She, another host, Ayako DeMartino, and a Master of Tea student, Forrest Trimbell, walk tea goers through the tea experience that rooted in Japan in the 1500’s. “Little has changed since. This is a rare opportunity to showcase the setting for the Japanese Tea ceremony,” says Kondo. The two-hour experience starts by walking along stepping-stones. The twists and turns of stones are meant to inspire slow and contemplative movement. At the washbasin, guests rinse their hands and mouths for purification before entering the house. Once inside, shoes are removed, the host is bowed to and the intricate process of walking in a diagonal pattern along the bamboo floors is taught. Guests are served powdered tea by the host and enjoy a small plate of tea treats. Harmony, respect, purity and tranquility combine. “When you put these together you end up feeling refreshed and detached from the material world,” Kondo tells me. Escape the urban life and renew yourself in the teahouse: https://botanicgardens.org/class/kizuna/japanese-tea-ceremony-various-dates-june-sept