Camellia Tea Ceremony Profile picture
Welcoming guests to our two teahouses in Kyōto. Join us as we explore Japanese culture, tea & history! insta: https://t.co/r4HifhtvBf @camelliakyoto@mastodon.social
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Aug 21, 2023 6 tweets 6 min read
🙊THE MONKEY'S SLIDE🛝
At first glance the teahouse garden appears to be made up of mostly moss, pine & camellia...but if you look more closely the borders are packed thick with dozens of varieties of plants.
One of the most beautiful at this time of year is the "Monkey's Slide".


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More commonly known as crape myrtle (百日紅), older generations in Japan fondly call the tree 'saru suberi' (サルスベリ the "monkey's slide").
The bark of the tree is so smooth that even monkeys struggle to get a foothold!

#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #百日紅 #サルスベリ #IwataMonkeyPark


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Jun 19, 2023 8 tweets 8 min read
🎨A MODERN TOUCH🖌️

One of the Shōren-in's (青蓮院) most striking features greets you as you enter the drawing room...a series of bold coloured lotuses, blooming across 60 panels.
Begun in 2005, the work was created by the artist 'Ki-yan' (キーヤン/Kimura Hideki 木村英輝).
#Japan ImageImageImageImage When visiting Shōren-in, Kimura was suddenly inspired to fill the drawing room's plain fusuma with colour.

It took him two years to complete the 3 sets of lotus paintings (蓮三部作)...
🪷"Blue Illusion" (青の幻想)
🪷"Amitabha's Pure Land" (極楽浄土)
🪷"Hymn of Life" (生命賛歌) ImageImageImageImage
May 11, 2023 23 tweets 26 min read
🚪😱HAUNTED GATES & DANCING CATS😼👻

It's been a while since I've done a #folklorethursday, so here's some local, rather less well-known tales.

Demizu was once home to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's lavish palace 'Jurakudai' (聚樂第), and the area has many strange wonders.
#Kyoto #京都 ImageImageImageImage Kannon-ji's 'Gate of 100 Lashings' (観音寺 百叩きの門) belonged originally to the prison at Fushimi Castle (伏見城). When the castle was dismantled the doorway was gifted to the temple🏯🚪🩸😰👋

The gate is just 1 of the '7 Wonders of Demizu' (出水の七不思議).
#Kyoto #京都 #出水 ImageImageImageImage
May 10, 2023 4 tweets 5 min read
'May Sickness' (五月病 'gogatsu-byō') is a term for a seasonal disorder that strikes just as Golden Week comes to an end.
After the flurry of changes that take place each April, it may seem like May should be smooth sailing, but returning to work/school after the break is tough. ImageImageImageImage It may seem like a small thing, but sweets absolutely help lift a gloomy mood...

🌫️🌩️☁️😶‍🌫️🌥️🌤️🌞

Kameya Yoshinaga (亀屋良長) has done the impossible and perfectly captured the blue skies & cotton puff clouds of May in sweet form☺️

The wonderful 'hikōki-gumo' (ひこうき雲)✨ ImageImageImageImage
Apr 20, 2023 4 tweets 6 min read
Astonishingly the temperature will soar close to 30 degrees today...the hottest day of the year so far😓

As this heat is a little unexpected we swooped on Ishidatami (石畳) for their famous matcha soft serve (抹茶ソフトクリーム). Fresh matcha is kneaded into the ice-cream🍵🍨🙌 ImageImageImageImage Fresh matcha as an ingredient in cooking and baking tends to lose its flavour quickly, and so Ishidatami doesn't serve ice-cream older than 3 hours, preferring instead to make new batches throughout the day😮

#Kyoto #京都 #matcha #抹茶 #icecream #Ninenzaka #二年坂 ImageImageImageImage
Mar 6, 2023 9 tweets 9 min read
😅SPRINGTIME SCHEDULE🌸

The chaos of blossom season is upon us, so I thought I'd share some information for guests who have already booked, or are thinking of booking tea ceremony during the busiest time of the year in Kyōto🙇‍♂️

🍵tea-kyoto.com
#Kyoto #京都 #teaceremony ImageImageImageImage From mid-March until the end of April, despite opening extra sessions each day, Garden Teahouse is fully booked.

If you would like to be put on our waiting list please email with your name, how many people, and your preference of date(s) and time(s).

📧contact@camelliakyoto.com
Feb 28, 2023 7 tweets 8 min read
🗺️🤔SOUTH OF THE CAPITAL🧭🌸
Second only to Kitano Tenmangū as the go-to destination for plum blossoms, Jōnan-gū's "Spring Mountain" (春の山) reimagines a Heian-period style garden.

even the mean monks
come to eat rice cakes-
God of Jōnan
腹あしき僧も餅くへ城南神
-Yosa-no-Buson. One of Kyōto's most photographed pieces of scenery is a stretch of garden behind Jōnan-gū's (城南宮) main shrine. Here winter and spring collide with plum blossoms cascading over fallen camellia flowers...bright dots in a verdant green carpet.
#Jōnangū #城南宮 #Kyoto #京都 #Japan
Feb 6, 2023 4 tweets 6 min read
🍵🙇‍♂️Happy Matcha Day! (抹茶の日)🎉🍵

To celebrate the 120th anniversary of matcha production in Nishio (西尾市), Aichi Prefecture, the Nishio Tea Trade Association first established "Matcha Day" in 1992.

#抹茶の日 #matchaday #Japan #茶道 #teaceremony #抹茶 #matcha February 6th was chosen for "Matcha Day" as the date is a play on words...

When the numbers 2⃣ (February) and 6⃣ (6th) are put together they can be pronounced as 'Furo' (風炉).

🔥🍵Furo is portable stove used for tea ceremonies during the summer (from May-October).
#抹茶の日
Feb 4, 2023 9 tweets 12 min read
Spot the odd one out.

#daruma #達磨 #達磨寺 #Kyoto #京都 #Setsubun #節分 #Japan #naodaruma #kimono Image 🔥DARUMA DOOM👀
Daruma await their fate at the small temple of Hōrin-ji (法輪寺).

Having fulfilled their destinies, and hopefully bestowed wishes upon their owners, they're gathered at Setsubun (節分) and burnt on a ritual bonfire🫡👋🔥✨😔
#Setsubun #Kyoto #京都 #節分 #達磨 ImageImageImageImage
Oct 27, 2022 10 tweets 12 min read
😇👋A MONTH OF NO GODS🧳⛩️
There is a quaint belief that in the 10th month the gods of Japan congregate for a great gathering to discuss matchmaking at Izumo-taisha (出雲大社) in Shimane Prefecture.
Only hard-of-hearing Ebisu & the Sun Goddess miss this annual pilgrimage.
#Japan In the traditional calendar the 10th month is known as 'Kannazuki' (神無月), which nowadays has come mean 'Month Without Gods'.
Because the gods are said to gather at Izumo-taisha, in Izumo Province the 10th month was called 'Kamiarizuki' (神有月 'Month With Gods').
#folkore
Oct 26, 2022 6 tweets 10 min read
through the smoke
a glimpse of olden times...
fallen leaves
けぶらして昔めかする木の葉哉
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1807.
Trans. David G. Lanoue.

#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #銀杏 #ginkgo #autumn The Great Yellowing is not yet upon us (ginkgo leaves will reach their golden peak around November 23rd), but you've probably already smelt autumn in the air.
When the fruit from female ginkgo trees falls & begins to rot, the butyric acid in the skin gives off a vomit-like odor🤢
Oct 25, 2022 24 tweets 27 min read
👹'TOMB OF THE BEASTS'😱

In 1611, during excavation of the Takase Canal (高瀬川), Suminokura Ryōi (角倉了以) discovered a stone pagoda. Further investigation revealed that he had unearthed the tomb of the 'traitor' Toyotomi Hidetsugu (豊臣秀次 1568-95).
#folklore #Kyoto #京都 Hidetsugu was the nephew and heir of Japan's de facto ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉), but in 1595 he dramatically fell from grace and was forced to commit seppuku at Mt Kōya.

His grave became known by many names, including the "Beast's Mound" (畜生塚 "Chikushō-zuka").
Oct 23, 2022 6 tweets 7 min read
🪟WINDOW TO AUTUMN🍁

The great leaf change is almost upon us, and the countdown to 'momijigari' (紅葉狩り 'autumn-leaf viewing') has begun.

back window-
the deer strikes a pose
the dog sleeps
うら窓や鹿のきどりに犬の寝る
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1820.
Trans. David G. Lanoue. ImageImageImageImage Fall colours arrive at a different time each year, but the Japan Meteorological Agency has a handy tracker...
🗾🍁➡️n-kishou.com/corp/news-cont…

It seems that ginkgo will be at their peak around November 23rd & maple leaves around December 2nd (a bit later than last year) in Kyōto. ImageImageImageImage
Sep 13, 2022 10 tweets 13 min read
📿KYŌTO'S SHIKOKU PILGRIMAGE🙏

even in Kyoto-
hearing the cuckoo's cry-
I long for Kyoto
京にても 京なつかしや ほととぎす
-Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉 1644–1694).

Around the New Year I like to complete a small pilgrimage, not particularly well known, on a mountain close to my house. Are you interested in undertaking the Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国遍路), but find yourself without any real time to do so?🤔

Not to worry...close to our Camellia Garden Teahouse there is a way to complete the pilgrimage without ever leaving Kyōto🙌
#Kyoto #Japan #京都 #四国遍路
Sep 12, 2022 21 tweets 23 min read
🤕SCARS OF HISTORY⚔️
Every now and then, when wandering around the city, you can actually see historical moments captured in time.
A good example of this are the sword marks on Sanjō Bridge's balustrade caps. These were from the 'Noticeboard Incident' of September 12th 1866. In the summer of 1866 an official signboard was erected by Sanjō Bridge, calling Chōshū Domain (長州藩) an enemy of the imperial court.
On September 10th, after anti-shōgunate rebels tore the sign down for a second time, the government ordered the Shinsengumi to guard the bridge.
Sep 12, 2022 9 tweets 12 min read
🐰🎑MOON MORSELS🥮🥰
When the Harvest Moon (お月見) and Feast of Chrysanthemums (菊の節句) arrive together, you know plates will be groaning and bellies will be full🙌

one for the dog
one for the crow...
rice cakes
犬の餅烏が餅もつかれけり
-Issa (小林一茶).
Trans. Lanoue.
#京都 ImageImageImageImage Nao-san tucks in to Kameya Yoshinaga's (亀屋良長 @yoshimura0303) 'hane-usagi' (はねうさぎ).
Break open the cute moon rabbit and add hot water to create delicious oshiruko (お汁粉), a sweet bean soup.

#お月見 #moonviewing #moonrabbit #月の兎 #wagashi #和菓子 #Kyoto #京都 #お汁粉
Aug 4, 2022 11 tweets 17 min read
Happy "Owl Day"!🦉🙌

when the owl hoots
how many are left?
wildflowers
ふくろふよ鳴ばいくらの草の花
-Issa (小林一茶), 1810.

#OwlAwarenessDay #InternationalOwlAwarenessDay #owls #フクロウ #Japan #ukiyoe #浮世絵

Image thanks🙇‍♂️ - ukiyo-e.org & harashobo.com Through a play on words, in Japan owls have come to be celebrated as bringers of luck and relievers of suffering.

🦉'Fukurō' (梟 'owl') can be broken down into homonyms for...
🍀'luck comes' (福 'fuku' /来 'ku' /郎 'rō').
🤕'without hardship' (不 'fu' /苦労 'kurō').
#Japan #梟
Aug 3, 2022 6 tweets 8 min read
🌞🎎DRAPED IN SILK🏖️🏔️

Just beside our Camellia Garden teahouse runs Kinukake-no-michi (きぬかけの路 the 'Silk-draped Path'), a 2km stretch of road that joins the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺 The Golden Pavilion), Ryōan-ji (龍安寺) and Ninnai-ji (仁和寺). An iconic golden pavilion (restored after a novice burnt the original down in 1950), the world's most famous Zen garden, & a former imperial palace are just some of the most well-known attractions to be enjoyed along Kinukake-no-michi.

But always venture off the beaten track!😉
Aug 2, 2022 12 tweets 15 min read
🍡MOREISH MITARASHI😋
Today is the beginning of a three-day period celebrating mitarashi dango (みたらし団子)!🎉

Actually, this happens every month from the 3rd-5th because...
3= 'MI' (み)
4= 'taraSHI' (たらし)
5= 'danGO' (だんご)

Tenuous wordplay? Yes.
Fun? Also, yes.
#京都 In its traditional form, mitarashi dango is made up of 5 small rice dumplings...skewered, grilled, and served with a sweet soy sauce glaze.

Legend has it that the inspiration for the snack came from a miraculous incident involving Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 1288-1339).
#Japan
Aug 2, 2022 13 tweets 17 min read
👣🗾SCATTERING EARTH🤏⛰️
For 25 years Kurita Kōichi (栗田宏一) has walked the length and breadth of Japan, gathering small samples of soil from each settlement (whether hamlet, village, town or city) he passes through.
At Hōnen-in (法然院) he made a dedication of his life's work. ImageImageImageImage Kurita's dedication was inspired by the temple's 'sange' (散華), a ritual offering of flowers made early each morning. 25 flowers (usually camellia) are dedicated to a statue of Amida. The flowers represent the 25 bodhisattva who help Amida take the souls of the dead to paradise.
Jul 12, 2022 13 tweets 17 min read
👅MELT-IN-THE-MOUTH MORSELS💦

Wibbly-wobbly warabimochi (わらび餅)☺️

A popular summer snack in Kansai, the melt-in-your-mouth warabimochi is a jelly-like sweet traditionally made from bracken starch (わらび粉 'warabiko').
It's covered with sweet, toasted soybean flour (黄粉). There is a legend that Emperor Daigo (醍醐天皇 885-930) loved a particular type of warabimochi so much that he bestowed on it the rank of 'dayū' (大夫 -5th court rank). Over time 'Oka-tayū' (岡大夫) came to be used for warabimochi in general.
#Kyoto #Japan #わらび餅 #warabimochi