The Japanese Tea Master Course is one of our most intensive tea programs, allowing to fully immerse in Japanese tea over a two-week period. In June we had another run with 10 eager to learn students. They all had really varied backgrounds and experiences (from layers, to architects, to doctors and more) and joined us from 8 different countries spanning 4 continents!
The program was intensive as usual, from morning to evening filled with tea. Sessions in the classroom with multiple tastings and experiments were complimented with field trips to surrounding towns famous for Japanese tea and utensils. Students had a chance to visit several tea farms, processing factories, and innovative teashops. They were also able to experience Japanese tea culture more deeply by attending several tea ceremonies and meeting with people, who have been working with tea for many years.
One thing that was different this year was that for the first time the course was held at our tea classroom in the new office. Right in Kyoto city center it allowed for an easy access and plenty of city explorations. We have also welcomed new course teachers – Ikuko and Mika, who had helped us with several tea courses before. And there was also a wonderful team of assistants, many of whom were the past, present or future participants of the Tea Evangelist Program.
The two weeks were a speedy ride, but we are really looking forward to the next round in October!