Michael

I just don’t like people enough. 😂

Maybe he is Matthew Law. Have you heard him speak?

Yes, I noticed that I misspelled Shoburo no Shiki. Shush.

This is the first time I’ve seen a chatsubo in the USA that wasn’t hundreds of dollars, and the first time ever in a store. Usually it’s on eBay. After participating in several kuchikiri demonstrations over the last month I felt I needed it for next year.

My Chanoyu collection grows!

Every six months in Seattle, right around robiraki and Shoburi no Shiki, there is the Kyoto Arts & Antiques sale.

Against all odds, I found a new and nearly complete chatsubo. All it’s missing is one of the shin/gyo/sou cords. (1/2)

Final time? +29 minutes. My 26 minute commute was more than doubled by one awful off-ramp.

I really hope @wsdot.wa.gov will tell me this mess isn’t finished, but I stopped seeing construction.

I’m continually impressed at how bad the Montlake interchange in #Seattle is. How many years to make it this bad? My car’s GPS is telling me to skip the UW exit and go to I5 and backtrack to get to UW. I didn’t listen, and taking the closer exit added 18 minutes of travel time.

So far advanced than I am, too! Looks like they’re at okuden, but hopefully not the secret stuff.

@audnebula.bsky.social, this might be beneficial for you as well.

A friend shared this today, and it has so much incredible information. Even not being able to read the kanji I am getting so much.

The downside is that I'm not sure what tea tradition the author follows, so it might be totally off base of what I need.

Correction: Tanabara is the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month, which is August 29 in 2025. Still usually celebrated on July 7.

Things like this are why i shouldn’t go look at tea dōgu stores. Look at it! It’s so cute.

I mean, it’s only really appropriate around Tanabata (July 7), but I can see it joining my collection in the future.

Okeiko tonight was supposed to be araichakin habuta, which is build for hot weather. Not entirely sure if that is what’s happening.

Makes sense! Most of the chakai I’ve been in have been the same. I love tenshin meals. The head sensei wants everyone to do at least one chaji, usually a hango, before they get their chamei. Since I want to do this I’m fully on board!

I’m months to a year or more away from my turn to do a chaji, so I have lots of time. I just like to plan ahead! 😁

Higashi will likely be some wasenbon (traditional) and candied yuzu peel. I want to experiment with some marionberry options for omogashi.

Not a big fan of filberts, which puts me in the minority for Seattle.

I’d love to grill matsutake for hassun, but reheating will be a problem. In the absence of grilled matsutake, I’m thinking hassun would be some salmon nigiri (sea) and shredded chanterelle or nettle ohitashi (mountain).

Still very much in the air, but because our mizuya doesn’t have a full kitchen I don’t want to over extend.

Wanmori would likely include some matsutake, radish, and yuzu. Maybe some microgreens for garnish.

I’m planning for a chaji that isn’t scheduled yet, and getting so many ideas. The menu is half planned using a lot of Pacific Northwest ingredients.

If you’re going to Kyoto and want a custom kimono, I definitely recommend Hinodeya.

106 Keikaincho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602-8406, Japan

www.hinodeya.co.jp/kimono.html

Bonus/3

Well, I emailed them today to ask if they keep our measurements on file. I want more. I’m thinking a dark brown and a dark green (maybe), to go with the dark blue and medium blue I have.

Plus, unfortunately, I think I’ll need a black kimono for a funeral and should have that before I need it. 3/3

They arrived in late January, and I wore one for the first time on Friday for a hango chaji. I love them. I want more. So much better than the cheap, thick polyester I ordered off of Etsy in 2023. Breathable, comfortable, and worth every penny. 2/3

When I was I japan last year I went by Hinodeya in Kyoto. They came high recommended. I visited, I got all the measurements and everything, and then they told me the price for a silk kimono. It was less than I expected, so I got a second kimono in polyester. 1/3

I’m shokyaku (first guest) for a hango chaji (“between meals” tea gathering) tomorrow, so I’ve printed and made flashcards of my lines.

You monster… Not baseball!

Oh, wow...

Sort of. A fellow student of my sensei, who has his chamei and his own students, opened a chashitsu in a local city. He sends out an email for the chashitsu every few weeks.

Another enjoyable episode. Thank you. <3

A tea newsletter I receive started their missive this week with:

An alternate name for March is “Yayoi” which originates from “kikusa iya oi shigeru tsuki”, meaning “the month that plants and trees grow more and more luxuriantly.”

That meaning just struck me as beautiful, and I wanted to share it.