Learning Japanese tea etiquette

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Some consolation this morning. After checking at the bus station our lost hotel key was succesfully located at another bus station. Within 45 minutes it was returned to us and we gratefully received a refund of our £100 fine. An example of the time being meticulously noted in Japan; the bus returning out key was running 2 minutes late and a note was left to inform me!

After the key delay we set off for Inuyama in the sunshine. We ate the remains of our bargain dinner for lunch (I'd discovered reduced stickers at the supermarket) and discovered the two items we thought to be pork escalopes were potato!

Inuyama had a worn feel to it. There were a number of closed shops and tired looking buildings. It had similar wooden building to Tsumago and Magome. A kind gesture shown to us today was a gentleman relieving me of our rubbish bag as I stood baffled by the numerous categories for recycling.

The town has two National Treasures: an original castle and an old tea house. The castle on the hill was dainty. It is the oldest castle remaining in Japan. We had a friendly volunteer guide, though some of her information was a little suspect and George knew more than her about some parts of the castle! The beams inside have been chiseled by adze and are huge The floorboards are also rather large, the stairs steep and the views from the top, panaoramic. We could see across to the enemy at Gifu castle.

The second national treasure of the day was the tea house. Set in a mossy woodland garden , within 3 minutes of us starting the walk another enthusisastic volunteer found us and our tour began.

I paid an extra £5 for a tea serving which George baulked at!

What I learned:

1 – eat a sweet bean swirl

2 – receive tea bowl with picture facing toward me

3 – pick up bowl in both hands

4 – turn clockwise 180' to face picture outward

5 – drink tea in three slurps

6 – wipe rim of bowl with thumb and index finger

7 – compliment the tea hostss upon collection

It was all very precise and makes us English tea drinkers appear slobbish with only the perked up little finger to remember!

Now we're on the train to Takayama. The railway is snaking through a stunning forested valley. A river is running through carving a craggy gorge, with huge boulders. It's an amazing commute for all the office workers on the train with us, compared to Godalming to Waterloo. I guess the beauty has worn off though as most people are asleep or tapping on their Android phones!

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