Slurping Tea and other good manners!

---

{Anna}

We went to a friends house for a tea party and some lunch. We had to leave our shoes at the entrance.

We sat on the floor. It was actually warm and comfortable.

I asked Dad why our friends didn't have a sofa.

I helped to make the tea. It was green and we drank it from a bowl. Dad was making rude 'slurping' noises when he was drinking.

They played the Piano and Cello.

I had a go on the Cello.

{Dad}

Shizuko and Setsuo are friends of Mark's. They kindly invited us to their house for lunch.

When you enter a building such as a house, school or baths, you must always remove your shoes. You never step into the building with your shoes on as it brings dirt into the building, that would be very impolite!

We gave Shizuko a small box of nice biscuits as a gift. When you are invited to somebody's house in Japan you should always take a gift.

A traditional Japanese room will have Tatami matting placed together on the floor. The matts are made from straw which has been woven together. The straw comes from the rice plant. They are comfortable to sit on because they are soft.

Before we had lunch, Anna took part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Anna was responsible for taking the green tea powder from a pot and placing it into a bowl. This was done with a special wooded spoon. She then took a wooden ladle and scooped some hot water out from a kettle that was made from iron. She tipped the ladle into the bowl.

Finally she whisked the tea and water with a special whisk (which actually looks like my shaving brush)! This makes the tea frothy. It is then ready to drink.

When drinking tea or soup from a bowl, it is actually good manners to 'slurp' it. Most people in Japan do it because it makes the tea or soup taste better!! Shizuko and Setsuo enjoy playing classical music on the piano and cello. They showed Anna how to play.

---