In Toranomon, tucked away from Tokyo’s relentless pace, there’s a teahouse where time moves differently. Ohashi Charyō is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property - a sukiya-style building of such quiet elegance that Tantansai, the 14th Urasenke Grand Master, chose it as his Tokyo dōjō before the current Urasenke dōjō was built. In November, I was honored to be there for something special: Sukimonomusuhi. Sukimonomusuhi, now in its fourth edition, exists to revive something that has quietly faded in post-war Japan.

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On September 25, 2025, a Kōjitsukai was held at the Urasenke Tokyo Dōjō. The thick-tea gathering was hosted by Yoichirō Ushioda, while the thin-tea gathering was hosted by Jōichi Itō. Nearly 500 guests attended the gathering. A letter of Happiness 幸福の文 Through the autumn crowd, a lone man darted swiftly and gracefully, a single chrysanthemum dancing in his hand. Back at the castle, he quietly picked up his writing brush.

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Tonoyama Kiln – Naoto Yano In order to see where our tea bowls come from, Joi-san visited Naoto Yano (Saga prefecture). Tonoyama Kiln is located near the ruins of Nagoya Castle—a castle built in just a few months by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a base for his military campaigns to Korea in the late 1500s. This area, once bustling with warlords such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune, still bears traces of their camps.

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We were fortunate to enjoy a rare sunny day, nestled between a series of cherry blossom scattering rainy days—an ideal moment for our annual outdoor tea ceremony under the blooming sakura. We began with a toast to the cherry trees in full-bloom. For this special day, Joi-san provided the finest grade of Dassai sake, with a sweet aroma—perfect for celebrating the start of our hanami gathering. Architect Rei Mitsui was among the guests, with whom we shared sake and conversation.

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Numazu Club Surrounded by Senbon Matsubara In Numazu, overlooking Suruga Bay, lies Senbon Matsubara, a pine forest that has been protected by the local people for over 400 years. Within this forest, a tea pavilion was built by Miwa Zenbei, a connoisseur of the Taisho era, with the dream of hosting a tea ceremony for a thousand people. This tea pavilion marked the beginning of Numazu Club’s 110-year history. A View of Mount Fuji Through the Pines On this perfect day for Hatsugama (New Year’s Tea Ceremony), the majestic Mount Fuji appeared between the tall, straight pine trees.

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Preparing to Welcome Guests Joi carefully prepared to welcome guests, arranging flowers and tending to the charcoal. The hanging flower vase in the tokonoma had an overwhelming presence, prompting me to ask about its history. It was the Rikyu-made bamboo flower vase, “Shakuhachi,” once owned by Oda Urakusai and later passed to the Ii family. The inscription on the box bore the characteristic calligraphy of Kobori Enshu. There was an aura of profound dignity and warmth in its presence, evoking the essence of Sen no Rikyu himself.

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On a crisp January morning, I visited a high-rise apartment in the heart of Tokyo. Through the window, the towering Tokyo Tower stood tall, while inside, a softly lit tea room exuded a serene atmosphere. As preparations were underway, Joi explained the tea room's design. Created by architect Rei Mitsui, the space was envisioned as a "mountain within the city" inside a high-rise building. A natural kobushi magnolia log, with its bark intact, stretched up to the double-height open ceiling, evoking the image of a mountain grove.

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Time: 5:30 Scroll: "yuen" by Kitaro Nishida Bowl: 9th Ohi Chozaemon Tea: Hoshinoen "Hojyu" Had a nice bowl of thick tea this chilly morning. Nishida is the founder of the Kyoto School of Philosophy and one of the founding members of the Chiba Institute of Technology. The scrolls says "yuen" and it means far and distant in time and space or eternity. Tea practice has made me much more aware of time - many of the utensils we use are hundreds of years old, and the scrolls and the utensils we use will likely continue to be used for hundreds of years.

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“I am thinking of having a tea ceremony for the first time in the tea room I built at home. Would you like to come, Joi?” One day, Joi received this delightful email from a long-time friend. It turns out that they had built a new tea room utilizing the old materials from a 100-year-old house, but they never got around to holding a tea ceremony there. It had been sitting unused for 10 years.

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It was a sunny morning, and it was as if the rain forecast had been a lie. The cherry blossoms blossomed en masse against a sky cleared away by the previous day’s strong winds. In the fresh green garden, a field tea umbrella is raised. Today is a cherry blossom tea gathering with friends who like tea. A Folding Screen Adorned with Seasonal Flowers One of Joi’s tea friends, Sohmi, took out cards called “Kagetsu Fuda” with a smile.

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On a day when the long-awaited cherry blossoms were in full bloom, Joi Ito and Oki Matsumoto held a tea ceremony at a tea room in Tokyo. I, Masako, attended the event as the recorder. Koicha, Thick Tea Ceremony Hanging on the wall is a scroll entitled “Shofu Issetsu ni Kyousu”. It is calligraphy by Tantan-sai, the 14th headmaster of Urasenke. It is said to be a Chinese poem about drinking tea made of clear water and sipping it with wind from the pine in a valley.

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