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Hakone Gardens 2 & Tea Ceremony 21000 Big Basin Way Saratoga, California Sunday, July 21, 2019 By Peter Y. Chou WisdomPortal.com |
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Preface: First visit to Hakone Gardens
on Fourth of July was a beautiful and wonderful experience.
Karen wants to see the Origami Photograph Exhibit at Hakone Gardens
on Sunday, July 21, 2019. Of the 20 points of special interest listed in the
Hakone Garden Map, I missed five of them (13, 14, 15, 18, 19) on my first visit. So I was happy to go again. Karen picks me up at noon, and decides to visit Wildwood Park first, so we spent 15 minutes there. Since I missed taking a picture of the Hakone Garden Entrance Sign last time, she stopped the car for me to take a quick photo. The Public Tea Ceremony is held the third Sunday of each month. Since it's held at the Cultural Exchange Center at noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm, in the same space as the Photo Exhibit, Karen says we'll see the Exhibit at a later date and attend the Tea Ceremony today. Tea Master John Larissou conducted the Ceremony (2-3 pm), telling us the traditional Tea Ceremony is no more than 5 persons instead of 20 attendants today. A dozen visitors took off their shoes off & sat on the tatami mat, while 8 sat in chairs. Karen and I did the latter to be more comfortable. Those sitting in the front row were told to pull our chairs to the tatami mat, so we're closer to the ceremony. We were served chestnut cookie (size of Oreo cookie) on a folded white napkin, and drank a bowl of Green Tea whose leaves were grounded to powder. John says that the Tea Ceremony is similar to Zen meditation, quieten the mind, also practiced by the seasoned samurai. I thank John for the wonderful experience and he gives me a sheet with Tea Master students of his, telling me that he has practiced this art for 40 years. The Tea Master Mitsu Suzukt he studied with was the wife of Shunryu Suzuki. I tell him about being served green tea by Roshi Kobori at the Daitoku-ji in Kyoto (1978) when he granted me an hour-long interview. Told story of my spiritual mentor Paul Brunton who meditated with D.T. Suzuki at Columbia University. Later I find this quote of PB on the Tea Ceremony: "The rite is an exercise in refinement, gracefulness, and calm. But surprising humility is also embodied in it." Here are 34 photos of today's adventure, with time recorded on my Canon Power Shot A590 Digital Camera. |
 Tall Redwood on 4th Street near Wildwood Park (12:43 pm) |
 "Elbow Maple Tree" before Wildwood Park (12:44 pm) |
 "V-Tree" by Picnic Table Wildwood Park (12:47 pm) |
 Tall Eucalyptus Tree Wildwood Park (12:47 pm) |
 Wildwood Park Bridge Sign 20764 4th St, Saratoga (12:46 pm) |
 Min-Waerfall below Park Bridge Wildwood Park, Saratoga (12:47 pm) |
 Rocks below the Park Bridge Wildwood Park, Saratoga (12:47 pm) |
 Children's Playground Wildwood Park, Saratoga (12:51 pm) |
 Geometric Monkey Bars Wildwood Park, Saratoga (12:53 pm) |
 Approaching Hakone Gardens 21000 Big Basin Way (1:03 pm) |
 Two Tall Eucalyptus Trees Wildwood Park (12:52 pm) |
 Elbow Maple by Bridge Before Wildwood Park (12:59 pm) |
 Elbow Maple Closeup Before Wildwood Park (1:00 pm) |
 Jizo Bodhisattva Statue (19) Hakone Gardens (1:24 pm) |
 Hakone Gardens Entrance Sign 21000 Big Basin Way (1:04 pm) |
 Moon Viewing House above Pond Hakone Gardens (3:19 pm) |
 Three Carps in Koi Pond Hakone Gardens (1:20 pm) |
 Four Carps in Koi Pond Hakone Gardens (1:20 pm) |
 Bonsai Tree by Kasuga Lantern Above Koi Pond (1:27 pm) |
 Misaki Lantern (14) Hakone Gardens (1:35 pm) |
 Kasuga Lantern Above Koi Pond (1:25 pm) |
 Master Stone above Waterfall (18) Hakone Gardens (1:25 pm) |
 Master Stone (Closeup) (18) Above Koi Pond (1:25 pm) |
 Waterfall to Koi Pond Hakone Gardens (1:27 pm) |
 Steps Up to Bamboo Gardens Hakone Gardens (1:28 pm) |
 Kanju-ji Lantern (15) Hakone Gardens (1:34 pm) |
 Fudo Fire God in Distance (13) Hakone Gardens (1:57 pm) |
.jpg) Fudo Fire God (Closeup) (13) Hakone Gardens (1:57 pm) |
 Fallen Eucalyptus Tree in Forbidden Trail Path (1:42 pm) |
 Bamboo Grove on Bamboo Garden Trail (1:44 pm) |
 Tea Ceremony 1 Cultural Exchange Center (2:34 pm) |
 Tea Ceremony 2 Cultural Exchange Center (2:55 pm) |
 Tea Ceremony 3 (Tea Master John Larissou) Cultural Exchange Center (3:00 pm) |
 Tea Ceremony Flyer at Hakone Garden Entrance Gate (3:30 pm) |
Photos: July 21, 2019, Composed: July 23, 2019
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