Posted: 10 months ago

Hiro said: "I propose "Tea room " or "Terrace"  for free conversation.

After regular meeting, we can visit "Tea room" or "Terrace" for fun.

We can see many pictures and read many articles at there."

Hiro, that is a great idea...I attended the meeting and here I am!

What about the new earthquake in Japan? Do you have any vacation in Japan? How long? What do you do for vacation? See you later. Françoise

Posted: 10 months ago

After regular meeting,I came to Tea room here for fun.

I would like to introduce our japanese style briefly.

In Summer we drink cold barley tea that is called "Mugicha" in Japan.

And we drink a cold green tea in a plastic bottle bought with the vending machine.

Hiro Yamato

Posted: 10 months ago

In the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, arguably the the place of the most technologically advanced architecture for office builildings in the world, there was a basement "Tea Cafe" where you could order any kind of tea you wanted as long as it was a Japanese variety.  They even served coffee for the adicted.  

That was 30 years ago and the place is gone.  Among all the high tech husstle and bussle that tea room was a nice quiet place to get away, enjoy quiet KOTO music and really "vegitate" and relax.  

I wish there were more places like that.  Japan is a wonderful place.  To have more traditional places to enjoy what is great about Japan would be nice.

Hiro, when you retire maybe you can make a Tea house in Tokyo and invite all your friends from around the world.  

Bill

Posted: 10 months ago

Arigoto. Yes, there are days when I missed the "Tea Room" in Kyoto, where Anne and I would go to relax several times a year when we lived and worked on Guam. I worked for the hotels on Guam (doing sculptural works for the Japanese businessmen who owned them and sometimes named them after the Chinese- just in case a client got mad at the establishment). I did this besides teaching at the Univ. of Guam from 1970 through 1976. One of the works at the Daichi Hotel won a national award for public works in an exhibition at the National Gallery in Washington, sponsored by the American Architects Association. I miss my times (baths, food and tea ceremonies) in Japan. I am too old now to do judo anymore (got my black belt in Tokyo) but even that has fond memories. Maybe this virtual 'tea room' will bring back those not-forgotten memories. Sayonara, kioskatai.

Joe  

Posted: 10 months ago

I love food and would like to know where food is good.  I vote for 

Japan

France

Italy

Thailand

Any additions?  We are talking about national cuisine.  So, for example, many of my Brit friends say the food in London is now Excellent but not much of it is the traditional cuisine.  

Posted: 10 months ago

Bill, I read your bio and I do like it: You like to provoke people...and you dont like watching sports...GOOD! You share a dream with Beth Levenson: SKYDIVING May I suggest you and Beth to go to Eloy ( AZ) close to you, and to sky dive with an instructor...14000 feet.....7000 feet free-fall= 2 minutes!!! So great! I did it...the most annoying is to fill the 10 pages application form!!! If you do, tell me, and I go with you! Sure! About food...I am among people who think that the people who share my meal, and the moment are more important than what is in my plate! See you later...somewhere!

Posted: 10 months ago

About food, I have to agree.  The people with you are the most important thing.  Japanese and Thai culture is to always envite everyone to eat with you, no personal food plates.  It is a very communal society and in that respect very open.  That is one reason why I like living in both places.

As for skydiving, I always tell people that I will do it the day I know I will die because I am sure I will die on the way down.  Climbing a ladder now is quite scary!  But I do love Scuba diving.  

But, more than willing to get together sometime around Tucson.  That is halfway between my home and Phoenix.  Phoenix is a hard day drive, 7 hours R/T.

For Lunch I make Japanese style deep fried pork cutlet (TONKATSU).  After months of playing around I found how to do it so it tastes delicious.  

Well, rambling again but I had a few minutes.

Posted: 10 months ago

Read YOUR bio in return.

Don't like cleaning, eh?  Well, well, is it that you always like going on to new things?

And, a sunset in Florence?  I spent a month in Italy last year backpacking and went around most of the coast and 2 weeks in Sicily.  Florence is beautiful.  Also loved Venice except a little sad to see half of Piazza San Marcos' flooded.  Great for taking off your shoes and getting into the cathedral quickly instead of waiting on the boardwalk filled with tourists who don't want to get their feet wet.  It is a very Fun Place.

Posted: 10 months ago

I had a look on a map to see where your home is located; Pearce is very close to Tombstone..."Boothill graveyard"...I purchased my Santiags and my cowboy hat in Tombstone...good memories....In my bio, I talk of "Florence" AZ, between Phoenix and Tucson...Not of Firenze, Italia...I do like Firenze...the sky is always beautiful in Firenze...like the Sistine Chapel...isn't it? I will go to Tucson, in next June...Be ready to...die! Eh, guys, you have to read the previous messages if you want to understand that I am joking! Bill, why :"squid007"...Are you a secret agent?

Posted: 10 months ago

It is my great pleasure to know foreigners being familiar with Japanese culture.

And I would like to become a foreigner being familiar with so many cultures.

I believe that "Tea room" is the best place we talk each other.

Hiro Yamato

Posted: 10 months ago

Tea? Did anybody say 'tea'? Green tea? I'm all in. 

Posted: 10 months ago

Ok, Ryofu, you win!  Can't beat the temples in Kyoto for a quiet place to drink Tea.

Hiro, I am 58 and I still enjoy learning new cultures and peoples and languages.

Francoise, hahaha, since Italia I use Italian names also so surprised a French lady would use English.  Now I know you were talking of Arizona.  Yes, Fienze is lovely, especially Strozzi Castle.  I will explain that.  Tombstone is 35 miles West of me as the crow flies.  About "dieing"?  I have already almost died 5 times so maybe once more won't hurt me.  

My name, Bill Smale, is Biru Sumeeru in Japanese.  But I always loved to drink beer and eat dried squid with my friends in Japan so they nicknamed me Biiru Surume, a slight change of sounds which means Beer Squid.  So my Japanese nickname is Squid (actually Surume-Chan).  A more formal version, as Hiro can tell you, is Surume-san.  hahahahha

Bill

Posted: 10 months ago

We love Tea Rooms. We have a family tradition involving Tea Rooms. When Each Granddaughter reached 11, Grandma (me) took them for High Tea. Although they were not  Japanese Tea Room's, we celebrated High Tea. Twice a year, we have a girls days out, My daughter in Law and my four Granddaughters do High Tea. We have St James Tea Room, and they celebrate different parts of the the United Kingdom's with Tea Specials. 

We are going to have to see if we can find a Japanese Tea Room in New Mexico.

Thanks to Ryofu and a beautiful Program he presented, some of the culture and traditions of the Tea were shared, see his Program of June 23, 2008.

I am having my morning tea, as I write this.

Carol Anderson

Posted: 10 months ago

Thanks to Carol...I read what Ryofu had written in June 23, 2008( page 32 in previous programs) See the link below:

http://www.recswusa.org/site_uploads/program/54/RyofuRECSWUSA.pdf

I did not read all the program...not yet...but I will ( I have to work hard when I read or write english:)...in my city, we have a japanese college: "The Lycee Konan" and I have attended a tea gathering many times...I like tea but I never drink it because of a chronic anaemia...tea prevents iron to "settle"...May be Ryofu, you know what kind of tea I could drink...

フランス甲南学園トゥレーヌ 高等部 LYCEE KONAN DE TOURAINE-FRANCE

t-konan.jp/ -トゥール近くにある日本人向けの中学・高校。学校・入学案内、進路やスケジュールの紹介。アクセス - リンク集 - プライバシーポリシー - 保護者専用掲示板Enjoy your day...every body!

Posted: 10 months ago

enjoying (by sharing) a bowl of whisked green tea at a Rotary friend's tea room. 

hmmmm , can't get the picture inserted here.... : try clicking this links