A morning at Sankei-en, with family
Every winter, I spend time with my family in Yokohama. These stays are a chance to share moments together, but also to discover or rediscover places in the city. This time, we went to Sankei-en to watch my father-in-law prepare matcha.
What I keep from that morning is the memory of a calm moment, in a Japanese garden whose beauty naturally accompanies the discovery of this tradition. It was not only a visit to Sankei-en, but also a chance to observe up close a gesture I had never taken the time to watch attentively.
Sankei-en, a Japanese garden in Yokohama
Sankei-en is a large traditional garden in Yokohama. You find a landscape made of trees, paths, a small lake and buildings in traditional Japanese architecture.
What struck me most was the beauty of the garden itself. The trees, the water and the presence of birds make up a whole in which you naturally take the time to look around.
Sankei-en shows another side of Yokohama. The city is often associated with its port, its modern districts and its urban activity. The garden lets you discover a different environment, where the landscape takes centre stage.
On that winter morning, I enjoyed this calm, contemplative atmosphere. The garden was a particularly pleasant setting for the moment we had come to share.
We were not there just to take a walk. The main reason for our visit was my father-in-law preparing the matcha.
Preparing matcha in the middle of a garden
The ceremony took place outdoors, in the Sankei-en garden.
I mostly watched my father-in-law prepare the tea. I was not there to perform the gestures of the ceremony myself, but to see how he went about it and to discover this preparation more closely.
I knew matcha, but watching it being prepared is a different experience from simply drinking a cup. You pay attention to the utensils, how they are arranged and how they are used.
The matcha bowl, the bamboo scoop and the whisk are among the objects involved in the preparation. Each has its function, and it is by watching the person using them that you can begin to understand their place in the ritual.
This moment also had a particular family dimension. My father-in-law was the one preparing the tea, so I had the chance to observe a Japanese tradition practised by a member of my own family.
I did not retain any particular words or explanations during this preparation. My memory is above all that of attentive observation, in the peaceful setting of the garden.
The chasen, a small object that demands precision
Among the utensils used, my attention was drawn to the chasen, the traditional bamboo whisk used to prepare matcha.
It is probably my father-in-law's gesture that struck me most. I watched the precision with which he handled the whisk, without being able today to describe the exact shape of his movements.
It was the first time I had observed this preparation up close. Until then, the chasen could simply be seen as an accessory for mixing tea. Seeing it used, I paid more attention to how this object takes part in the preparation.
The chasen is made of fine bamboo strands that mix the matcha powder with the water and give an even preparation, generally topped with a fine foam.
Its shape is closely tied to its use. Unlike an ordinary spoon, it is designed to be moved in the bowl to mix the tea efficiently.
I have written a separate article about this utensil, its function and how it is used to prepare matcha. Here, I wanted instead to come back to the memory of this gesture observed at Sankei-en, in a family setting.
There was no particular lesson or technical explanation that I could report. What remains is this image: my father-in-law preparing the tea, and me taking the time to watch attentively what he was doing.
What I take away from this morning
I see my family in Yokohama every winter, and it is also these shared moments that give my stays in Japan their character.
This morning at Sankei-en brings together several memories: the beauty of the Japanese garden, the small lake, the birds and the discovery of matcha preparation through my father-in-law's gestures.
None of these elements dominates the others in particular. It is rather their combination that makes the memory of this visit.
I enjoyed seeing this tradition practised by a member of my family, in a setting that invited you to take your time. It was a simple, concrete way of discovering an aspect of Japanese culture, not through a theoretical explanation, but by watching someone prepare tea.
It is also what I like to share about Dogou Yokohama: places, objects and traditions that I discover over the course of my stays, but always through personal experience.
Sometimes a morning in a Japanese garden is enough to look a little differently at a practice you thought you knew. And some memories are precious simply because they were shared with family.