The Philosophy Behind Japan's National Beverage

To the Japanese, tea is much more than just a pleasant drink. It is a religion, a way of life, and its serving and drinking is an elaborate cultural exercise. Tea ceremonies are so complex that many Japanese themselves do not always understand what is going on in them.

Tea was introduced to Japan in the 12th century, along with Zen Buddhism. Monks used the drink to help them to stay awake during long periods of meditation. Then the practice of drinking tea spread to the upper classes, where it quickly became fashionable. Tea was served in a specially built house, about 3 m (9 ft) square, amid complicated rituals designed to induce a sense of peace and tranquility among the carefully chosen guests.

Tea is no longer drunk only by the upper classes - everyone drinks it. But it remains at the heart of Japanese society, and professional tea masters, who conduct the ceremony, are highly respected. Great attention is paid to all aspects of the four-hour ceremony - the surroundings, the decorations, the utensils, the textures of the foods, the choice of tea, and even the choice of conversation to go with it, must not be left to chance. The importance of tea is so great that many Japanese girls do not think themselves fit for marriage until they have learned all of the ceremony's labyrinthine complexities.

Geishas, female entertainers skilled in the arts of singing, dancing and playing the samisen (a three-string Japanese guitar), demonstrate their skills in the subtle and elaborate art of the tea ceremony.