Appreciate the beauty of a Japanese tea ceremony

Enjoy the relaxing tranquility of an authentic Japanese tea ceremony March 13 at 2 p.m. at Saginaw’s Japanese Cultural Center and Tea House (the ceremony takes place on the second Saturday of each month).

The 20-minute ceremony showcases Japanese culture and tradition in a time-honored ceremony infused with silence in the tradition of Sen Rikyu, the Japanese tea master who taught spiritual discipline, manners and etiquette, “and most importantly, harmony, respect, purity and tranquility,” says Yoko Mossner, cultural director. Each of these qualities is reflected in the simple act of serving and taking tea.

In 1985, Saginaw and its sister city, Tokushima, Japan, erected an authentic teahouse next to a Japanese garden on land deeded to Tokushima. The teahouse is the only one of its kind in the Midwest and has been hosting thousands of visitors from around the world.