Chado. The Way of Tea.
As a Chado student, I volunteer in various public tea events at the Japan house at the University of Illinois.
By offering tea to the public, we hope to foster a harmonious environment for immersive cultural communication.
Due to COVID-19 shutdown in spring 2021, Japanese people were unable to hold memorials for the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima power plant disaster. Thus, our tea group at the U of I held a special tea ceremony to mourn the souls that passed away and educate the local community regarding the Fukushima disaster recovery progress.
In 2023, I have the privilege of participating in the 20th anniversary of the Chado Urasenke Tankokai at the Urbana-Champaign. Chado practitioners from all over the world came to our town to attend a 2-day seminar.
Our tea group also hold educational outreach programs for young students. We educate high school students about the way of tea, zen philosophies, and Asian culture. I have also volunteered in Chado workshops for high school students with the goal of exposing them to Asian arts and culture.
