2021 Events (details are updated throughout the year)

Tatezome 2021

To travel to the Chicago Botanical Garden to pick up willow branches for tatezome always marks the beginning of the tea year for me. I look forward to seeing most of the association in one room, and to witnessing the work and the coordination it takes to have a successful event. It is fun to welcome new guests, as well as member’s families and friends. The various Consul Generals and Consuls that represent the Japanese Consulate put on a human face to what is usually a formal relationship. I can sense them relax into what must feel like a homecoming. For as formal as chanoyu is, it ultimately comes down to, as Rikyu said, heating water for tea. And what could be simpler than that despite the elaborate procedures we place on top of it. So, I will keep this short and simply say I/we miss our gathering this 2021. But I say with confidence that the worst is behind us and though there are many months still to go we will recover, if not our lost time, our mission of spreading peace through a bowl of tea.

Be Well and Stay Safe,

Dean Raffaelli

President