tea master

What is tea art, and when and how did it emerge as a social practice? In this episode, Daniel Bender of Gastronomica hosts anthropologist Thiago Braga in a conversation about the aesthetics of tea in urban China. Drawing on his latest research, featured in Gastronomica’s newest issue (Summer 2023), Thiago explains how contemporary Chinese Tea Art is neither a timeless nor an invented tradition, but a complex social phenomenon.

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Canadian Randy Channell Soei, a Japanese tea master, joins the podcast. He is based in Kyoto and has been a master in tea ceremony for over 20 years. He was also featured in an article for CNN and Youtube about Japanese traditions leading to intercultural exchange. If you want to learn about Japanese tea check out Randy's bilingual book available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle and book stores in Japan.

His new book Zen Tea Ceremony, from Tuttle, is available for pre-order now on Amazon Japan, Amazon US, and Amazon Canada, and will be released in October 2021.

Podcast episodes mentioned:
A Deep Understanding of Japanese Culture with Alex Bennett

Sponsors:

Bearfoot Bar
A variety of Japanese made craft bottled beers. A range of whiskeys and basic cocktails also available. Burgers and pub style snacks. Friendly English and Japanese speaking staff. Located in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar

The Red House
Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it’s behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000. https://theredhouse.jp/

Rusutsu Lodges
Open all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There’s a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, free pick up available from the bus stop, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability. http://rusutsulodges.com

Hokkaido Guide
Established over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. https://hokkaidoguide.com

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Website: https://www.voicesinjapan.com/

On this episode, Jay sits down with Andy Laub. Andy is a certified tea master, a mindfulness expert, and sound healing practitioner, and just an all around interesting dude. Andy also happened to be the very first guest that Jay recorded with, but for whatever reason the episode wasn't published until now. Andy, and Jay discuss the path that led him to tea, ways to develop mindfulness practices other than just sitting and breathing, which incidentally opens a discussion about a shared interest in contemplative photography, and the two finish off strong with a great conversation about fear, faith, and gratitude. This episode covers all the bases, and does not disappoint.

Jay's links:
Instagram
Focus Therapy Website