One of Japan’s most recognizable cultural practices – the Japanese tea ceremony, known as chanoyu, or chadō – is being reshaped by tourism, wellness culture and social media.
Matcha, the Japanese powdered green tea that is used during the ceremony, has entered the global marketplace. Influencers post highly curated tearoom photos, wellness brands market matcha as a superfood and cafés worldwide present whisked green tea as a symbol of mindful living.
The Japanese tea ceremony is deeply rooted in the ideals of Zen Buddhism, but the current matcha hype has little to do with the tea ceremony. Green tea has become part of the on-the-go coffee culture. On social media, a centuries-old spiritual practice is compressed into a 15-second reel.
Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture Małgorzata K. Citko-DuPlantis says this commercialization is not without tension. The reflective values of the Japanese tea ceremony trace their origins to a monastic routine. Read more at The Conversation.
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