Having had the chance to be introduced to everyone at the opening ceremonies the day before, students arrived early at Showa Women’s University, excited for the chance to learn about Japanese tea ceremony and to participate in the program’s first cross-cultural workshop. There was an early downpour and strong winds that remained throughout the day, but that didn’t deter the students from enjoying their activities (though it probably helped that luckily, everything was indoors!)
During the tea ceremony activity, CIE’s Ash-sensei (Ashley Warren) gave a brief lecture on the history and meaning of Japanese tea ceremony, after which Ito-sensei (Eiko Ito) demonstrated a gorgeous traditional tea ceremony. The students then had a chance to sample some traditional Japanese sweets, drink the tea, and try their own hand at tea ceremony.
After lunch, international students and Showa students gathered together for the first of many cross-cultural workshops led by Audrey Morrell. Students were introduced to each other, enjoyed icebreakers, and had meaningful conversation on the topic of culture and their individual experiences with their own and different cultures.
