My first real tea ceremony

On Monday (which was Coming of Age Day in Japan - yet another public holiday) I attended my first real tea ceremony. I've been going to the tea ceremony club at school for months, but this was the real thing. It was the first tea ceremony of the year, which is known as a "Hatsugama", and it was held in Ota, the next town over from Asahi. I was a bit nervous, as it was a bit more formal than I thought it would be - the local mayor even turned up to give a speech. Luckily though everyone was very indulgent with me - they even let me sit cross-legged when my knees began to ache. Actually, I think some of the blokes were relieved to see me do this, because as soon as I sat cross-legged about four or five of them did the same!