Following the tea gatherings in Kitzbühel, Austria, I held a series of three Chanoyu sessions on July 22, 2026, in Herrsching am Ammersee in Bavaria, Germany.
Herrsching is a lovely town on the shores of Lake Ammersee, about fifty minutes from Munich by S-Bahn. Nearby is Kloster Andechs, a Benedictine monastery known for its brewery and as the burial place of the composer Carl Orff.
I had stayed in Herrsching many times before, but this was my first time holding a tea gathering there. As in Kitzbühel, I began with a demonstration of temae, followed by a bowl of usucha prepared for each guest. During the latter part of the session, the participants also had the opportunity to prepare usucha themselves.
In Herrsching, I laid tatami mats on the floor for the temae and provided cushions so that the participants could watch from close by. I was pleasantly surprised that almost everyone chose to sit there and watch the temae with such close attention.
Each of the three sessions drew more participants than its stated capacity, for which I was very grateful. I received many questions, but one that particularly interested me was, “Don’t you play music during the temae?” Perhaps the question arose from the custom of enjoying tea or coffee with music in cafés and salons.
I replied, “It is precisely because everyone is concentrating in silence that the sound of the kettle as the water comes to a boil, like wind through pine trees, and the subtle sounds made during the temae become so distinct.” The participant nodded, seeming to understand what I meant.
We also spoke about the spirit of Chanoyu, different types and regions of matcha production, and the current situation surrounding matcha in Japan. It was a pleasure to spend such a relaxed and friendly time together.
Before and after the gatherings, participants and organizers shared kind comments such as, “I felt so calm,” and “Please come back and do this again next year.” One person even told me that, while watching the temae, tears had naturally come to their eyes. Those words were especially moving and have stayed with me. I hope to continue nurturing this wonderful connection in the years ahead.
The tea gatherings in Herrsching were also made possible by the support of many people in the local community. I am deeply grateful to Mayor Christian Schiller, who supported the preparations and took time out of his busy official schedule to visit us on the day, as well as to a board member of the German-Japanese Society of Bavaria who supported us from the planning stages through the running of the event, and to everyone else whose warm cooperation made the gatherings possible.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped create this opportunity, and to all those who joined us.
Vielen Dank, Herrsching!
