If you were going to participate in Tea Ceremony( It’ really great idea!), it might be useful to know there are two kinds of Tea Ceremony: 茶会【CYA-KAI】and 茶事【CYA-JI】.
茶事【CYA-JI】is like an spectacular symphony it lasts as long as 4 hours, while 茶会【CYA-KAI】is only one part of it and it takes about 30-40 minutes.
＜Stream of 茶事【CHA-JI】＞
寄付き【YORITSUKI】↓
待合【MACHIAI】Waiting Room ↓
席入り【SEKI-IRI】Entering a Tea room ↓
＜初座【SHOZA】＞
炭手前【SUMI-TEMAE】↓
懐石料理【KAISEKI‐RYOURI】KAISEKI Cuisines ↓
主菓子【OMO-GASHI】↓
中立【NAKADACHI】↓
席改め【SEKI-ARATAME】
＜後座【GOZA】＞
濃茶【KOI-CHA】
後炭【GO-SUMI】↓
●薄茶【USU‐CHA】↓
退席【TAI‐SEKI】
↑Usually, 茶会【CHA-KAI】is doing
only this part called 薄茶【USU-CHA】！
抹茶【MATCHA】might looks THICK, but it’s 薄茶【USU-CHA（THIN TEA）】.
We also have 濃茶【KOI-CHA（THICK-TEA）】in 茶事【CHA-JI】.
Doro Doro～
When it comes to 濃茶【KOI-CHA】, it’s SO THICK. We put every green powdered tea in a tea container called 茶入れ【CHA-IRE】for a bowl of 濃茶【KOI-CHA】.
Then, participants of ceremony drink from the same bowl by one by one in order, it’s like a ritual
(濃茶【KOI-CHA】is so thick and after finish to drink all 4 ～5 people, traces of tea in the bowl look like an flower petal). Then, we feel the mind called 一味同心【ICHIMI-DOUSHIN(Everyone in the space have the same mind)】.
In 茶会【CHAKAI】, there are 小間の茶会【KOMA NO CHAKAI(TEA PARTY IN A SMALL ROOM)】and 大寄席の茶会【OOYOSE-no-CHAKAI（BIG TEA PARTY MANY PERSONS COME）】.
Above picture is 大寄席【OOYOSE】, many unspecified people would come and have a tea togather. If you happened to participate Tea Party in the sightseeing places or public halls (It is common to be held Tea Party once or twice in a year by Tea practice-group users). It might be 大寄席の茶会（ OOYOSE’s CYAKAI, Large Tea party for many people).
小間の茶会【KOMA-NO CYAKAI（Small room’s Tea party)】are also held at tourisized villas with isolated tea room or amazingly, departmentstores having fine tea rooms.
茶事【CYAJI】is difficult to perticipate because it is held among only close peoples, for example people learing the way of tea community.
They are held in a small Tea rooms and only few people(4～5）would come and spend about 4 hours.
懐石料理【KAISEKI-RYOURI（KAISEKI Cuisine）】ulyimaly simple, but very formal style food, 濃茶【KOI-CHA】and 薄茶【USU-CYA】would be served.
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