By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Oka Hiroshi, the Japanese Ambassador to Egypt, hosted a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at his residence in Cairo, in the presence of Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
In his speech, Ambassador Oka praised the distinguished bilateral relations between Cairo and Tokyo, noting that the current year witnesses the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Japanese Language Department at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University.
Ambassador Oka thanked all those responsible for spreading the Japanese language and culture in Egypt, and said that there are currently 9 universities that have departments for teaching the language.
He praised the existing cooperation between Japan and the League of Arab States, referring to the visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the League’s headquarters during his recent visit to Cairo, explaining that it was the first visit by a Japanese Prime Minister, which was then followed by the visit of the Japanese Foreign Minister to the League and his participation in the third round of the Arab-Japanese dialogue.
He said that there are many goals that have been achieved and that he looks forward to more cooperation in the coming years.
He thanked the Urasenki Tankokai Association for its participation in the tea ceremony this year, and said that the tea ceremony ritual is not only about tasting, but it is an occasion to learn about the origins of Japanese hospitality and respect for others, as well as learning about Japanese culture in general.
The ritual of serving Japanese tea is known as “matcha”, which is the process of preparing and drinking it in a special way. Matcha is a powder of green tea mixed with hot water. The first people to introduce this type of tea to Japan in the twelfth century were the monks of the Buddhist sect after they returned from studying in Japan. China.
The Japanese tea serving ceremony has precisely defined rules and traditions, and it may appear at first glance to be just a ritual, but deep down it contains feelings of compassion and respect towards others or guests.
