00:00
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast.
Hello.
Hello, hello.
Hey guys. How's it going?
Hey, hey.
Anything you need in this week?
Not really.
Hmm.
Let me check.
You know one of those...
One of those characters that has...
In Spider-Man.
Spider-Man?
Yeah.
You mean Venom?
You mean Venom?
You're talking about Venom.
Not Venom, but like a...
I forget. It was from Spider-Man.
It was some kind of Marvel movie.
Okay.
Who does a tongue trick?
But it's like eaten by...
From the inside, eaten by some...
Like a lizard monster or things like that.
Like a dinosaur monster.
So he has... So what does he do?
What's a snake?
What's an attack?
And then suddenly he turns into like the lizard.
Oh, I see.
So you can see like a hint of the lizard inside ahuman being.
And then all of a sudden turns into like a lizardcreature.
Okay.
All right.
Unknowingly casted that onto me.
You have to see that feature.
If you see that feature, then you have to runaway.
You got to be careful.
Because that guy is like eaten by...
You never know what would happen.
Got to be careful.
Got to be careful.
This week, huh?
I attended a omacha class this week.
Wow.
Sado.
That's right.
The actual ceremony?
The actual ceremony, yes.
But it's a very quick, light lesson.
Okay.
You know, it was like 1,200 yen.
1,200. Yeah, okay.
That's it. Very light, you know.
And it was like 20 minutes.
20 to 30 minutes session.
Yeah.
And then like the explanation was very simple.
It's like, okay, so this is the matcha.
So we're going to right now grind it.
And then here's the grinded matcha.
You guys have it on your table.
Now scoop it.
Like this is like, make a C.
And then scoop it.
Boom.
Scoop half.
Boom.
Pour that water.
And then like...
Oh, you did it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mix it.
Mixed it.
And then, yeah, do the twisting of the bowl.
Yeah.
And then, yes, drank it.
Good, good, good.
That was it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Very quick and light.
But, you know, it was fun.
Yeah.
It was so much fun.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Is that something like...
Something that...
Like a temple's dance or like...
No, it was at like a conference room of a Zakyo-biru.
Wow.
Wow.
Yeah, we thought it was suspicious as well.
Okay.
I was like, is this...
Is this authentic?
Very suspicious.
Oh, so you did it with the chairs and desks?
03:00
Oh, that's right.
That's right.
We did it with the chair and desk.
Okay.
That's right.
Okay.
That's right.
Yeah, the building, the floor was filled withtatami.
Yeah, it was...
The floor was tatami.
But on the tatami had the chair and the deskand...
I don't know why they did that, but...
Okay.
That was their style.
I see.
I see.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think it's the light experience and...
Yeah, I think so too.
It's one of those like...
Like foreigners coming to Japan and trying to...
That's what I thought.
Yeah.
I thought it was gonna be filled...
I thought we were gonna be only Japanese there.
Zero foreigners.
Oh, really?
All Japanese.
It was all Japanese.
Surprisingly.
Yeah.
Okay.
It was about...
So, me and my wife attended.
In total, it was like...
Everybody came in pairs, like with their friendsand stuff.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
6 groups.
Okay.
And the number of people was like 12, 15 people.
Yeah.
You did it at once, everybody?
That's right.
That's right.
And it was like a 15-minute explanation.
And then like another 5 to 10 minutes, you canfreely drink your matcha.
Then you're done, you go home.
But, you know, it sounds like a weird session.
But it was actually fun and worth it, you know?
You don't really get to experience the matchalife.
So...
Especially for the first time, it's just a quickexperience.
And if you're really into it, you can do it.
From that, it's a great start.
It's a great first step, you know?
Yeah.
How was the tea?
Did you like it?
Oh my god, the tea was amazing.
Amazing?
Yeah.
The smell of matcha is amazing.
Yeah.
I loved it.
You loved it?
I loved it.
It was great.
It was great.
Yeah.
The sensei was like,
You should scoop once.
One big scoop and then a half a scoop is like theright amount.
I wanted to go for like 7 scoops.
Like there was enough powder for a 7 scoop.
I was like, man, I want to go for more.
But I respected the culture.
I respected the sensei.
Yeah, you should.
Yeah.
You had this little okashi thing?
Yeah, I had a little like small, you know, likebutton-sized sugar melty okashi.
Like a gum?
Yeah, it was like a gum maybe.
That, yeah, it was like, yeah, I got to eat thisfirst.
And then do the matcha.
And then eat the second one right in the middle.
Right.
And then drink the rest of the matcha.
Have you done the matcha experience?
Nice.
Several times, yes.
06:00
Yeah, nice.
Yeah.
But the one I did was, I would say more authentic.
Okay.
So I've never done like this.
The shaka shaka?
Yeah, it's all the host side did it to me.
And I was like sitting like this and just waitingand just, you know.
You were served.
You were the guest.
Yeah, I couldn't even allow it.
I wasn't allowed to do those like everything.
I see, I see.
He was the teacher.
He was the shisho-san that did it.
So I've never done those like things.
Okay, okay.
I see, I see.
Different type of, I guess, class, I would say.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you would learn, was it like a class?
You'd learn something or was it more of like a...
It's a ceremony.
Okay.
Yeah, it's not learn how to do it.
But it's just...
Attending the official matcha ceremony.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.
One of those like temple does or like...
Oh, so you went to temple?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Nice.
Like some, I don't know.
There's like a place.
Okay.
The matcha place?
Yeah, you know with the tatamis and like verysmall.
Right.
And you enter like this.
Right.
Chashitsu.
Chashitsu, right.
Right, right, right, right.
Did you have to learn all these like mannersbeforehand?
Forehand, yes.
They teach you the manners or you have to do ityourself?
Some did, some did.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
But it's not like lessons or like class things.
So you have to learn, like I did it.
I researched beforehand.
Yeah, but it was, I think the first time I wentwas my mom, my family.
And so they taught me kind of.
Nice.
Yeah, as a kid.
So I was allowed to do any mistakes.
Okay, okay, right.
You're a kid as a family.
Gives a pass for everything.
Was it like, how was the matcha as a kid?
Was it, what'd you feel?
For the first time, I didn't like that much.
Yeah.
It was too.
Like nigei?
Yeah, nigei.
Too like thick.
Uh-huh.
You know, for kids like, if she loves like milk,like chocolate milk, things like that.
The matcha was like.
You like the matcha chocolate?
Yeah.
You like the matcha like drink?
Yeah, it was too much.
Okay.
I didn't like that much.
Okay.
For the first time.
Yeah.
Right, right.
After that, like after I became an adult, I kindof understood the beauty of matcha.
Nice.
Yeah.
Nice, nice, nice.
But yeah, when I was in Kyoto, you know, it'sfamous for the teas and everything, tea ceremoniesand everything.
I wanted to do the teas at my house.
Okay.
Yeah.
I bought the powder in the little bowl.
Right.
And I tried several times, but it didn't lastlong.
09:03
Okay.
Yeah, I went to coffee.
Right.
Yeah.
So it was before you became a coffee guy?
Yeah, I was like half coffee.
I was half matcha.
Oh, I see.
Okay.
In the morning, like I was like, this morning,okay, I go matcha.
I see.
Traditionally.
Espresso.
I see, I see.
Is it traditionally matcha a morning drink?
I don't think so.
It's like, it's more like a oyatsu.
Oh, oyatsu.
So like, okay, okay.
I see, I see.
I think.
Gotcha.
It does have a lot of caffeine in it though,right?
I'm assuming.
I think so.
Yeah.
Right.
So to me, it's like the same as espresso.
It's very thick.
It's bitter.
I don't know if that's the right style to enjoymatcha though.
Like, I just put some powder in it and just put awater and it's just like this.
And it's good to go.
Good to go.
I didn't even like turn the bowl.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I didn't do anything.
Is matcha expensive?
More than coffee, don't you think?
The matcha powder is pretty.
Right now, it's probably definitely a lot moreexpensive.
But I guess back then.
But in Kyoto, you could find some.
I think that was for like, yeah.
Is it cheaper in Kyoto, matcha?
I don't know.
It doesn't feel like it.
It feels just as expensive as Tokyo.
But the thing is like, you got this size ofbottle.
And you don't use that much for one.
Oh, yeah.
So to me, yeah.
Right.
It's not that pricey, right?
Like, if you look at it total, I guess.
But the bowl.
Yeah, the bowl is pretty.
And the shakashakas and everything.
That's, if you go for those, like good ones.
Yeah.
And yeah, crazy expensive things.
I guess the ceremony is to like half enjoy thebowl, right?
Yes, yes, yes.
You see the bowls like that.
It's like art.
You're seeing the paint.
Yeah.
Paints and like.
Right.
Ohanas, you know, the ikebanas and everything.
Right.
That's true.
Yeah, we didn't get to touch the ohana, theikebana and everything.
So I don't know that world.
I didn't, I was not introduced to that.
But that must be, that must be, you know,beautiful as well.
Yeah.
To, you know, be in a room where the whole room isdecorated.
You've got like little, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Small, small beauty things in Japanese.
So some people, you know, their dashimi is likematcha.
And like they go into this whole deep world ofmatcha.
But I never, I don't know what, how it goes widerthough.
12:00
Like, is it the type of matcha?
Is it the type of dish?
Like the cup?
Or is it what, like, I don't know how to sort ofadd color, flavor,
and depth to this matcha ceremony.
I think it's the room, the decoration, the ball,the season,
like how you can match with the season, the day,kind of.
You know, including all the kimonos andeverything.
I see.
Yeah.
The summertime, you prepare some, I think the onesyou had was,
I think the summer okashi, I think.
Okay.
You have to like match everything and likecoordinate everything.
I see.
It's the world of art then.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kind of different from coffee then.
True.
Isn't coffee more of like how to get a betterflavor?
Right, right.
I'm not sure.
I'm sure it's not only that, but like mainly thevibe I get is like
how to get like a better tasting, good quality,like drip of coffee.
Right, right, right.
Yeah.
I think in matcha, they also have like types ofochas and like types of things in taste.
Right, right.
Like more into those beauty of like the movement.
Right, right.
How you sit.
The atmosphere of the room.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right, right, right, right, right, right.
True.
Yeah.
I want to join that too.
I want to someday be in a ceremony.
Yeah, it's not that expensive and you can do it.
I can just book a session maybe.
All right.
I'll look into that.
Yeah.
All right.
Thanks for sending guys.
Thank you.
Bye.
