
Tea Ceremony, Courtesy of SBBG
Love tea? Love culture? This May, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is set to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the Japanese Teahouse, ShinKanAn, being moved into the Garden. (Yes, they moved a whole teahouse!) Teahouse events will take place May 4 and 5 for the public to celebrate and discover.
At 1 p.m. on May 4, an open-to-the-public tea ceremony will take place. Also, tours of ShinKanAn will take place before and after the ceremony ( at noon and 2 p.m.). There will even be traditional Japanese sweets, Matcha tea and a light lunch on the Garden’s Arbor Terrace for you to enjoy!
Because this event has limited spots, make sure to order tickets by calling 805/682-4726 ext. 102 or visit the Garden website here.
On May 5, an ongoing tea ceremony will take place from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. during the Teahouse open house. The ceremony will be demonstrated by tea school students (Tea school exists! Sign us up.).
Before the Teahouse found its (laborious) way into the Botanic Garden, it resided in a lemon orchard in Hope Ranch for almost 50 years. Mme. Sokyo Kasai is now curator and tea master of ShinKanAn, making it an authentic place for the traditional tea ceremony, Chanoyo. Come to these events to learn more!
There will also be a Bonsai Club display at Blaksley Library on May 18 and 19 that will feature…you guessed it, Bonsai plants! These little trees are constantly being crafted into never-completely-finished, beautiful art forms. There will be a 1 p.m. demonstration on both days. To learn more about the club and their meeting times, click here.
~Elise Kimball