The Book of Tea

The Book of Tea is a century-old essay about the art and culture of drinking tea. It was written by Okakura Tenshin, a Japanese man living in America, for an American audience. It goes to pains to highlight the differences between western and eastern culture, arguing for the superiority of eastern aesthetics and contentment.

I have to say that reading this book was a very calming experience. I curled up in be with a cup of tea and immersed myself in a different kind of life, where simplicity and ceremony are more important than clutter and ambition. Reading this, it was easier to see where Marie Kondo was coming from.

I really enjoyed reading this and getting a glimpse into another culture, especially as it was presented with it's best foot forward, so to speak, trying to show Westerners all the things they missed when they started importing and growing their own tea.

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