Maple-viewing tea ceremony

Last Sunday I attended a tea ceremony at the local gardens for local people; that is, the Shukkeien Gardens, across the river from my house. I was anticipating much kneeling on tatami mats, but instead got treated to the outdoor version on a bench with a red blankie to keep one`s posterior at a comfortable temperature (the autumn chill has kicked in). The gardens were packed with locals dressed in orange, beige and many shades of brown. Kimono-clad women tip-toed to and fro around berry-laden maple arrangements, pouring tea most elegantly and serving it to us in tiny cups set upon a leaf-shaped saucer of bronze. The tea smelt very sweet - like the summer smell of green tea syrup on shaved ice - but it was actually very bitter and difficult for Miss Ember to finish. At the bottom of my just-bigger-than-a-thimble-shaped cup, amid the swirl of green motes, was a picture of a rabbit leaping over the moon. Very pretty! The bitterness of the tea was contrasted by the little sweet we ate afterwards - a strip of sweet, preserved orange. Lovely!