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At the heart of the Denver Botanic Gardens' Shofu-en Japanese Garden is a tea house built in Japan, shipped to Colorado and reassembled here.
As the Shofu-en garden turns 40 (shofu-en means "garden of pine and wind"), here's a rare look at the tea ceremony.
Guests can choose to pass through the Nakakuguri, a gateway that leads to the Ella Mullen Weckbaugh Tea House.
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In front of the tea house, host Hazuki Tochihara, of Denver, explains what her guests can expect in the hours to come.
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Tochihara demonstrates the ritual hand-washing that precedes entry to the tea house.
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Behind the scenes, tea and snacks are prepared in the small kitchen.
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A tea kettle and decorative bowl sit on a tatami mat inside the tea house.
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Guests make sure to remove their footwear before stepping onto the tatami mat.
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The ceremony begins.
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Tochihara explains the tea ceremony before participants are invited to join in. Tea was brought to Japan from China around the time of Zen Buddhism's birth.
![Denver Botanic Gardens Tea Ceremony](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/08/190819-TEA-CEREMONY-9-1024x682.jpg)
Ceremonial bowls are filled with matcha green tea. Guests are encouraged to slurp the final drops to reveal the decoration at the bottom of the bowl.
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Guests take part in the tea ceremony, which is about much more than drinking tea. It's about quieting the mind, being in the present moment and appreciating beauty.