Kakegawa Castle and Tea Ceremony

On our last day of piano workshop training with Yamaha in Japan, we had a free day to do some sightseeing. Kazu-san, our Yamaha liaison, took us to visit Kakegawa castle (located in the same city as Yamaha's main piano factory).

We were so fortunate to enjoy clear blue skies and sunshine, which made the Sakura cherry blossoms even more stunning!

As a special treat, we had an opportunity to participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

The presentation was absolutely mesmerizing, and the green tea was by far the most delicious I had ever tasted - perfect temperature, subtly sweet, without a hint of bitterness. Absolute perfection! A lovely complement to the tea was a Japanese red bean dessert, beautifully sculpted like a seashell with flowers.