Since 1988, Whanganui – Nagaizumi have been building up their relationship and many events such as the tea ceremony occurred at the Friendship centre when it was in Whanganui East. The Friendship centre was a physical connection hub, but after it closed there has gradually been a lessening of the connection between the cities. Bason Botanic Reserve provided a perfect spot but the tea house became a relic.
After meeting with the District Council, I was looking at Nagaizumi’s homepage because I’m not from Nagaizumi, and only moved to Whanganui 3 years ago. I didn’t know anything about our sister city and I needed to learn about it. Then I found that the tea house was built by a Japanese carpenter in Japan, totally dismantled and sent to Whanganui with special carpenters because they wished that Whanganui people would know real Japanese culture and they wanted to deepen the bond with Whanganui. Nagaizumi was also doing New Zealand weeks, “Kia Ora Nagaizumi”, to learn about Whanganui / New Zealand. For example, cafés are selling “Flat White”, a restaurant is serving “fish and chips”, and displaying photographs of Whanganui scenery. I was so impressed and strongly felt they are trying to maintain the relationship.
Having a tea ceremony is not just about sharing Japanese culture, but also about reminding Whanganui people about their sister city in Japan. I had never learnt the tea ceremony before, but I thought I have to do something as a Japanese. Building a relationship has never happened with one side only. From April, another Japanese and myself have been doing a monthly Whanganui report to Nagaizumi people. They are not able to come to Whanganui / New Zealand, but they can feel and explore it remotely. One of the topics in April was the Bason Botanic Reserve. We were doing the tea ceremony outside at the Tea House. Sometimes it is a bit windy and it was hard to use paper cups and a portable gas cooker. Also at the second ceremony, it was drizzling.
A benefit is the location. Especially as the bamboo is growing so beautifully, and the lake perfectly matched the tea house. We did two sessions and each session had a maximum of 15 (because of COVID and the capacity of the space). The day before the ceremony, there was heavy rain and in the morning also. Some people cancelled because of the weather but fortunately, the rain had stopped and people could join the ceremony. I heard a very positive response from the District Council and also after the ceremony people were really appreciative. They were very surprised that Nagaizumi sent some equipment for the ceremony (special green tea, sweets for the tea ceremony etc). One older couple came to talk to me. The lady said this ceremony is Valentine’s present for her husband because he is interested in Japanese culture. Another one, a mother and son, told me that he is interested in Japanese culture so she brought him after school. There were people from different backgrounds, a range of ages, and for different reasons.