Tea ceremony and Vietnamese-Japanese culture through lectures by two representatives of Urasenke Japan

Students majoring in Japanese Studies received a Certificate of Completion of the Introductory Tea Ceremony course signed directly by Mr. Umeda Kunio - Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, advisor of the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Association.

The lecture on "Tea and Zen" by Mr. Yamakawa Kaoru talked about the origin and nature of the Tea Ceremony as a part of the unique culture, imbued in the hearts of the Japanese people. The Tea Ceremony is not simply a tea drinking etiquette, but also an effective means to purify the soul by harmonizing with nature, thereby cultivating the mind and character to attain enlightenment. The four basic principles of the Tea Ceremony include: Harmony - Respect - Purity - Tranquility, which are also the philosophies of life hidden in the Tea Ceremony.

Dr. Vo Minh Vu - Head of the Department of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies presented a letter of thanks from Principal Pham Quang Minh to Mr. Funayama Tetsu - Chairman of the Hanoi Urasenke Tea Ceremony Association, General Director of Mitsubishi Vietnam Company for his contributions to Japan-Vietnam cultural exchange and teaching Japanese culture at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Mr. Funayama Tetsu's lecture on "Strengthening Vietnam-Japan Relations" not only talked about the beauty of the spiritual world reflected through the Tea Ceremony but also shared a lot of information about the comparison of culture and economic growth between Vietnam and Japan in history. From there, the talk highlighted the similarities and closeness in the cultures of the two countries, the results of cooperation between the two countries in history, and suggestions to overcome limitations and promote more strongly the comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in the future.

Dr. Vo Minh Vu - Head of the Department of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies presented a letter of thanks from Principal Pham Quang Minh to Mr. Yamakawa Kaoru - Director of the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Association in Hanoi for his contributions to Japan-Vietnam cultural exchange and teaching Japanese culture at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

At the end of the 3-day course, 33 students majoring in Japanese Studies received a Certificate of Completion of the Introductory Tea Ceremony Course signed directly by Mr. Umeda Kunio - Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, advisor of the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Association.

Urasenke is the largest school of tea ceremony in Japan, with 111 establishments in 37 countries.