2023 Hatsugama (New Year’s Tea Gathering)

On January 8th, 2023, we held Hatsugama at the Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance.

Record-breaking rain has been falling since the New Year, but it stopped on the day of the event, and we were delighted to see so many people attending the event.

At the venue decorated with New Year’s Kadomatsu (traditional Japanese decorations made for the New Year’s), Poncher shashu hosted the Honseki (Koicha-seki), Inose shachu and Yoshiyama shachu hosted the Fukuseki (Usucha-seki), and Ise-Shima restaurant in the hotel served Tenshin style lunch.

This was the first Hatsugama gathering in three years since the pandemic, and it seemed that all participants were enjoying seeing each other and cherishing the moment of ichi-go ichi-e (unrepeatable nature of a moment).

Guests included Mr. Naoshige AOSHIMA, the Deputy Consul at the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California, President of the Japanese Women’s Society of Southern California, members of Orange County Japanese American Association, Urasenke Tankokai, Edosenke, and Ogasawara-ryu Sencha, President of the Torrance Sister City Association, and advisors of Omotesenke Domonkai Southern California Region.

Joined by the members of Omotesenke Domonkai Southern California, we all enjoyed a bowl of tea and celebrated the New Year.