Chasen Kuyo 2009

You don't have to go to Kyoto for authentic Japanese Zen Tea Ceremony culture. Zenshuji Soto Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles, invites the Slow Food members and friends to attend its annual Chasen Kuyo celebration of the chasen, the bamboo tea whisk used to make a bowl of matcha (powdered green tea). The event attracts practitioners of all Japanese tea ceremony schools in the region in seasonal kimono.

Cost: $40 per person (includes admission, kaiseki lunch, two tea ceremonies and sweets).