2025 New Year’s Poetry Gathering: Expressing Thoughts on “Dream” through the Lens of Tea Ceremony and Waka Poetry

With the arrival of the New Year, the season for the New Year’s Poetry Gathering has finally come. This year’s theme is “Dream.” A dream symbolizes the infinite possibilities that unfold within the heart. In the world of tea ceremony, there is also a world that resonates with this “dream.” The spirit of “ichigo ichie” in each bowl of tea, and the invisible heart of “wa, kei, sei, jaku” (harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility) are delicate and fleeting, like a dream, yet they surely resonate in people’s hearts.


There are various moments in the tea ceremony where one can feel “dream.” For example, in the winter tea gathering just after the hearth is opened, the sight of steam rising and the flickering light reflected in the tea bowl. These are like fragments of a dream, imbued with beauty. Moreover, the choice of hanging scrolls, flowers, and utensils reveals an aspect of the “dream” the host wishes to convey. The feeling of finding hope and tranquility in a humble landscape is a “dream” that can be tasted through the tea ceremony.


Personally, as I reflect on the theme, I reconsider the connection between dreams and the tea ceremony. One parallel is that, like dreams, the tea ceremony values “impermanence”—the idea that it only exists in that moment. The exchange of each bowl of tea in the tea room is a unique experience, never to be repeated. The beauty of this impermanence resonates with the world of dreams. Another parallel is the hope for the future that tea ceremony nurtures. For instance, seeing the younger generation of tea practitioners carry forward the spirit of tea and spread it in new forms feels like glimpsing the future within a dream.


What kind of “dream” will be expressed at this year’s New Year’s Poetry Gathering? Dreams take shape depending on each person’s experiences and thoughts, and in waka poetry, the beauty lies in condensing these feelings into a few words. The similarity between tea ceremony and waka is found here. Just as the world within a bowl of tea changes according to the heart of the person sharing it, waka also creates new stories in the hearts of those who compose and read them.


The New Year’s Poetry Gathering is a precious opportunity to touch the depths of Japanese culture while confronting our inner selves. This year, through the theme of “dream,” why not intersect the worlds of tea ceremony and waka poetry, gaining new inspiration? The time spent in the silence woven by a bowl of tea, listening to your own dreams and hopes, will surely bring richness to your heart.


As the New Year arrives, take time to enjoy the quiet moments in the tea room and shape your own “dream.” May this year be filled with hope, alongside the spirit of tea.