Uji Tea Ceremony

“It’s a great moment to emphasize the Franco-Japanese relationship,” said Gérard Araud, The Ambassador of France. “We have enjoyed diplomatic relations for one hundred and sixty years and actually, we have celebrated this anniversary. It’s always good to celebrate friendship and it’s always good to do it with good food and also good dreams.”

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Ambassador Kazutoshi Aikawa, Deputy Chief of Mission of Japan, co-hosted a reception pairing French Gastronome & Japanese products with a traditional “Uji” Tea Ceremony presented by Sobin Koizumi Sensei from Kyoto. While a tea ceremony at the French Embassy may seem incongruous to the French way of life where Champagne flows from dawn to dusk, on this night it was where the two cultures formed a strong duo pairing French chefs that cook dishes which use tea.

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“It all started with a type of tea – Uji Matcha Tea – and now The French and Japanese are starting to host these events around the world,” added Amb. Araud. “We have things in common because the intrinsic qualities of the Matcha Teas are derived from the particular region where it is produced which sounds like what we call in French a geographical [education]. And to be honest, since French production of tea was probably zero, there is no question of competition between France and Japan; it’s only a question of cooperation. On our side, we are always excited by the idea that the qualities of the French gastronomy is recognized.”