On February 14, 2024, Dr. Sen returned to Honolulu to give his lecture, The Spirit of Tea and Peacefulness, to a crowd of 200+ guests at the UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom. When Dr. Sen studied at UH Mānoa in the early 1950s, he began teaching a “Way of Tea” culture class, which grew in popularity and enrollment in the years after its inception. Dr. Sen, moved by the positive reception, continued to keep a close relationship with the University, and would later help fund and build the Jaku’an Tea House near the East-West Center. Appointed as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2012, Dr. Sen hopes that through “sharing a bowl of tea”, we all can share and convey the principles of Wa, Kei, Sei, and Jaku (Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility).

The week of Valentine’s Day brought with it an amazing two days with Urasenke Chadō Tradition 15th-Generation Grand Master, Dr. Genshitsu Sen.

The UHM Center for Japanese Studies was honored to welcome State Representative Andrew Takuya Garrett as a guest for the Hatsudate Shiki (first of the year tea ceremony) at the Jaku’an Tea House on the UH Mānoa campus on Sunday, January 28, 2024.