The Japanese tea ceremony is "a ritual as formal and exquisite as the classical ballet". Using a wooden dipper, the tea-master scoops hot water into a small bowl into which he has already spooned a special kind of green tea. He whips the mixture to a froth, and decorously passes it to the first guest, who bows to the others, takes exactly three sips, and passes the bowl to his neighbour after cleaning the rim with a silk cloth.
The ritual is intended, apparently, "to cleanse the senses, so that the mind itself is rid of all defilements."
It is the policy of Weather Eye to be as topical as meteorologically and astronomically possible. Japan being in the news, therefore, the wheels of Weather Eye research began to hum and whirl, but produced only an Edwardian travel book which informed of the above, and also had some useful tips on climate.
"Japan," it says, "is subject to greater extremes of heat and cold than England. While not unhealthy for Englishmen with sound constitutions who are temperate in food and drink and profit by the abundant facilities afforded them for outdoor exercise, it is trying to those of weak nerves and to the intemperate.
"Those who fall seriously ill for any cause seldom recover their full vigour without a change to Europe or America."
But the volume also has interesting revelations on Japanese chronology. Their traditional calendar, it seems, is similar to ours: the years, months and weeks are of the same length and begin on the same days as ours, the days of the week being Nichiybi (Sunday), Getsuybi (Moonday), Kaybi (Fire-day), Suiybi (Water-day), Mokuybi (Woodday), Kinybi (Metal-day) and Doybi (Earth-day).
The months are simply First Month, Second Month and so on, but the main difference lies in the numbering of the years.
The Japanese practice bears some resemblance to the old British system of the "regnal years", where events were referred to the beginning of the reign of the current monarch. The year 4 Hen. VIII, for example, lasted from April 22nd, 1512, to April 21st, 1513, Henry having succeeded to the English throne on April 22nd, 1509.
The Japanese use epochs based on the accession of an emperor. The three most recent, associated with the reigns of Emperors Yoshihito, Hirohito and the present Akihito, are Taish which began on August 1st, 1912, Shwa from December 26th, 1926, to January 7th, 1989, and Heisei, which began on January 8th, 1989.
The tragedy of Tokaimura, therefore, happened by my reckoning on Mokuybi, the 30th of the Ninth Month of Heisei 11.