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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHello, and thank you for visiting. My name is Satomi, the manager here at Oh! Mama.
Let me share a little story about how I came to open this small cultural salon in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25a0 Learning to Appreciate My Own Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In high school, I attended an international program and had pen pals overseas. Through tea, I discovered the beauty of hospitality and simplicity. \u25a0 After Many Moves, I Found My Place<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After university, I worked in a city office, got married, and moved to an unfamiliar place for my husband\u2019s job. Years and a few moves later, I returned to Tokyo, raised a child, and worked part-time for a co-op and a university. Then came an incredible opportunity: a relative offered to me lend their traditional Japanese house in Tokyo. This is the place I\u2019ve been looking for!!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25a0 A Space to Experience the Heart of Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, I opened a small cultural salon, offering authentic Shodo <\/em>(calligraphy) and Sado<\/em> (tea ceremony<\/strong>) experiences. Since opening, I’ve had the joy of welcoming guests from 26 different countries across every inhabited continent. \u25a0 I\u2019m So Glad You\u2019re Here<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a lover of Japan, or someone who enjoys matcha and finds beauty in Japanese arts, then this is the place for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you’re unsure how to bow, or speak Japanese, that\u2019s perfectly okay. I hope this experience becomes one of the most meaningful memories of your journey in Japan. I look forward to meeting you.<\/p>\n\n\n
It was exciting, but I realized I didn\u2019t know how to explain my own culture. That realization led me to join the Sado<\/em> (tea ceremony) club. And that changed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My teacher was a gentle tea master, and even after I graduated, I continued learning from her. At the same time, I explored many things such as dance, language, international exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At one point, I worked for Toyota, where a senior colleague guided foreign visitors around the office and the factories. He looked so happy doing it. That inspired me to pursue and get the national license as a certified tour guide<\/strong> in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has a roof tile gate, tatami rooms, and even an irori<\/strong> hearth, which is rare in the central Tokyo now. That\u2019s when I realized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calligraphy is something almost everyone in Japan learns in school, while tea ceremony, even among Japanese, is often unfamiliar on a deeper level. I wanted to create a place where people would enjoy both in a peaceful and personal atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each encounter is supremely precious to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re already welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I hope you\u2019ll leave thinking,
\u201cI want to come back.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n