HSI Report: Expressing sciencethrough tea ceremony
University News | August 10, 2018

Associate Professor Motoko Okumoto (left) chats with students about their researchpresentations inside of a specially built teahouse as part of the HSI “Sa-no-yu” course.

A group of international students participated in the “Sa-no-yu” Tea
Ceremony for Science Communication course, a week-long program
offered by the Hokkaido Summer Institute in collaboration
with CoSTEP, a Hokkaido University educational organization for
science and technology communication. Coming to Hokkaido
University from China, Taiwan, Italy, and the Philippines, the students
were able to give presentations about their research to guests in a
specially built tea house located in a courtyard in Hokkaido
University’s Higher Education Building.

Tea house constructed in collaboration with artist Nyubo Abe in a courtyard of theInstitute for the Advancement of Higher Education.

“We created a tea room with an artist (Nyubo Abe), and I observe andresearch how people change their communication style inside,” said
Associate Professor Motoko Okumoto, head teacher of the course anddesigner of the “Sa-no-yu” project. Started in Fukushima Prefecture
after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastatednorthern Japan, the project aimed to connect scientists and local
residents to discuss plans for rebuilding and revitalizing the region.
Okumoto explains that a tea room creates an intimate and familiar
space, which allows for conversations to flow more freely than in a
lecture or classroom situation. “Inside a tearoom, strangers can delve
into familiar conversation immediately. It’s a comfortable space, butalso an irregular one; it is a place where people can talk about concepts
or ideas, rather than the ordinary.”

Okumoto (front left) guides students on which tea cups to select for their presentation.

With this notion in mind, students in the course designed their own tea
ceremony presentations from zero, starting by mapping out astoryboard to plan the flow of their presentations. They also selectedwhich tea cups would be used, how the tea room centerpiece would bedecorated, and what Japanese sweets would pair well not only with thetea, but also with the ideas they were trying to convey. Hyunjung Park,an assistant professor of art in the CoSTEP program, introduced
students to the ways that Japanese food could be symbolic, and advised
students on how to select snacks that would be both culturally andthematically appropriate for the tea ceremony. “As an art project, they
can focus on the concepts behind their research, rather than reality,”
Park said. “Science is always trying to explain, but art allows people toconnect scientific issues to their feelings and daily lives.”

Students created their own centerpiece for the teahouse featuring aspects of theirresearch (left) and selected sweets to match their research themes (right). Research
themes in these lectures included 3D printing and ocean conservation, respectively.

On August 1st, students were finally able to conduct their tea ceremony
and presentations in front of guests, who listened to and engaged withthe students during their hour-long sessions. The inside of the tea
house became quite warm throughout the afternoon, so cool tea wasserved. An open window in the room allowed for air to circulate, andalso provided a picturesque backdrop to the student-preparedcenterpiece.

Students presenting their research in the teahouse.

Ming-Yen Hsiao, an engineering student from Taiwan, mentioned that
he was excited to participate in the tea ceremony, noting “It’s different
compared to other courses I took before, because students are able towork in small groups and combine their ideas with traditional
Japanese culture. Italian chemistry student Lorenzo Marotti agreed,saying “This course combines communication skills and cultural
insights into Japan, and as a scientist it’s very important for me to beable to deliver a message.” Pamela Renee Reyes, an undergraduate

communications student from the Philippines, found the course
interesting and said she would recommend it to Japanese
undergraduate students who major in science. “It’s a platform for themto learn how to communicate their projects in English in a way that
doesn’t come from the sciences,” she said.
The “Sa-no-yu” project has been running since 2013. The 2018 project
ran from July 3rd to August 4th.

Written by Tyler Tannert