Bahraini Budoor Steele has received a prestigious award in Japan in recognition of her exceptional contributions to promoting Japanese cuisine, tea and cultural heritage internationally.
She was presented with the Minister’s Award from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries earlier this month, becoming the first Bahraini to earn the distinguished honour.
“It feels absolutely amazing to receive this award,” Ms Steele told the GDN from Hawaii where she is currently conducting workshops.
“Usually, Japanese nationals are honoured, so it is incredibly humbling to have been chosen.
“I want to thank Japanese Ambassador Okai Asako for her unwavering support and belief in this journey.”
Ms Steele’s love for Japanese culture began in 2008 during her first visit to a traditional tea room – a specially designed architectural space for the tea ceremony called Chado – in Japan. At the time, she was working as an English teacher there.
“One of my student’s mother invited me to a tea ceremony,” she recalled.
“Even though I did not fully understand it at the time, it was beautiful and calming.
“My student’s mother later offered to teach me, and I have been learning from her ever since. Sixteen years on, it is amazing how one experience changed everything.”
Ms Steele during a tea ceremony in Hawaii
The Japanese tea ceremony is a ritual of preparing, serving, and drinking tea. Each aspect of Chado is based on four principles; Wa, Kei, Sei and Jaku, which translate to harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity, respectively.
During the ceremony, guests enter calmly and take time to appreciate the surroundings while the host methodically cleans and prepares the tea utensils. They then make and serve the matcha with slow, intentional movements, and the guests receive it with respect and gratitude.
Ms Steele was so fascinated by the tradition that she pursued an International Masters in Japanese Humanities from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, where her research focused on the tea ceremony grandmaster system called ‘iemoto.’
During this time, she also became the first Bahraini woman to be professionally certified by the Urasenke School in kimono dressing and the Japanese tea ceremony called Chado.
The passion grew so deep that she later opened her own Japanese tea house – Chawan – in Gudaibiya.
“Not everyone gets to experience this ceremony unless they live in Japan, and I wanted to introduce Bahrain’s tea lovers to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony,” she explained.
The name of the store, Chawan, refers to a specific tea bowl in which matcha is served.
Ms Steele is now a certified Japanese Tea Ceremony Instructor, tea master and tea blending professional.
Ms Steele with her tea group in Japan
“I now travel worldwide performing tea ceremonies in countries including Saudi Arabia, France, Japan and the US, while spending half of the year in Bahrain and the other half in Japan,” she added.
She has also mastered Japanese and continues to expand her knowledge.
“I never stop learning,” she said. “I hope to continue spreading Japanese culture around the world for many years to come.”
She is also a certified kimono dressing professional from the Honda Kimono School and has been appointed as a Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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