This paper examines the learning and teaching experiences of the Japanese tea ceremony in New York through the lens of Communities of Practice. It explores multiple dynamics that emerge in overseas contexts, including intercultural learning and pedagogical authority.

The study is ethnographic research grounded in the author’s eight years of tea ceremony teaching, with sustained participant observation of everyday interactions. The research involves a cumulative total of 28 participants, including eight non-Japanese learners from American, Chinese, and Korean backgrounds. Additionally, the author facilitated public workshops and cultural events, engaging a cumulative total of approximately 200 participants, many of whom were non-Japanese. Data consist of fieldnotes, reflective teaching records, and formal and informal interviews with learners, as well as interviews with other Japanese tea ceremony teachers working overseas.

Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity informs the analysis of how participants perceive cultural difference and how that awareness reshapes their engagement. The findings show that Japanese participants often reconnected with their cultural identity, while non-Japanese learners sometimes demonstrated an intensity of commitment that appeared “more Japanese than Japanese.” Cultural gaps were not always fully accepted, yet their presence made participants more consciously aware of what they were learning and motivated continued engagement.

The study further shows that authority, vulnerability, and legitimacy are continuously negotiated within the community of practice, shaped by the author’s positionality as a Japanese cultural insider and a foreigner. This ethnographic account thus contributes to discussions on intercultural pedagogy and the overseas transmission of intangible cultural heritage.

Authors:
Izumi Funayama, Sarah Lawrence College, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Izumi Funayama, Ph.D. is a guest faculty at Sarah Lawrence College, NY, USA. Dr. Funayama is an expert in intercultural communication and qualitative methods. Her most recent interest is cultural globalization of Japanese traditional culture.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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