I have long dreamed of having a cuppa in a traditional Japanese tea house. At the National Museum in Tokyo, I unexpectedly find a lovely tea house in a beautiful garden and immediately want to go in. Better still, there is no wait. Off come my shoes and I am inside.

The tatami mats are soft. Cushions are provided for kneeling or sitting at the low lacquered table. I am in heaven. So much so that I fail to notice that my husband is less than enthusiastic. My son sits and begins looking for the perfect tea. I have already made my choice and have moved on to food options.

My husband is still trying to sit. He sits, but can’t cross his legs. He lays down. He twists and fusses. “I don’t like tea and am not comfortable.” He mumbles and grumbles. My son laughs. I am not amused.

I really want to enjoy this moment. I really want to have lunch. I don’t want to watch my husband roll around and take out a waitress. She walks with a graceful half-step; a shuffle to our table. She kneels to take our order.

My husband says, “I don’t want anything.” My son orders tea. I am now having a dilemma. I really want this experience and yet, how will I enjoy it if I know the boys are hungry and yet watching me eat what is supposed to be a slow and enjoyable meal. The answer is, I can’t.

So, I take a breath and order a lovely pot of tea and a sakura tiramisu. I won’t have my lunch in a tea house, but I will have a proper tea. I am determined.

My husband finds a position on the mat he can live with that doesn’t block the servers and other customers. My son talks about checking in for his flight (he leaves us tomorrow). I try to take in the views of the Sakura blossoms that are visible between rice paper walls. I listen to the chimes that tinkle softly in the breeze.

Before long, the waitress slowly sways her way to our table with the tea pots and the most beautiful dessert. It is a tiramisu with strawberries and Sakura blossoms in cream. It tastes like heaven. I forget about everything except the tiramisu and the silky hot tea.

The moment is magical….well almost. I still have two hungry guys staring at me while I eat my lovely dessert. I try to not rush my tea service, but the experience is over too soon. At least for me. For my husband, not soon enough.

We exit into the park and make our way past ancient tea houses lining the pond. Willows and cherry blossoms are manicured along the water line. As the tea house recedes from view, we cross a stone bridge back to the main campus. Peaking through the cherry blossoms, the teahouse disappears in a final goodbye.