Taiwan Meimen
TAIWAN
Architect and passionate tea lover James Ho has opened a unique teahouse in the Rokujyodori area of Taipei city.
“Rokujyodori was a street planned and developed during the Japanese Occupation, circa 1910, and where there were residences of high government officials, full of traditional Japanese houses,” explains Ho.
The Japanese Tea and Incense Ceremony were inspired and introduced through Chinese monks during the Tang (618-907) and Sung (960-1279) dynasties, and so Ho has created a modern design, with modern architectural style and modern materials to suit modern life but inspired by the spirit of Taipei’s history and Sung Dynasty tea rituals. Since ancient temples were located mostly in the mountains, the tearoom has three ‘Mountain Gates’ as part of the exterior façade and representing confidence, wisdom, and compassion; the front door is a ‘Moon Gate’; a wash basin allows the purification of hands and soul; wood lattice ceilings and a ridged suspended ceiling symbolize the curved roof of a Sung temple or imperial palace.
The enjoyment of tea here engages all the senses – sight (the beautiful design elements); hearing (the sound of the waterfall in the backyard, and the carefully selected music); smell (the scents from the Taiwan cypress wood teahouse frame, the fragrance of flowers, the aroma of the tea varieties, the smell of the ingredients of food from the vegetarian cuisines downstairs); taste (varieties of different aged vintage teas such as the 1970s rock teas from the Wuyi Mountain, 1970s Taiwan oolong teas from Dongding Mountain, aged Puer teas from 1910-1980s, and Sung Dynasty vegetarian recipes); touch (the smoothness of the Taiwan Cypress, the patina of the Bellini leather chairs, the roughness of the concrete counter, the shine of the titanium moon gate doors and lattice screens); heart (calm and peace through the atmosphere of space and from drinking tea).
Meimen Six Senses is a tea and incense private lounge dedicated to serving its elite members by reservations only.