Ep. 3 — Mitate: seeing one thing as another

It's All Japanese to Me · Oct 1, 2026 · 3m · transcript

Today’s word is “mitate,” seeing one thing as another. I talk about how the Omotesenke school of tea explains the word, two well-known stories about Sen no Rikyū, stone water basins in gardens made from stones that once had a different job, and how mitate happens at flea markets and antique markets.

Sources:

* Omotesenke Fushin’an, “Mitate” (Japanese)

* Omotesenke Fushin’an, glossary: “Nijiriguchi” (Japanese)

* JAANUS, “mitatemono chouzubachi”

* Kotobank, “Mitate” (Japanese)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes…