Tsukimi (月見) literally means 'moon viewing' and refers to the autumn tradition of gathering to admire the full moon. Unlike Western astronomy, which studies the moon scientifically, tsukimi treats the moon as an aesthetic and spiritual experience. You sit outside. You drink tea. You eat tsukimi dango (rice dumplings). You look at the moon. That is the entire practice. The moon does not need to teach you anything. It needs only to be seen — and seeing it, fully and without agenda, is the practice.

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