The path is also lined with tea shops, which appear to be the world's worst business proposition. At left is a typical example. The "restaurant" typically seats two people, who then engage in an elaborate ritual. The owner, decked out in kimono, begins the teamaking ritual, which takes about 30 minutes of whisking, turning, heating, bowing and I forget what else. You're then served the tea, and there's a ritual involved in drinking it as well. It involves spinning the cup around a lot and drinking from different sides of the cup. As a foreigner, you're not expected to know the routine, but you will obey it, as the owner will forcefully guide the cup and your hands into proper gestures. The whole thing takes about an hour but it's fun to do once, if you don't mind the bitter lukewarm green tea you've got to drink. All in I think the experience costs about $5, and since the owner can only handle two people at a time, something doesn't add up with the economics, but I guess on the Path of Philosophy, economics don't matter.