Orbiting the earth in a cramped space station may leave astronauts little time for the finer things in life. 
But if a plan by Japan's space agency comes to fruition, they could spend their spare moments learning the elaborate rituals of the Japanese tea ceremony. 
The National Space Development Agency (NASDA) is one of the groups working on the $95 billion international space station, led by Russia and the United States. 
The agency is working with fine arts professors and students on a plan to use a space measuring four square meters (13 square ft) in its allocated area as a tea ceremony room. 
Usually performed by elegant, kimono-clad women, the Japanese tea ceremony is a highly formalized method of preparing green tea from powder that hardly seems to lend itself to a zero-gravity environment. 
But NASDA emphasizes the relaxing atmosphere of the tea ceremony room itself -- usually a small, simply decorated space with tatami rush mat flooring. 
"Space travel can be psychologically difficult, so the idea is to have a place to relax, a healing space," said NASDA spokesman Yoshihiro Nakamura. 
Copyright 2002 Reuters . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.