There is a Japanese superstition that if you find a tea stalk floating upright (vertically, not horizontally) in your cup of tea, it is a sign that good luck is on its way. Apparently in that position the stalk resembles a pillar, which is generally a means of support. I have also read that the origin of this superstition was tea merchants who were keen to sell less favoured teas that contained more stems.

🎨'Portrait of Naniwaya Okita'- Kitagawa Utamaro.