Kimono + Ikebana #3

URASENKE

Well, the year is slowly coming to an end. Last week, I had my last tea ceremony lesson of the year. In Urasenke tea ceremony, there are slight variances among the utensils, decorations, and methods used during each of the four seasons. Because Kumano had its first snow fall of the year (hatsui yuki) the day before my last class, I learned to preform the ceremony as one would during winter. To be honest it is probably the most difficult, but I still had a lot of fun during the lesson.

After attempting to perform the ceremony twice under my sensei's instruction, she my dressed me up in her friend's Kimono. And what a pleasant surprise that was! Regardless of my curiosity and intrigue of Japanese culture, I can't say I've ever thought I'd ever find myself dressed in a Kimono. A very enjoyable experience indeed.


After I took off the Kimono my sensei gave me a crash course on how to make dashi from scratch. In case you're wondering, dashi is a commonly used soup base made from Kombu (a kind of seaweed) and bonito (fish flakes). We enjoyed some delicious fried shrimp udon together. It was certainly a lovely way to end my last lesson of the year. I'm already looking foward to returning in January, and a little sad that I won't be practicing for a few weeks.


IKEBANA

 This morning I did two oshogatsu flower arrangements in honor of the coming new year - in Japan, the year of the Snake! I loved working with the traditional colours and materials for the new year, since my taste in plans and flowers tends to gravitate towards those that have a winter-like or Christmas feel. The most enjoyable aspect of creating a New Year's arrangement is that its acceptable to free style, so today I didn't have to follow any rules!

First arrangement: 
Free Style Oshogatsu arrangement

Materials Used:

Pine
Ornamental Cabbage
Willow - (dyed gold)
Senryo














Second Arrangement:
Free Style Oshogatsu arrangement (I think it looks like a form of Heika adaptation)

Matierals Used:

Pine
Willow
Ornamental Cabbage
Senryo  (looks like holly desu ne?)

Kumano Cultural Exhibition

Practice run

Last week I spent a few hours practicing my Ikebana arrangemet for the Kumano Cultural Exhibition. I am working on a Shogonka Adaptation Arrangement: Kusonohana using monkey ceadar, cypress, marigold, and what I belive is a species of or related to statice.

Shogonka is traditionally meant as an offering to non-living beings such as Buddah, our ancestors, or deceased relatives, and was arranged and displayed on an alter. Today it is beginning to be used in other situations; In my case for display at the cultural exhibition. I spent a few hours last weekend trying out different materials as my sensei gave me some pointers and advice about how my piece should be arranged. Although simple in design, this kusonobana arrangement looks much more dynamic and interesting than the arrangements I've done previously.

Me with Yamamoto-sensei and my kusonohana arrangement

Yesterday the exhibition was held. I went to the cultural centre on Friday to help set up and prepare my arrangement.  I used the same monkey cedar and cypress as I did for my practice arrangement last weekend, but instead of marigolds and statice, I used carnations and aster for their long lasting qualities.

There were tons of beautiful arrangements which have helped inspire me and also gave me some direction and influence as to how to go about future arrangements. It was also great to chat and meet some of the other students.

The Kumano Cultural Exhibition was really quite impressive and enjoyable.  Many locals displayed their work which ranged from Japanese and Western style ikebana, painting, calligraphy, stained glass, photography, doll-making, sculpture, fabric, origami, and jewelery. While at times a bit reminiscent of the large scale Christmas showsI'm always so excited to attend back home, the Cultural Exhibition was not about selling the goods on display. It was simply for looking, a way for people to share their creativity with the community.

alone.in.kyoto

Instead of the usual ramblings, this post, I leave you with images :)

Kinkakuji

Kinkakuji garden

Kinkakuji

Tea and yokan at Ryokan Uemura

My room at Ryokan Umeda

Ishibei-koji

Night-time kouyou at Kiomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera

Ginkakuji

Tetsugaku no michi

Tetsugaku no michi

philosopher cats at Tetsugaku no mich

cat contraption "Japan is taking a rest." - Tetsugaku no michi

Kouyou at Honenin Temple

Heian Shrine

Garden at Heian Shrine

Living my obsession - reenacting my favourite scene from my most beloved film of all time :) (There was a traditional wedding taking place AND It was chilly and overcast to boot ~ The setting could not have been more perfect! )

Garden at Heian Shrine

Garden at Heian Shrine

Wildlife at Heian Shrine

Streets of Gion

食べ物

Well, I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd take the time to add another post about food and beverage. I've been trying a lot of new things. Most of which I love. Drink-wise, shochu, matcha, matcha latte, and ice coffee (milky, sweet coffee that comes in a carton) are among some of my new discoveries. I like to drink shochu with tea - so delicious.

Origami coffee maker

Although I'm not much of a coffee drinker, I do appreciate the occasional cup of joe when my nerves can handle it. I found the most adorable single-cup coffee making contraption - if you will - at the local supermarket. Its an origami coffee filter/holder complete with the perfect amount of coffee pre-packed inside the filter. You simply unfold the origami holder, place it on your cup, and poor some boiling water. Genius! I think I will take a few of these along with me during my Christmas/New Year excursion.

A couple weeks ago I mentioned the delicious wagashi I've been eating since I've begun studying tea ceremony. Here are a few from this week's Sado lesson. From left to right there are dorayaki, a sweet breakfast food made of what seems much like a sandwich made from small pancakes and an (red bean paste); maple yokan, a think sweet jelly often made from either red or white kidney beans; and higashi, dried sweets. I absolutely love everything matcha and red bean related really. Manju is thus far my favourite, although we didn't have any this week.  Today my sensei made zenzai, (善哉) which is a delicious combination of fresh mochi served in a bowl with sweet red beans - kind of like a sweet soup. It is usually served during holidays and special events. Delicious.

Zenzai

Today's wagashi

Manju

Since I left Canada, my diet has changed a bit, but nothing drastic. I already ate lots of fish rice and tofu back home so this has remained a major part of my regular diet. I have, however been cooking a wider variety of meals and have been doing some Japanese-style cooking since local ingredients are much cheaper than imported goods common back home. A few additions that have become the norm for me during my stay thus far include soba and udon noodles to which I usually add veggies and tofu. Fried tofu is especially delicious with any kind of noodle soup. I've also been simmering a lot of kabocha and eggplant since they're currently in season.

I've also recently discovered a delicious local bakery with locations in both Shingu and Kumano that makes delicious Karipan (curry buns). They're just as the name describes. Straight-up mild indian style curried vegetable filling packed inside a deep fried crispy bun. Absolutely delicious. I will have to strictly monitor my intake of these precious delights.

Something I noticed recently is that in-season produce seems to effect my buying habbits alot more here than it did in Canada. It seems back home we usually had everything for the most part available all year round (which now makes me somewhat suspicious). Whereas here the selection is more limited and subject to whichever types of produce are being harvested at the moment. Perhaps its a shipping issue, or perhaps its simply because I'm in the country side. We will see about this when I head to Tokyo in March.

Seseame tofu from Koyasan

I was super excited the other day when my friend/coworker pointed out seseame flavoured tofu from Koyasan at the supermarket in Shingu. My with my love for tofu - I had to try some. It was an aquired taste... I'm sure after a few more tries I will probably start to crave it. I was expecting it to be a bit sweet but I think its actually leans much further toward the extreamly healthy side. It was literally tofu with seseame. Pretty sure it contained no sugar or other like additives. You might be wondering how to go about eating something like this. I was told to just spoon it out of the package, much like pudding, so that's what I did. I think it would definitely make a good breakfast counterpart. Perhaps a yogurt alternative. I wouldn't recommend it for those who are not regular tofu eaters :)

But wait there's more. There's one last delicious snack I need to mention here. Onigiri Senbei! The have become my all-time favourite junk-food/snack. What they are - rise crackers seasoned with shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) and sugar! They are delightfully tastey!

Taiji Whale Festival

Today was Taiji's Whale festival. Taiji is a small fishing village in southern Honshu where whale has been traditionally been and continues to be hunted and eaten. I went with my coworkers and a few ALTs from Mie. It was an interesting day to say the least. As a large posse of gaijin, we were nearly mistaken for Sea Shepherds as we approached the festival. In fact, it almost seemed as though we would be asked to leave the festival before we even got there, had it not been for a local friend of ours who kindly explained that we were indeed local English teachers coming to enjoy and experience the festival, rather then disrupt and cause trouble. After being ID'ed (there were 15 of us so this took some time), we were permitted to enter the festival. Once they realized we weren't Sea Shepherds, the police where actually quite kind about the whole situation and invited us to proceed. I can understand we looked suspicious as a large group of white folk in a small fishing village that has been the common subject of harsh cultural criticism and protest for years. (In fact, there were Sea Shepherds up on a mountain creeping down on those enjoying the festival - very Big Brother-like. I wonder if we will be making an appearance in The Cove 2...).

Free bowls of whale ramen were served and being the ramen lover that I am, I of course had to try some, despite my lack of taste for red meat. While the broth and noodles where quite delicious, the meat itself was nothing special. It tasted quite similar to beef only a wee bit more tough with a touch of sea-like flavour.  All in all, not something I would go out of my way to have again.


After the festival the lot of us checked out the local whale museum where I fell in love with a whale puppet I now wish I would have brought home with me... (sigh). The museum was well worth while and covered subjects on the evolution and biology of whales as well as the history of whaling practices around the world (weapons and boats included - very fascinating). Although I couldn't understand much of the written information about the history and practices of whales and whaling, I was able to grasp quite a bit of insight through imagery as the museum was full of specimens, paintings, photos, antiques, and replicas. In all honesty after eating whale, then watching their friends do a show at the museum, followed by a gander at whale hunting gear and romanticized paintings of whale hunting, the whole process does seem quite violent and I personally have some mixed feelings on the matter. To each their own I suppose...

Untitled

Last Sunday was the KICC Halloween party, so today us teachers have an extra day off this week. The party had a great turnout and I was happy to see many of my students in their adorable costumes. It was also a great way to meet some new people!

I thought I'd take advantage of the time off to relax and enjoy the day. This morning I woke up fairly early for my Sado class at 10am. Today I learned practiced various methods of folding, and how to purify the utensils before and after serving. My sensei has lent me some of her things to practice with. My aim is to practice everynight before bed! We'll see if I can stay true to my word.

I picked up some adorable white flowers at the local supermarket this morning. The marigolds I had used form my ikbana arrangements on Saturdy have arlready died but my branche are still staying lovely so I had to find a replacement for the flowers ASAP. Perhaps the theme is a little bit too winter-like for this time of year (especially in southern Japan). But, being a winter lover myself, I think it suits me just fine. There was no name on the flower packaging but I later realized that I had bought snow ball chrysanthemums. Turns out they are commonly used at funerals and are recognized as a symbol of grief...  oooops.
 

Ikebana 2

During my second Ikebana class, I practiced Shaseitai Aidome and Useitai arrangements learned during my previous lesson, only with different matierials. I'm slowly gaining a better grasp of the concept of less is often more in Japanese flower arrangement ( at least this seems to be the case for the styles I've thus far learned).

Today my sensei, fellow classmate and I also looked at some photos from last year's cultural festival to get ideas for the types of arrangements we'll be displaying in December. It sounds like I'll be arranging a Heika arrangement using plum blossoms and camellia (or something similar). I'm so looking forward to being able to participate in this local event and part of me already can't wait until December!   


Heika:
Shaseitai Aidome

Materials used:

Marigold
Monkey Cedar

This arrangement is similar to the one I did last month with the pink lilies. Its supposed to be one of the easiest to arrange, yet it still seems like the one I have the most trouble with   (>.<) I almost didn't want to post this picture!













Moribana:
Useitai  

 Materials Used:

Yukiri
Gentian
Chrysnthemum
Eucalyptus

Again, the same style as the moribana arrangement I did last month. There were a few key aspects I needed to review. I think I have it down now. As much as I love the smell of large Chrysanthemums, I find this month's colours and materials much more appealing. This style of moribana is also quite basic but its a lot of fun to arrange.






Heika:
Oseitai Yokodome

Materials used:

Japanese Hemlock
Marigold

This style is simple but interesting. The use of vertical line makes for an eye catching arrangement. I love the way the vivid colours of the marigolds contrast with the dark branches of the hemlock. I especially love the added cuteness of the little pine cones! This is my favourite arrangement so far :)

Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility

My Sado supplies

Harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. According to Sen Rikyu, this is the spiritual code of the way of tea. Recently, one of my students kindly introduced me to his mother's former tea ceremony student, who is now a tea ceremony teacher herself. After having an extremely positive first meeting and sample lesson I've decided to continue to meet with her on Tuesday mornings. Having zero background knowledge of tea ceremony (aka Sado, Chado, or Chanoyu) and what it involves, I had little idea what to expect when I headed out for my first lesson. It turns out I was quite taken by my first experience.

Sado is much more than the act of drinking and enjoying tea. It incorporates many aspects of Japanese traditions and culture, and places emphasis on the appreciation of natural beauty in the surrounding environment, be it the tearoom or an outdoor setting. Tea ceremony encompasses an appreciation for the whole process of preparing, serving, and enjoying tea and okashi (accompanying sweets - more on this later). This includes taking the time to appreciate the the surrounding environment of the tea room, the decorations chosen by the host to reflect both the season and their consideration for their guest's tastes, and the utensils used to prepare, serve, and enjoy tea. In fact, from what I've thus far absorbed, the act of drinking the tea is but a small aspect of the tea ceremony experience.

In order to supplement some of the finer details that I'm sometimes unable fully grasp during my lessons (my sensei only speaks to me in Japanese), I've been reading some texts my Sensei lent me. They cover both the required steps and procedures, as well as the history of Sado. While I'd been under the initial assumption that tea ceremony was traditionally a woman's calling, I've learned that it had been predominantly practiced by men for hundreds of years, and it wasn't until after the war that tea ceremony became more comonly practiced by women ( I read a statistic that claimed about 80% female to male practitioners world-wide). Initiated by Zen monks, Sado was later picked up by the upper class in later years, followed by wealthy merchants and nobility further on, and finally spread to common people in more recent times.

Shuko (also pronounced Juko) Murata, a widely influential figure in the history of Japanese tea ceremony who has been regarded as a major contributor to way in which tea ceremony is preformed today, claimed "once one enters the tearoom, any discrimination between oneself and others vanishes, the virtue of gentleness prevails, and a new mutual enjoyment can be found." I think this quote, although perhaps a bit lost in translation, has helped me to realize what the spiritual experience that is meant to accompany the tea ceremony is really all about. Unfortunately, right now I feel as though I'm too caught up in performing the necessary steps and procedures properly, which leaves me with little room to fully enjoy and experience the moment for what it is. I hope this is something that will come to me over time as I become more familiar with the practice and things start to feel more natural.

I just finished watching a really interesting episode of Mark of Beauty on NHK World that focused on Nodate - outdoor tea ceremony. It explained the importance of the thoughtfulness behind the choice of utensils and decorations used in tea ceremony and how these are to be chosen to reflect both the current season and the tastes of the guests. It also discussed how to incorporate integral pieces of the tea room to an out door setting. Nodate would be a great way to practice tea ceremony back home where it would be much more difficult to create a space that reflects the tea room atmosphere in my home.

Pictures to come!

花の窟 錦の御幡献上行列

I was finally fortunate enough to take in a local Shinto festival this afternoon, right here in lovely little Arimacho. The festival began with a long parade which passed right by my place, toward Shichiri Mihama beach, just beyond Hana no Iwaya. The parade consisted of talented local performers wearing beautiful clothing from the Heian period who later performed Shinto songs, music, and dance at a small stage on Shichiri Mihama beach.

Although the festival only lasted a short time, it drew quite a crowd as this was the first time it had ever been held. I myself drew quite a bit of attention being the only white person to be found.  I was able to meet a few locals - a Kumano Kodo tour guide who turned out to be a former student from my school many years ago, and a Mie bus driver who was kind enough to help me search for some mochi (although advertised in the festival brochure, I was unable to find any ><) and brief me on meaning of some of the rocks and worshiped areas at the Hana no Iwaya Shrine. I also ran into one of my adorable kindergarten students who, being the wonderful student she is, pointed out to me that I was wearing black shoes in English. I was even interviewed by a reporter from NHK!! So who knows, maybe I'll be on tonight's six o'clock news...


After returning home, still disheartened at the lack of mochi and having at this point built up a massive craving, I broke down and made for the local Circle K for some mochi and green tea ice cream which I enjoyed on the beach once the crowds cleared. OK, so it wasn't lovingly prepared by hand in some elderly women's kitchen (the best kind of baking out there) but it still hit the spot :)

Quick trip to Osaka

This past weekend I took my first ever trip solo. It was a long weekend here in Japan because of 体育の日 Taiiku no Hi (Health and Sports Day) so I decided it was about time I take a trip to a bigger city. In short, Osaka was not what I expected... in a good way. The streets were clean, and it didn't have that smelly garbage smell that most North American, European, and Chinese cities I've visited have. All I could smell was karage this, or sweet baked  that. Despite the large crowds of people around Namba where I stayed, the people in Osaka didn't have that rushed, aggressive, get-the-fuck-out-of my-way attitude they seem to have back home. 

The Highlights


Highlight number one

The highlight of my trip, although it may sound rather drab to some, was actually the time I spent at the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living. Lets face it, as I get older I'm developing a true love and interest in interiors and living spaces. You can bet I'll be the first creeper to peek inside your window when you leave the curtains open with the lights on at night...but I digress. The museum basically consists of a life size replica of Osaka's merchant and residential quarters during the Edo period. The best part was that this was an interactive museum where visitors can actually walk around and inside the houses and shops and handle most of what can be found inside. What's more is the available option to rent wear traditional yukata while exploring old Osaka (something I will 100% be doing when I return in the spring with my Mom and Grandfather... whether they like it or not heheh). I loved every last bit of this place, from the beautiful materials used to build the homes, to the genius idea of having the lighting change based on weather and time of day... once again I bring you back to the RPG reference I made a few posts ago.

Highlight number two

The shopping. While I love the act of finding a treasure I truly love, I actually hate the process of shopping itself. That is until I hit up a few Osaka malls and department stores and found treasures and goodies at every turn. Why can't shopping in Canada be this wonderful? Perhaps its for the best...

Among the many places I was able to window browse, and of course make a few purchases, Doguyasuji (full of kitchenware), and a small little stationary shop just across the street from my hotel called U Arts that sold a tone of cat-related stationary and paraphernalia were my favorite finds.

The Downside

Downside number one

I made it to the Floating Garden Observatory at Umede Sky Building to catch a night-time view of the city from above. This in itself was not a bad thing. The view itself was absolutely stunning. What I didn't realize is that this was clearly a place for couples, and in fact Osaka has a reputation of being Japan's city of romance. I was the only solo wanderer in sight. Everywhere I turned there were happy couples, laughing, smiling, embracing, etc. And while this kind of activity would normally make me spew my lunch all over the carpet. This particular scenario in relation to my situation, hit a soft spot and made me feel like a lonely weirdo. That said, I didn't enjoy a lovely desert in the cafe as planned and booked it for a disappointingly not-so-good "banana fantasy" street crepe that I somewhat-enjoyed alone in the comfort of my hotel room. 

Downside number two

I tried to return to that cute little stationary shop I mentioned earlier to make a few purchases, but didn't make it back before closing (it was a Sunday after all). I will definitely be making a return trip.



As I was leaving Osaka I was overwhelmed by an intense sense of love for the city. I didn't want to leave, and for the first time I missed Toronto. That said, when I got back to Kumano and took a nice long walk along the Shichiri Mihama Beach, this feeling vanished just as quickly as it sprung upon me. I'm beginning to think there's nothing a little ocean-side stroll can't fix.

I heart Ikebana!

Finally, my first ikebana class! I'd been anticipating my first lesson for nearly a month, and I wasn't the least bit disappointed. I am learning the Saga Goryu Ikebana style which originated at the Daikaku-ji temple in Kyoto. After about three hours of lessons, my teacher was kind enough to lend me some of her materials so that I could practice at home, so I spent the rest of my night practicing the various styles I learned in my room. While ikebana requires strong concentration, I find it to be quite relaxing and rewarding.
 .

Here's what I've done so far:

First arrangement:
Heika: Shaseitai Aidome

Matierals:
Camellia
Lillies
Statice

This is a standard arrangement. Regardless, I spent a lot of time working on and still feel like I'm missing something. I will be attempting this one again tomorrow >.<   Although few materials were used for this one, I think its simplicity It what makes it beautiful. Less is more!








Second arrangement:
Moribana: Useitai

Materials:
Camellia
Chrysanthemum 

Although a little more complicated, this arrangement was probably the most fun to arrange. Moribana is meant to depict natural scenery, so both the water used and the flower stands themselves become an important part of the arrangement since they depict the shoreline. The longer I have this arrangement display, the more peaceful it makes my room feel. Something about the still water...









Third arrangement:
Heika: Kenseitai Adaptation Arrangement

Matierals
Roses
Wisteria Branch
Cysus Palm

This one was fun because I had the chance to experiment with leftover materials. The aim of this arrangement was to incorporate the use of line (kiwifruit vines), surface (leaf) and mass (roses). I actually liked this arrangement better with the leaf removed but decided to keep it for the purpose of fulfilling the aim of unifying all three elements. Another case of less is more I suppose. 

A few interesting tips I learned today:

• Flower stems are to be cut in the water to avoid contact between the air and the flower stem (we call this mizukiri). This helps the flowers last longer.
•  It is better to break Chrysanthemum stems by hand than to cut them with shears because this allows them to absorb more water (Chrysanthemums only!)
• Even numbers are to be avoided for the most part, odd numbers are celebrated in Japanese culture. 
• It is very important to pay attention to the relationship between the role, placement, and direction of the materials in a given arrangement.
• In the standard arrangements shown above, the longest branch (tai) should be one and a half times the length (tall vase) or diameter (tray) of the container used

I'm super lucky to have found such an passionate ikebana teacher who is just as enthusiastic about teaching me as I am about learning, and I already can't wait until my next lesson at the end of October! Hopefully with some more practice, I'll feel confident about displaying my work at the local cultural festival at the beginning of December v(^o^)/