Let's get cultural - Japanese Style!

On Father's Day, June 17th, we celebrated with a day of Japanese culture with the Hippo Family Club of Tokyo.

Markus was being a great helper while I tried my hand at ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement.

Say "CHIZU!"

In short, the Hippo Family Club is a nonprofit organization at which both children and adults acquire several languages simultaneously by learning songs, listening to tapes, playing games and participating in home stay exchanges.

Noako Niimi-san, a Hippo Family Club director for the Itabashi area, approached me last February in our apartment lobby when she overheard me speaking English and realized that I was a gaikokujin (foreigner). After learning more about the Hippo Club, I agreed to participate as a volunteer in some activities. My first experience was a presentation about Canada to a group of pre-teen students at an elementary school in Shimo-Akatsuka. The students seemed eager to learn about western culture and also to hear the English. There was a line-up of other presenters speaking about countries of their origin. Prior to the presentation, I was able to speak to some students who wished to express some of their English speaking abilities. Markus accompanied me to the presentation dressed in Canada-themed clothing. Unfortunately my little mascot was getting over a cough, so he wasn't in the greatest of moods. At the least, he was able to sit through my 10 minute presentation. To the left is a visual made up of photos relevant to Canada, which I put together for my presentation.

Since then, I have attended several of their meetings assisting in English language acquisition. Recently two members of the Hippo Family Club went abroad for a month-long home stay in the USA. I acquainted the two teenage boys about American traditions and offered some English assistance. They were very eager and excited about their home stay. One boy went to Oregon, the other to Utah.

Here is my first attempt at Japanese calligraphy.

One of the volunteers derived my name using Kanji characters. I then tried my best at copying it onto fine stationary paper. The bristles of the ink brush are very soft. Each stroke of the brush requires control and fluidity. I look forward to taking further calligraphy lessons next month.

The finished product...not too bad for the first time.

Japanese tea ceremony, often referred to as Chanoyu

This ritural requires a set of disciplines, which may take years to master. At a formal tea ceremony, usually powdered green tea is prepared by a skilled practioner and is served to a small group of individuals who are expected to know proper gestures and phrases.

The Hippo Family Club event on Father's Day was well-received. Many of whom participated were foreigners on home stay programs in Tokyo, associated with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). We met folks from India, Pakistan and Portugal, and of course made new Japanese friends. This day was a great opportunity to actively join in the festivities of experiencing the Japanese culture. Activities included the art of ikebana (flower arranging), Japanese calligraphy, origami (paper folding), traditional Japanese tea ceremony and yukata (women's summer garment) dressing. It was interesting to hear from our fellow foreigners of their home stay experiences in Japan.

The yellow obi of my yukata was being adjusted and tied into a bow. This is the most difficult part of dressing into the costume.

Origami of a crane

In the photo to the right, the ladies are outfitting me in a silk uchikake (oo-chee-kah-ke). This is a traditional wedding kimono overcoat, originated in the Edo period.

During a wedding reception, the gorgeous silk brocade is worn over a shiro-maku - a white kimono worn during the wedding ceremony.
We had such a nice time at the event learning more about the Japanese culture. Niimi-san has been truly kind to involve our family in the events and get-togethers associated with her organization.