2015-10-04, Flowers, Calligraphy and Food

I had noticed a sign listing fall events in my Japanese classroom last week so this week I asked someone to read it for me.  As it turned out there was an ikebana exhibition that day at the Culture Plaza so after class I rode over there.  The arrangers used a style that I hadn't seen before, and there was also a very nice free style section.  But before I wandered around I was served a Japanese sweet and tea ceremony tea.  How nice and unexpected!

This 'simple' or 'stark' arrangement style is meant to go in a tokonomo - the special alcove in a home in which a scroll and or flower arrangement is placed.  Guests usually sit in front of it.

 On examining some of the 'simple' arrangements I noticed that many of the branches were curved like the one above.  I asked about it and it turns out that people grow certain trees to use in these arrangements and they wire or tie branches a certain way so they will grow like that.  But in any given year a branch may grow more or less or not in the right way, etc. and can't be used.  She said that people usually have a number of trees and branches being trained at the same time for such situations.

This is a portable tokonomo

Here are some of the free style arrangements.

This one was done by a man.

I stopped at the nearby market and ended up coming home with a small crab that I put into a kimchi stew.  As usual the crab was more trouble than the little bit of meat was worth (lobster's more my style) but I think it gave the stew a good flavor.

On Sunday I went to a calligraphy class with Erin from work.  Right next door was an interesting art show.  The cutting is done by hand, one mark at a time!!!!  Each snowflake (or whatever) - one at a time!!!  The ones at this show were all done by a couple in their late 70s, and the woman said it takes about 1 - 1 1/2 months.  It used to be done on rice paper which had been dyed using persimmon extracts.  Now it's done on other paper.  It's lit from behind.  They were remarkable.  There was also a photo exhibition with beautiful pictures of Mt. Fuji.  The photographer gave us some of his postcards as a gift.

The calligraphy class was open to 20 people but we were the only two there...  don't know why other people don't take advantage of these classes.  Lucky for us though, we had a semi-private 2 hour lesson which was given by the president of the International Association.

At the end of the class we were asked to choose one of the teacher's works to take home with us. Mine says 'Ichigo Ichie'  which means:

Zen Phrase: 一期一会 (ichigo ichie) ~ Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur.

Ichigo Ichie literally means “one opportunity, one encounter”．The terms is often translated as “for this time only,” “never again,” or “one chance in a life time.”

Its better translation may be “Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur.”

The term is derived from Zen Buddhism and concepts of transience, and it is particularly associated with the Japanese tea ceremony and it is often brushed onto scrolls which are hung in the tea room. In the context of tea ceremony, ichigo ichie reminds participants that each single tea meeting is unique that will never recur in one’s lifetime, therefore, each moment should be treated with the utmost sincerity.

It can be applied to one’s daily life, “all we have is today, so let’s live it to the fullest."

After my fun morning Cindy picked me up and we drove to Nagahama for a very nice lunch at a cafe in a hotel/wedding hall restaurant.  

There was quite a nice view from the chapel and the aisle is made of a plastic box with roses inside.

 Lunch

A TINY cup of soup.

A really nice antipasto.

My entree - Ohmi beef with a soy-butter sauce.  The meat was great, the sauce a little salty.

Cindy's entree - a pot roast like dish.

 I think I liked my meat and Cindy's sauce ( we shared).

 And an incredible dessert plate.  Clockwise from the cup.  A single peeled grape in a compote with star anise, a sweet potato tart with rum and whipped cream, a delicious pear sorbet, an almond tart with thinly sliced ? made into roses, and an Italian wedding cookie like mouse.  

Which went very nicely with my cat cappucino!

Cindy's - we couldn't decide if it was a bear or a monkey.

A nice way to spend the day.

Cindy works in the Nagahama office and has discovered a few nice places.  So even though we had JUST had lunch she had a special place to show me (that involved more eating!!!)

It was a cafe that incredibly had free tea or coffee if you bought a sweet - which were very reasonably priced (like $1 - 3)!  We couldn't figure out how they stay in business unless people who go there to enjoy a snack also buy things to give as gifts.

On the way home we stopped at a 2nd hand store where I picked up an ugly leopard print jacket that I'll use for Halloween.

So what I thought would be a somewhat quiet/boring weekend turned into a weekend full of fun!