Japanese Tea Ceremony

Yesterday I had the good fortune to be able to experience another Japanese cultural event, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, with the English students at Hokusei High School. (Last spring I participated in the kanji calligraphy workshop with these girls and wrote about it here.)

 

These students are preparing to study abroad for a school year and hold these events to practice telling about Japanese culture in English. I was very flattered when I first arrived at the school and one table of girls chose me to join them.  They said they remembered me from the last event and described the “handmade” necklace I was wearing.  (I checked the photos and saw that it was one of the bead and cross stitch on perforated paper necklaces).

The girls are just as cute as they can be.  I thoroughly enjoyed hearing how excited they are to be going to the US to study.  Exactly where they will be going is yet to be decided, but they told me they are going for ten months. When I asked if they are going for the school year, they said no, ten months. When I told them the school year for most schools is August – May (ten months) instead of April – March as it is in Japan, they told me Americans get big vacations.  Some of the things they are looking forward to doing in the United States are: going to prom, joining the cheer dance team, and going to the hamburger shop and eating a big hamburger with friends.  They have exciting adventures ahead.

The tea ceremony was first demonstrated by the tea ceremony teacher and her two assistants.

 

Afterward the demonstration, the girls and their guest made tea for each other and had a delicious Japanese sweet to eat. Members of the Tea Ceremony Club were on hand to give each table help and advice.

 

 

I know that women study and practice for years to master the tea ceremony, but I enjoyed my little “taste” of how it is done.  The tea cups are really beautiful bowls. One and a half of these tea spoons of green tea is put in the cup and hot water is added.

 

 

 

The bamboo tea whisk is used to mix the tea and to create a froth on top. First the whisk goes in a circle around the cup, then back and forth, before removing the whisk straight up so the froth stays in the middle. When it was my turn to make the tea, the girls told me I was a good froth maker.   The tea maker then presents the tea cup to the tea drinker.

 

The tea drinker turns the cup, and drinks the entire cup in three swallows. The girls told me that between the three drinks, the drinker shows her delicious face. When she finishes drinking, she says the tea was delicious.

 

The girls adore their English teacher, who coordinates these events, and it’s plain to see that he enjoys them also. 

 

Thank you, Hokusei High School English Students!

Six Weeks Left

There are six weeks left in the year and I still have three projects unfinished on my New Year’s Resolutions list.  Doesn’t look good for getting them finished, does it? This week I pulled out my Plum Panache beaded shawl and worked on it.   

 

As much as I want it finished, and especially want it finished by the end of the year, I don’t know that I’ll be able to continue working on it now to get it done by the end of the year.  I’ll try for a few more days and see how it goes.

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

Sunday, Ted and I met three Outdoor Life students from the university for the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Sapporo. We were glad we bought tickets ahead of time because the 700 seat theater was sold out. The seats were general admission, so we arrived early and were able to sit in the fourth row.

I thought it would be good, but it was more than good. The films were exciting and inspiring and some were really scary.  While I was never the extreme outdoorsperson depicted in these films, I have had my share of outdoor adventure.  Seeing these films did give me a feeling of nostalgia and a realization that I’m older than I think I am.

There were two sets of six films, one at 1 pm and the second at 5:30 pm.  My favorite film was Crossing the Ice about two Australians who decide to try to be the first to ski from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, unsupported.  They were not as well prepared as others who had tried and failed in the past, but their friendship and determination made the difference.

You can see clips and info about the films here.  Check out the schedule for this World Tour – I highly recommend seeing it! 

Flat Tree Finish

This has been such a fun project! Since I last posted about this, I added some little bells,

Some snowflakes,

A little panda bear,

 

And the yellow binding. (I also made a sleeve for the back, but I forgot to take a picture.)

 

Ta Da!  The finished tree – done in plenty of time for this year’s holiday hanging. (To see how the presents open, check out this post.)

TAST 89 Twisted Satin Stitch and 90 Twisted Satin Stitch with a Bead

Take A Stitch Tuesday 89 is the Twisted Satin Stitch.

TAST 90 is the Twisted Satin Stitch with a Bead.

 

Here’re both side by side, done with perle #8 (below the other stitches).

 

 

To see more examples of these stitches, check out Sharon B's pintangle blog.

Snow Keeps Falling in Hokkaido!

Let the yuki kaki begin.

First Snow and Weekend Stitching

The first stick to the ground snow has fallen and we are expecting more tomorrow.  I think winter is here.

I had a busy weekend – square dancing Friday, the Culture event in Yuni Saturday, the Branff Mountain Film Festival Sunday (I’ll write about that later this week), so I didn’t get a lot of stitching done.  I did carry along my hexagons and worked on them a bit (see yesterday's post).  I also made a yellow binding for the flat tree, following the tutorial on Molly Flanders Makerie.  I’ve pinned a small section to show you what it will look like.  I plan to get it stitched this week and to put a sleeve on the back so Ted will have it to hang in his office this December.

One of my former English students who was also on Ted’s Nature Watching trip to the US made each of us a little bag of cookies.  Ted ate his before I could take a photo, but here are mine. Thank you Ayumi!

bag says: Hello Kitty
Dressing up and relaxing at home is my hobby.

Kawaii desu!

Monday Morning Star Count - 191

 

This week I have ten new flowers to show for a total of 191.  I’ve completed a second bed length strip of flower clumps and have enough clumps to make a third.  I thought five strips would do it, but now I’m thinking six would be better.  I guess I’ll be cutting more fabric and making more hexagons.  Check back next Monday.