Thanks to all the great students who participated in the classes and workshops! I'll be organizing some continuing classes to build on what was presented in the intro workshops so look forward to seeing many of you again in the future at those.
May has been a busy month for tea. In addition to teaching on Thursday afternoons and my own study on Saturday afternoons, I taught a four-week introductory course at the Nikkei Centre, attended the 50th anniversary celebrations of Urasenke Vancouver Tankokai and finished it off with a half-day introductory course again at the Nikkei Centre this past Saturday afternoon. After three and four days a week wearing kimono, transitioning to a hitoe unlined kimono felt so light and airy!
Thanks to all the great students who participated in the classes and workshops! I'll be organizing some continuing classes to build on what was presented in the intro workshops so look forward to seeing many of you again in the future at those.
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May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and promises to be a full month of Asia-related cultural events. I'll be featuring a number of Japanese cultural events here and on Facebook, so keep an eye out for more upcoming events. On May 11, the Consulate General of Vancouver is presenting Noh actor Yamai Tsunao of the Konparu School of Noh. Yamai-san came to Vancouver last year and offered a very informative program about the music, movement, and costumes of Noh. The highlight of the night was perhaps the end of the program, when he invited the audience to join him and his troupe on the stage to try their hands at the instruments, touch the costumes, try on the masks, and speak informally with the performers. This year's program will follow a similar format (although I don't know to what extent the audience will be able to participate hands-on this time). I will be assisting with the program as M.C./interpreter again for this year's show, so I hope to see you there! The lecture/demonstration is free and open to the public. Please click on the image for the complete details and to see a larger version of the poster. Once again, I will be teaching an introductory tea ceremony course next month at the Nikkei Centre in Burnaby. It is filling up quickly, but there are still a couple of spaces available. Please contact the Nikkei Centre directly to register (see below for details). Introduction to Japanese Tea Ceremony in four sessions Wednesdays: May 8, 15, 22, 29 6:30–8:30 pm At the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC V5E 4M7 Fee $100 / 4 classes (materials and HST included), no drop-ins Limited to 8 students. Minimum of 4 or class will be cancelled. This class will be conducted in English and is appropriate for beginning students interested in the history and cultural context of tea in Japan who want to acquire a basic understanding of matcha tea preparation. Students will learn fundamentals of the Way of Tea in the Omotesenke style, including proper etiquette for guests, how to move around in the tea room, basic Japanese phrases for serving and receiving tea, and how to handle utensils when preparing tea. No prior knowledge of tea ceremony or Japanese language is required. Each session will include a lecture-style component as well as hands-on participation in a tea ceremony with matcha tea and Japanese sweets. Sessions are held in a traditional tatami room. Instructor: Maiko Behr, Omotesenke School (表千家地方講師) For more information, see: http://centre.nikkeiplace.org/nnmcc-omotesenke-tea-ceremony-evening-class-je/ To register: call 604-777-7000 or email info@nikkeiplace.org Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre presents Celebrate Spring Festival of Colour Saturday, April 13, 2013, 11:30 am – 4:00 pm FREE Admission 6688 Southoaks Crescent (at Kingsway & Sperling), Burnaby A FUN, FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre presents Celebrate Spring at Nikkei Centre! on Saturday, April 13, 11:30 am to 4pm. Located at Nikkei Place in Burnaby with a beautiful Japanese Canadian garden and cherry blossoms along the sidewalk. This is a free spring event featuring kimono dress-up, tea ceremony, make your own haiku, Kids Crafts, and much more. Enjoy a special Sakura Bento lunch. Japanese tea and sweets will be on site. Shop for kimono, handmade Japanese fashion accessories, jewellery, soap, and much more. Order your special Sakura Bento lunch $12+tax in advance at 604.777.7000 by Wednesday, April 10th. This event will also feature a membership drive — visit our membership table to learn about the benefits and to get your membership card on site. Every new and renewing member receives a gift and a chance to win a prize! You may also learn about our membership benefits program here. EVENT PROGRAM MAIN STAGE 11:30 am First Nations Blessing by Sam George, Squamish Elder 12:00 pm Japanese Taiko drumming by Sansho Daiko 12:30 pm Korean Percussion ensemble by Hee Hee Rock Rock (Van NamSaDang) 1:00 pm Japanese Choir by Sakura Singers 1:30 pm Korean Choir by Vancouver Women’s Choir 2:00 pm Japanese Dance by Satsuki-kai 2:30 pm Yosakoi dance by Van City Soran 3:00 pm Korean drums by Cheondoong Performing Arts Society 3:30 pm Okinawan dance and drumming by Vancouver Okinawa Taiko Ellipse Lobby – Displays Nikkei Centre – Information & Membership Traditional Japanese tea ceremony presented by Urasenke Tankoukai Vancouver Association Special Foods and Craft vendors Intergenerational Room 105 Decorate beautiful paper butterfly balancing toys Make mini koinobori (carp streamer) Enjoy folding intricate origami Face painting Haiku Display by Gladstone Japanese Language School Second Floor Try on a kimono (*by donation) Visit our TAIKEN historical exhibit NNMCC Annual General Meeting at 3:00 pm – Large Activity Room (all members welcome! refreshments served) Enjoy the beautiful Japanese Canadian garden and cherry trees! Introduction to Japanese Tea Ceremony in five sessions Wednesdays: February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13 7:00–8:30 pm At the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC V5E 4M7 Fee $100 / 5 classes (materials and HST included), no drop-ins Limited to 8 students. Minimum 4 or class will be cancelled. This class will be conducted in English and is appropriate for beginning students interested in the history and cultural context of tea in Japan who want to acquire a basic understanding of matcha tea preparation. Students will learn fundamentals of the Way of Tea in the Omotesenke style, including proper etiquette for guests, how to move around in the tea room, basic Japanese phrases for serving and receiving tea, and how to handle utensils when preparing tea. No prior knowledge of tea ceremony or Japanese language is required. Each session will include a lecture-style component as well as hands-on participation in a tea ceremony with matcha tea and Japanese sweets. Sessions are held in a traditional tatami room. Instructor: Maiko Behr, Omotesenke regional instructor (表千家地方講師) For more information, see: http://centre.nikkeiplace.org/nnmcc-omotesenke-tea-ceremony-evening-class-je/ To register: call 604-777-7000 or email info@nikkeiplace.org I was very pleased to see my friend and colleague Fumie Von Dehn receive some fabulous media coverage in last week's Vancouver Shinpo.
The full article appears here: on-line article but was also quite impressive as a two-page colour spread in the free edition of the weekly paper. Kudos, Fumie! Looking forward to these two upcoming lectures: The Inaugural John Howes Lecture in Japanese Studies Haruo Shirane, Shinchō Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at Columbia University, will be coming to UBC to deliver the inaugural John Howes Lecture in Japanese Studies. Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature, and the Arts November 22 (Thursday) 6:30pm Registration; 7:00 pm Lecture Asian Centre Auditorium, 1871 West Mall Elegant representations of nature and the four seasons populate a wide range of Japanese genres and media—from poetry and screen paintings to tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and annual observances. Dr. Haruo Shirane will show how, when, and why this practice developed and explicate the richly encoded social, religious, and literary meanings of this imagery. Please join us for a lecture and reception honouring Professor Emeritus John Howes. Dr. Howes is an intellectual historian and leading authority on Japan’s Christian and pacifist thinkers, who dedicated three decades to mentoring students and expanding Japanese Studies in the Department of Asian Studies at UBC. For more information and to register, click here. I will be teaching a five-session introductory course on chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony) at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby, BC, this fall. The class will be conducted in Japanese and/or English, as necessary, and is open to anyone interested in learning basic techniques and cultural background of the chanoyu. It is intended for those with little to no experience and will cover the basics of being a guest and fundamentals of tea preparation. Aspects of arts and culture integral to the practice and appreciation of tea will also be addressed. Date & Time: Wednesdays: Nov 14 – Dec 12 (5 sessions) 7 pm to 8:30 pm Fee: $100 / 5 classes (materials, HST included) Registration and information: 604.777.7000 or info@nikkeiplace.org (Nikkei Centre) *Limited 8 students, Min 4 or class will be cancelled. *Attire: No jeans or miniskirt. Please bring a pair of white socks. Once again the Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver is hosting the fall Japanese Film Show featuring two recent Japanese films. Admission is free, so plan to arrive early!
Tezuka Osamu's "Buddha: The Great Departure" is coming to Vancouver for one showing only: Tuesday, September 11, 7:30 pm at Pacific Cinemateque, 1131 Howe St. Tickets $8 and available in advance online at: www.moa.ubc.ca/eventtickets This should be a great opportunity for fans who are intimately familiar with Tezuka Osamu's manga as well as for contemporary anime fans who are interested in knowing more about the classic work of the acclaimed "godfather of Japanese manga." A review of the film after it's North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival last summer can be found here: http://thefilmstage.com/reviews/nyaff-review-osamu-tezuka%E2%80%99s-buddha-the-great-departure/ "BUDDHA: The Great Departure" is co-presented by the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Canadian Society for Asian Arts, and the Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program at UBC with the support of TOEI Animation, Ltd. and is being shown in conjunction with the exhibition "Visions of Enlightenment: Buddhist Art at MOA," which is on view at the Museum of Anthropology through October 8. |
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