Tozaburo-himoWe visited Tozaburo-himo studio in Otsu city. 26 overseas friends from 14 countries joined us. Mr.Kokichi Ota, the fourth generation, told about decorative braidings and gave us a opportunity to try making brading. Under the guidence of Mr.Koichi Ota, the fifth generation. We dyed "tenugui" with plant dye. We enjoyed it and satisfied with our beautiful works.
OtabeWe visited the confectionery factory which produces “otabe”,one of the typical Kyoto's confectionery and very popular as a souvenir from Kyoto, and experienced otabe making. We made three different flavors otabe from scratch and ate them with powdered green tea. 29 foreign guests and 4 Japanese guests joined this event, and everyone was trying to make delicious sweets seriously and happily.
SOU SOUWe visited SOU SOU which was a trendy textile company founded on the concept of "Creating New Japanese Culture". 45 people including 21 overseas friends from 10 countries attended the meeting. Mr.Takeshi Wakabayashi, founder president and producer of SOU SOU, gave a speech about design concept and craftsmanship. We really enjoyed a talk about his business which had been developed with his flexible ideas.
Gekkeikan Okura Sake MuseumWe visited Gekkeikann Okura Sake Museum in Fushimi, one of Japan's major sake-brewing centers. After we watched a video about history and brewing method of sake, we received an explanation about the processes of fermentation of "moromi" in the Sakekobo, mini-brewery. And we also watched the exhibits of the traditional tools and equipment that were actually used for brewing sake, and lastly we enjoyed sake tasting as well. 30 foreigners from 10 countries joined us, and they all looked very interested.
Cherry Blossom Party at Takeda Family Villa55 people including 24 overseas friends joined our party. It was held in the lovely setting of a villa in Sagano. We listened to the wonderful live string quartet recital. Then, Kamogawa-kai members served a plenty of home-cooked dishes. After that, we enjoyed introducing ourselves one by one, singing songs and performing a comic short story and so on. All of the participants really enjoyed the peaceful afternoon.
Matsumoto Myokei Buddhist Sculpture MuseumWe visited the Matsumoto Myokei Buddhist Sculpture Museum. He is considered to be one of Japan's greatest Buddhist sculpture artists. They exhibit about 160 of Matsumoto's Buddhist sculptures. We had a gallery talk by the director. 25 people including 12 from overseas joined us.
Talk about Japanese Calligraphy and Workshop at Heartpia KyotoWe held a shodo, Japanese calligraphy, workshop inviting Mr. Yasushi Ueda as an instructor, who has been teaching for a long time as a volunteer. After we were given a lecture about the history of shodo and how to use utensils, we practiced several kanjis, such as peace, dream, congratulations, luck and Fuji, and we made fair copies of them on shikishi, square fancy cardboard. In spite of the snow,11 foreign guests joined us.