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Workshops

Thursday, August 2
14:15 - 16:30

Choose one from the followings:

Japanese Tea Ceremony (Sado)

Tea originated in China and was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks. Sadō and cha-no-yu, the Japanese words for tea ceremony, literally mean “the way of tea” and “the hot water of tea” respectively, but both refer to the same traditional Japanese art. The tea ceremony was initiated in the 15th century by Murata Jukō, a monk, and was perfected as an aesthetic art in the 16th century by a man called Sen-no Rikyū.

The tea used in ceremonies is a kind of powdered green tea called maccha. The host or hostess of the ceremony puts maccha in a large tea bowl, pours hot water over it and stirs it with a bamboo whisk called cha-sen, which makes the tea frothy. Guests enjoy their tea and express their gratitude to the host accordingly.

This workshop will offer the experience of not only making and drinking Japanese tea in a traditional tatami room, but the pleasure of entertaining guests as well.


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Japanese Flower Arrangement  (Ikebana)

Originating from floral offerings to Buddha, ikebana, the art of flower arrangement, has a history spanning five hundred years back to mediaeval Japan when the traditional Japanese arts began to form. In the wake of the Warring States period in the 16th century, objects of nature became more than just wonders to look at, they became objects of aesthetic art that laid the foundations for today’s discipline of flower arrangement. Today, some 3,000 ikebana schools can be found in Japan.

Ikebana is all about creating a single composition out of flowers, leaves and twigs in a climatic environment unique to Japan, and making the most of the beauty found in the object’s natural form. Only real flowers are used in ikebana, which emphasizes the art’s element of capturing the beauty of the moment for an everlasting pleasure.


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Japanese Calligraphy (Shodo)

Japanese writing features two unique sets of characters, hiragana and katakana, which were developed from Chinese characters introduced in Japan over a millennium ago. Shodō, Japanese calligraphy, is the art of writing Japanese characters in ink with a brush, where the characters reflect the mind and mood of their writer through size, shape and weight of the strokes. Japanese calligraphy is a form of art widely studied at universities and vocational schools, and is a frequent theme for exhibitions. Through writing letters, we try to express spirit and philosophy. That is Japanese calligraphy's real intention.

Like other arts, we will start from the basics of holding the brush and drawing strokes, let you experience the fun and challenge of creating your own piece of calligraphy for you to take home.




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Incense Ceremony (Koh-do)

The Incense Ceremony, kōdō, is an art that involves burning and identifying pieces of special incense wood, and is closely tied with the other traditional arts of Japan. Incense arrived in Japan along with Buddhism in the 6th century and spread with religious ceremonies. By the end of the 9th century, incense had taken the form of small compressed powder balls and was being used as room fragrance and for refined aristocratic games. By the end of the 14th century, however, incense woods regained popularity, and the ceremony of kōdō, using two or more kinds of incense wood, took shape. Since then, the incense ceremony has been used on the battlefield as well as in tea ceremony rooms, and turned from a wealthy merchant’s pastime to a source of peace of mind for the people.

At this workshop, participants can experience the atmosphere of the 11th century classic The Tale of Genji through smelling (or “listening to” as it is referred to in kōdō) different kinds of wood associated with key themes in the story, and may then test their skills at associating the incenses with their matching themes.

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The Style of Traditional Garment (Kimono and Furoshiki)

The kimono is a traditional Japanese robe. ( It’s history start with the beginning of Japanese culture. )

Nowadays, the kimono is worn primarily as formal dress. Women usually tie their kimono with a sash (obi), a bustle (obiage) and a band (obijime). For men, normally a sash is enough but on formal occasions, a pair of fitting trousers, hakama, and a half coat called haori may be added.
Kimonos are usually made out of silk, although cotton and hemp kimonos can be worn in summer time. The place and occasion determine the color and quality of the fabric. Japanese split toe socks and sandals are the standard footwear used with kimonos.

At this workshop, we will introduce you to formal kimono fitting for both men and women.

We will also show you a unique way of turning a square piece of wrapping cloth, called Furoshiki, into a multipurpose pouch. A Furoshiki is very useful in carrying various items and reduces consumption of plastic bags. It is also used to wrap presents for formal occasions. We will show you various way of wrapping, and we would like you to try it out too.

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