Hakata Doll Painting

- Short-Term Program
06/28/2015

Before I came to Japan, I think this was the activity I was looking forward to the most. I have always been fascinated by dolls in general from all over Asia.

The shop we went to was small, but carries countless dolls. Most are traditional, but there are some more modern, cute ones as well. Besides the traditional looking Hakata dolls, there were also Hello Kitty ones, and one or two Western looking ones.

We each chose a doll to paint, and were given about 2 hours to paint them. I chose to paint a “Maiko”, or apprentice Geisha. I chose that doll because it really looked Japanese. However, I made the mistake of choosing a fairly big doll, and I’m also a perfectionist. I was rushing at the end to finish painting it. Turns out I forgot to paint the shoes to! Either way, it was fun painting these blank dolls.

You will feel like you’re in 17th century Japan painting a doll for yourself or someone else. This activity also gives you a chance to be creative, which is always a good thing.

The shop is also a place to pick up souvenirs. They have a lot of Japanese styled goods that you can’t find in any other country or online. They also have very high quality items like ties, accessories, and wallets. All in all, this activity was definitely my favorite out of all the ones so far.

When I come back to Japan again with my friends, I will DEFINITELY bring them here!

Hakata Ningyou

- Short-Term Program
06/26/2015

This week we went into Hakata to check out a store that sells ningyou, or Japanese dolls.

Before that we got short history lesson about the tax system in Fukuoka and learned that if you couldn’t pay money you could pay with rice or other goods that you made such as ningyou. Due to this Hakata ningyou came to be known far and wide for their quality.

I like it when we tie the activity into the culture. It really helps to cement the information.

Once we got to the store I was blown away by the quality of the dolls. I knew they would be good but they were fantastic. I couldn’t even tell they had been painted. The range was impressive as well. From delicate ladies, masculine samurai, all the way down to cute children dancing.

After getting the chance to look around and put the fire to our inspiration we were given the choice of dolls to paint. It was a good cross section so that there would definitely be something that would interest everyone. I chose a cute dancing child as my doll and then sat down to paint.

There was a good selection of paints. Enough to be able to mix any color I could want. We were provided with only two brushes though. I kind of wish we could have gotten one more super fine brush but the two we received managed to get the job done. I have always liked art and painting so this is by far the activity I have enjoyed the most.

Painting calms me and I really lost track of time and before I knew it was almost up. I managed to create something I was happy with but I easily could have spent all day painting it. I most definitely want to come back and paint another one.

Hakata Doll

- Short-Term Program
06/24/2015

Last Thursday the class had an opportunity to visit Fukuoka’s Hakata Doll Museum and participate in painting our very own Hakata doll.

It certainly brought out the artist in every class member and they did such a great job.

I thoroughly enjoyed the intricacies in color coordination and hand painting my doll.

I now appreciate the artistry and the painstaking details that go into painting Hakata dolls.

Mistakes were made along the way but the paint and re-mixing it allowed for you to correct them.

Now whenever I see a Hakata doll anywhere I go in Fukuoka I realize what it takes to make them.

Thank you Hirose sensei for an enjoyable outing.

――Ray Gin

The calligraphy activity #2

- Short-Term Program
06/21/2015

On Friday 6/12 we were treated to something I have wanted to do for quite a while.

We got to practice the art of Shodou or Japanese calligraphy. It is a beautiful art that uses solely ink to create stunning paintings or works only using words as art.

Shodou has even transcended to the level of performance art as some people perform it writ large in front a huge audience. I have watched some videos of the performances and they are truly breathtaking. So I was not unduly excited to try my hand at it.

To start the teacher gave us some background and showed us some examples of what could be done. It was a good way to get our imaginations really cranking so that we could put our souls onto the canvas with a brush. We then went over the brushes and readied our ink stone with black ink. At this point we were given practice sheets and shown the basics for creating lines both horizontal and vertical as well as circles. What I thought wouldn’t be too difficult turned out to be much harder than I expected. It definitely increased my respect for the people who create such stunning works as I imagine it would take many hours to master this. After burning through a ton of practice sheets to get a feel for how the brush creates lines and testing different amounts of ink on the brush I felt I was ready to step up the actual plate and use the special board for the final product. It was definitely more nerve wracking than I was expecting. I really didn’t want to mess it up. Despite my nerves I managed to create something I was happy with.

Due to this experience I would definitely look into continuing to practice shodou. The fact that we were able to keep our brushes and ink stone after the event only helps with that desire.

Overall this was an extremely fun activity in both being able to learn about an important part of the culture as well as being able to actual participate in creating something of my own.

The calligraphy activity

- Short-Term Program
06/18/2015

The calligraphy activity was so much fun!

Besides the typical Kanji and Kana, we also had the option of painting a picture. I chose the picture option because it gave me the opportunity to blend 2 cultures together.

Since I am fond of both Japanese and Persian culture, I decided to paint a Farvahar.

Since it’s ink, and not erasable, we are given practice sheets to practice before the final drawing. Once you have a design that you like, you can attempt the final drawing on a nice piece of paper.

Be sure not to rush yourself, because haste makes waste.

Also make sure to take breaks because calligraphy, both writing or painting, is very tedious and does strain the mind.

Also be sure to take a 10 minute break before you attempt your final drawing.

Sensei also mentioned that once the ink touches fabric,it will NEVER COME OFF. Wearing an apron is also necessary for this activity. No matter how good you think you may be, spills do occur. They did happen on the day of our calligraphy activity. Luckily, it was only on the table and not our clothes.

Never the less, this activity was extremely fun and it fun for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Calligraphy is found in many other cultures besides Japan, it’s applicable to everyone! I personally loved this activity because it allows you to be creative, and there are no limits to what you can create.

-Ashton Zadeh

Shodou

- Short-Term Program
06/16/2015

To be completely honest, I was not sure what to expect. I did not have very high hopes, until I quickly discovered that my horrible handwriting skills did not affect my shodou, as the characters are too large for it to matter.

Youtube videos don’t do justice to how beautiful and difficult shodou can be.

As soon as I attempted the very first line, I realized just how difficult it was.

Sensei made it look very easy, because she is an experienced shodou veteran.

Surprisingly, my skills quickly improved.

After a little practice, I tried to write a poem, but it proved too advanced for my skills; I quickly ran out of space on the page. There is a surprising amount of planning required. You have to visualize each stroke and its size, else your drawing will look lopsided or you will quickly run out of space.

At first, I found maneuvering the ofude to be extremely difficult, but after some practice, I quickly became–less terrible.

For me, the most interesting “script” is semi-cursive. I feel it strikes a good balance between artistic and actually legible. The part I disliked the most was that the table was not at the right height for shodou; my arms had to be cocked at an awkward angle.

Other than that, I had an extremely enjoyable experience. By far, the best part of the whole experience was that we got to keep all of our shodou equipment! I am very much looking forward to attempting shodou on my own.

Dazaifu and Kyushu National Museum

- Short-Term Program
06/14/2015

For our first week’s activity, we went to Dazaifu Tanmangu and the Kyushu National Museum.

The shrine, dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, was extraordinarily beautiful.

Michizane was a very renowned Japanese poem writer and a devoted scholar.

The shrine itself was built upon his grave, and many people go there to pray every day.

Throughout the entire shrine and surrounding gardens, there are many different species of plum trees.

Unfortunately, they were not in bloom when we went. Even so, the gardens and ponds were some of the most tranquil, if not the most, I have ever seen.

A 10 minute walk from the shrine is the Kyushu National Museum.

Even though the building itself is immense, the number of exhibits are surprisingly few. I myself am not very fond of museums, especially ones where I cannot read the descriptions on more than half of the exhibits, barring the names. Even so, this museum has some very interesting items inside. The more “important” exhibits have English descriptions, however, many smaller ones do not. Be prepared to spend about an hour in the museum, at least.

After learning about Japan’s rich history and culture, we went to an extremely charming and quaint cafe. We ate ume mochi (plum mochi) and drank matcha (green tea). The conflicting bitter and sweet tastes were extremely delicious, and a perfect way to end a great trip.

The shrine

- Short-Term Program
06/12/2015

The trip to the Shrine was a very interesting and personally rewarding.

I was a bit uncomfortable at first because I wasn’t a follower of Shinto, but when I found out praying at the shrine was optional; I was very excited to go!

The gardens and grounds around the shrine were very immaculate.

There were countless gardens around the temple that I couldn’t get enough pictures of.

They really draw you in.

I personally loved all the water gardens with the flowers in bloom.

There were also many Koi ponds around, which are commonly associated with Japanese culture.

After the shrine visit, we went to the Kyushu National Museum.

There weren’t only Japanese artifacts there, but artifacts from all over the world including the Middle East. I was particularly surprised seeing Persian artifacts like carpets and jars in the museum.

The only thing I really didn’t like about the museum was that photos weren’t allowed. I understand that they’re rules, but I know I have friends and family that would have loved to see photos! Their rule is so strict that you can’t even have your phone/camera out while in or near the exhibit. It was dark, so I was using my phone for light to read the pamphlet, and I was told to put it away, even though I was just sitting down on a bench by the restroom, nowhere near the exhibit artifacts.

Overall though, no matter what your background is, you will enjoy sightseeing at this temple, and maybe find some neat souvenirs at the Museum gift shop!

-Ashton Zadeh

Dazaifu Tenmangu

- Short-Term Program
06/09/2015

The Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine trip was a lot of fun.

It was rainy in the morning but by the time we got there it was just overcast which meant it wasn’t that busy which was nice.

First thing we did was wash our hands.

It was good to learn the proper method. It is important to learn these little cultural facts as it helps connect us more to the language.

After properly washing our hands we entered the shrine to pray for success in studying.

Dazaifu Tenmangu is a shrine for the god of knowledge so it is particularly good for praying for success in learning.

I didn’t know which coins were the best to donate at shrines so it was nice to find out that you should use 5 or 50 yen coins due to the hole in the middle.That way you can see through them into the future.

After praying we walked over to collect a fortune.

I only managed to get an average luck fortune.

Despite that I know my luck was good as next we made our way to the Kyushu National History Museum.

The museum was hosting an exhibit about different Asian cultures as well as Japan’s history with its Asian neighbors.

My favorite part was the room with all the katanas.

I have always been interested in katana swordsmithing and it was cool to learn some of the history behind the best of Japans swordsmiths.Overall the museum was an excellent place to visit. It has a lot of beautiful pieces with great explanations and supplemental material.

No trip to Dazaifu Tenmangu would be complete though with some umegaemochi and macha tea. So we made our way to the main street near the station and stopped in a nice looking restaurant to try some. We were not disappointed. The mocha was warm and delicious and the macha was cool and refreshing.

Definitely the best way to end the trip.

I had a lot of fun and look forward to the next activity.

Washi making#2

- Short-Term Program
06/04/2015

In this week’s school activity at NILS Language School, we got to make traditional Japanese paper crafting. It’s called Washidzukuri.

The actual process of making the paper is complicated and takes a lot of time.

We only got to make the easy part.

First we could choose what kind of crafting we wanted to do, you could choose between fans, name cards, bookmarks etc.

I decided to make the bookmarks.

After going through the process of creating the paper base we got to pick different kind of dried flowers and grasses to decorate our paper swath.

After we were done decorating, everything had to dry, while it did, we walked around the building and looked at beautiful traditional Japanese handicrafts.