In Plautdietsch or Low German, a language used among Mennonites for more than 500 years, there’s a saying: Daut klaupt aules. Meaning everything claps. In English we say everything clicks to describe such a state of convergence.
Monday’s International Class at Sogetsu Kaikan was like that. Continue reading
Near the end of January as my first three-month adventure at Sogetsu Kaikan was drawing to a close I met Mayumi in the elevator of my apartment building. The cultural norm in Japan is not to engage with strangers. It’s assumed that you are content to mind own business and should politely ignore others. But somehow, and I can’t recall who initiated the conversation, we got to chatting. Continue reading
Saturday evening I was about to go out for another round of exploring DESIGNART TOKYO 2018 when thundershowers hit the city. Instead, with soft jazz streaming I poured the wine, laid out the bread and cheese, and pulled out the computer. Continue reading
The first week of ikebana lessons started well; however, the challenge has been huge. By Thursday of the first week I was punch-exhausted from all that jetlag, settling into my apartment and resuming classes entailed.
Image credit to Sogetsu Ikebana website http://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/
To complicate matters, the steel grass I’d chosen for the design I’d imagined was predisposed to bend into sharp angles where I wished to create curves. The flax leaves split, were hard to fix and gave me a considerable amount of grief. Continue reading
Image credit to Sogetsu Ikebana website http://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/
Before resuming my ikebana studies at Sogetsu Kaikan, I had determined to do things a little differently this time. Last winter there were various challenges inherent in the move to Tokyo competing for my attention. As a result I often found the energy for my studies somewhat dissipated. This time I have determined to take a more clearly focused approach. Continue reading
When you leave the old for the new, you know what you are leaving
but not what you will find. ~Sicilian proverb~
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If you’re going to kick start the weekend on a Wednesday with a wine-soaked lunch, the two Michelin Stars restaurant Beige Alain Ducasse Tokyo on the tenth floor of the Chanel Ginza Building is a fine spot to do it. Because we’d had so much fun celebrating her birthday there in January, to welcome me back to Tokyo my friend and fellow-Canuck Vivian suggested we return. Who would say no? Continue reading
The Fall 2018 issue of PostScript: The Magazine for Retired Educators containing my article on last year’s ikebana studies in Tokyo arrived in the mail this week. The editorial team did a particularly fine job of the layout and thanks to their skills in manipulating images made my amateur photos (shot in less than ideal conditions and without proper lighting) look fabulous. Continue reading
Due to a milestone birthday earlier this year, on August 2 I enjoyed my first sailing on BC Ferries free of charge. When I pulled up to the ticket booth I announced the fact as I handed over my credit card. Continue reading
In my last entry more than a month ago, Yellow: CITRON Tokyo, I wrote of the sublime, puckering sweetness that had me sorely tempted to return. I could taste it.
I wasn’t kidding. Mid May, a bit down in the dumps after my bi-weekly ikebana classes recessed for summer (as well as other boring reasons I won’t mention), I was deep into a flirtation with the idea of returning to Tokyo. Continue reading
