About a month ago, an opportunity presented itself. I have long been fascinated with ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement, and prior to coming here, had thought how cool it would be if I could learn it in Japan. Unfortunately, unlike schools in bigger cities where club activities run the gamut from baseball to Japanese archery to tea ceremony (ikebana falling somewhere in there) our small schools offer limited club activities, none of which I’m particularly interested in, and so my search took me elsewhere. (Brass band has never been this girl’s forté.)
Using the wear-them-down-with-enthusiasm tactic, someone finally took pity on me, probably just so I would stop asking about and showing so much interest in all this “culture” stuff. Thinking that in order to participate in a set class I’d have to travel at least an hour to the nearest big town, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that once a week, on Wednesdays, an ikebana teacher from a nearby town comes to my village and instructs ikebana to a group of middle-aged Japanese ladies. I was graciously invited to sit in on a class to see if it was something in which I’d be interested. It was.
Action Shot
I started my official ikebana instruction last week. I bit the bullet on pricing (kindof expensive considering start-up fee, monthly tuition, and materials) when I realized that two things I’d wanted to accomplish by November were joining an ikebana class and befriending the old ladies in my town. How convenient to kill two birds with one stone! Classes loosely start around 7pm, and it’s obviously a time for the ladies to chat and gossip about the week. Then, the teacher provides the flowers and plants to all the students, carefully naming them, and sets everyone to work. When they are done, they onegaishimasu (politely ask) the teacher to assess their work. She comes over, either gives the thumbs up, or rearranges their arrangement whilst explaining her reasoning. In my case, as a new student, she offered feedback, and then had me do it all over again. My first project included: two pink carnations, three branches of a red mizuki tree, and one large green asahi haran leaf I’ve been unable to translate. Once the arrangement is set, the students sketch it in their notebooks and wrap up the materials in a plastic sheet to transport home. While still fresh in my mind, I redid my “bouquet” chez moi, and now have it displayed in my genkan – makes me smile every time I walk past.
my first ikebana arrangement
Sail Forth - Japan Chapter 