Busy day!!

Today, we have a Hawaiian show by Mr.Kimo in our cafe.
The show will starts at 6:00pm, and the show will end at 8:30pm or 9:00am.
I will take the midnight express bus to Tokyo to see the Hawaiian festival at Odaiba in Tokyo tomorrow.
My favorite ukulele artilst Jake Shimabukuro will appear on that stage, so I HAVE TO catch the 10:00pm bus!!

The Golden Week Holidays Starts

In Japan, April 29th and May 3th to May 5th are national holidays.
So, many companys can have days off for about nine days at this time every year inclued these national holidays, saturday and sunday.
We, Japanese call these long holidays "The golden week holidays".

Sister's departure

My mother and I took my sister to the Kansai national airport, today.
My sister left to Canada for having practical training.
She took the licence for teacher of preschool education in Canada two years ago.
And she need some practical trainings for renewal of the licence.

When she back to Japan in this autumun, she will open the English school for children.

Ikebana Art ~Ichihatsu~

"Ichihatsu" flower is our first practice for arrangement of long leafs in early summer.
In this season, we have 3 or 4 kinds of the flower with long leafs.
Ichihatsu, Shobu, Kakitsubata and so on.
These are same family of iris.
But the each combinations of leafs are little different.
We can practice those combination of leafs only one chance of a year.
So I learn Ikebana for 15years but I practice only 15times each.

Ukulele Meeting

Today, I had a Ukulele meeting.
There were only 2 people including me.
It was like private lesson. hahaha!
I was taught 2songs "can't help falling in love with you" and "Nada Sou Sou".
"Nada Sou Sou" is Japanese song sung by Rimi Natsukawa from Okinawa.
Keary Reishel is coverd in Hawaiian song called "Ka Noho Na Pili Kai".
It's very beautiful song!!
I practiced for about 3 hours and I became good.

The weeping cherry by Ikebana Art

I leran Ikebana from when I was a high school student, 17 years old.
I have also a license of western style flower arrangement.
But I like Ikebana more than arrangement.
Because Ikebana has beauty of spatial art.
And this beauty is very unique only Ikebana has.

This is changed style from traditional style of our "Mishou-ryu" Ikebana.

Cherry branches in this work has not weeping shape.
They have straight shape.
This work is made curve by heat of hands.
This technique is very very hard.

Sakura Namiki; Roadside cherry trees

Saho river in Nara is most famous riverside cheryy trees.

A lot of cherry trees are on both sides of Saho river.

It's so beautiful view.

This picture was taken at the parking of hospital, today.

I go to hospital once a month, and today is my consultation day.

It's bad weather for taking a picture today, but the contrast of the pink color of Sakura and the green color of grass and the yellow color of rape blossoms is so beautiful.

I was so touched.

I am so happy when I can see these beautiful views.

The manners of guests for Japanese Tea Party (5)

(5) "Kaiseki" cuisine

Kaiseki is a full‐course of Japanese cuisine.
Kaiseki is written "the stone of one's inside pocket" in Kanji.
The meening is from this story;
In ancient days, Samurai had a warm stone in his inside pocket to stave off the pangs of hunger.

Green tea in the tea party is very strong to the stomach.
So we eat Kaiseki to lighten the burden imposed on stomach.

The manners of guests for Japanese Tea party (4)

(4) Sekiiri ~ Sumi-demae;make a fire with charcoal ~ "Kaiseki" cuisine

We get into "Chashitsu" and we sit in front of "Tokonoma" and we see the "Kakejiku".
And we move and sit in front of "Ro" and we see the "Kama".
Ane then we sit in a certain spot.

When the all guests sit, host come into "Chashitsu" with tools for "Sumi-Demae" and make a fire with charcoal.
And then, host serve "Kaiseki" cuisine for guests.

The manners of guests for Japanese Tea party (3)

(3) On the day of party ~ Sekiiri~

"Sekiiri" is that guests get into the "Chashitsu".
The invitation card tells the time for "Sekiiri".
Guests have the "Kousen" tea;welcome tea at "Machiai";waiting room, before "Sekiiri".
So we have to arrive "Machiai" by 15 minutes to "Sekiiri" time.
The guest of honor have to greet host with present for something eat as soon as arriving to the party space.

The host decorate "Tokonoma" in "Machiai" with seasonal flowes and "Kakejiku".
And there is a paper called "Kaiki" on the "Tokonoma"
The "Kaiki" tells us that the list of tools for tea party, Japanese sweets, Japanese green tea and so on.

We have to see the flowers and "Kakejiku", and to read the "Kaiki".
When we see those on the "Tokonoma", we have to sit and put "Sensu" in front of our knees.

When all guests come, one of guest tell host.
And then host bring us "Kousen" tea.
We drink it and get into "Chashitsu".

The manners of guests for Japanese Tea Party (2)

(2) Stuff what you need on the day of the tea party

･Sensu; we use this when we greet each other.
･Kobukusa; this is made from untique fablic.
･Kaishi; we use this like dish when we eat Japanese sweets.
･Handkerchief
･new Tabi; for spare. Tabi is like socks for Kimono.
･Tissue; we use this for cleanig dishes of "Kaiseki" cuisine.
･vinyl bag; for throwing garbage

The manners of guests for Japanese Tea Party (1)

(1) Invitation ~ on the day before the party

I wrote about invitation, yesterday.
The host send the invitation letters to guests.
Host write the seasonal greeting and details of tea party; the date, the place, etc. on it.
Invited guest get the letter, and then reply to host about whether attend or not.
The guest have to write the seasonal greeting ,thanks to invitation and thoughtfulness for host on the letter.

The guest of honor formaly call on host's house to pay host's respects with the present; sweets or fruites or something to eat.
But now, most of them bring the present; something to eat on the day of the party.

The guests have to wear Kimono on the day, so they have to prepair for wearing Kimono.
They have to hang the Kimono a Kimono hanger.
They have to burn incense and put scent of the incense on Kimono.

Japanese traditional tea party

I got an invitation letter of the spring tea party.
The tea party will be held next sunday.
But I can't go there because I have to work.
I'm running a hawaiian cafe, so I can't have a day off on weekend.

The invetation letter is generally written by "Shodou"; calligraphy like the photo.

And the invited guest formally reply to a letter by "shodou" also.
But I am not good at "Shodou", so I wrote a answer letter by pen.

Japanese bathhouse "Sentou"

I went to Japanese bathhouse called "Yurara no Yu" with my yonger sister.

Now a days, there are many Japanese bathhouses "super sentou" like "Yurara no Yu".

They have many kind of bath; outdoor spa, bubble bath, aroma bath, souna bath, and so on.

"Yurara no Yu" have massage salon and dinnig room also.

We had a massage after taking a bath.

I had a detoxification course.

My sister had a facial beauty‐treatment course.

We did relax and enjoy so much.

Begining of the current year

In Japan, the new current year start from April.
In business year, in school year and so on.
The entrance ceremonys of schools or companys hold at the beginning of April.
So, we Japanese people make a fresh determination in April.

a weeping cherry

"Himuro Jinja" is one of shrines in Nara.
This place is very famous for weeping cherry‐blossom viewing.
The view of the big weeping cherry is so beautiful.
I LOVE this view!!