Saturday 2/16/08 Pacific Culture Club

Saturday 2/16/08 a small group of us went to a traditional Japanese estate house on the edge of Tokyo for another Temple University Japan Campus sponsored event. Somehow, somewhere TUJ met these women who like to share traditional Japanese culture and religion with foreigners and young people.

A pair of kotos sitting against the wall. We were unannounced, somewhere there was an issue with communication, so the PCC wasn't sure we when or where we were arriving, so they weren't ready for us.

This is a very nice Japanese lady. She is very good with the Koto, and she taught me how to play a simple song on the Koto, it wasn't easy, but it was fun! It was the most challenging music lesson I've ever had, because we didn't speak the sam language, and I couldn't read the numbers. 

This is a household shinto shrine. We prayed to it and they were quite eager to share the benefits of their religion with us. It seems pretty cool, that there is a being above us and that we should give it our respect and thanks.

This is the lady who talked to us, she was pretty good with English. She was also accomplished in koto, calligraphy and other things I'm sure. Those little things on her fingers are the picks you wear to play the koto.

Jeremy's playing the koto! It was pretty cool that they were willing to work with us and be patient and teach us their arts.

That's the character for "love" it sounds like "ai." It's pretty complicated. She wrote it for Peter to copy. I'm sure Peter's didn't turn out so beautifully.

Me and my calligraphy, it means flower.

Before the tea ceremony three of us girls got to be dressed in kimonos, I got the fancy black one because it went best with my skin tone.

The pattern on the kimono and on the obi belt were both cranes, which mean good luck. This would be a really formal kimono that you could wear to a wedding or another formal situation.

Kelly is being dressed in a peach colored semi-formal kimono. The belt was very very long, and it was folded in half and cardboard and other things were stuck inside to make sure that it was kept in place.

The lady is explaining my kimono to the group. She said that the white dots on each of my shoulders is the house crest, and that there are five of them total.

Me, Jamie, and Kelly wearing borrowed kimonos for the tea ceremony. I wish I had one, but they're so expensive. When you wear it you can feel the centuries of culture just wrapping you up and helping your posture as you kneel.