We visited The Nishimura Villa on a beautiful late autumn day. Mr. Tamada, the staff of the villa, explained us about the shake, garden
and building. We enjoyed the view of beautifully colored maple leaves which are reflected on the surface of the pond.
We appreciated a traditional Japanese dance performed by Wakayagi Hikoju and Wakayagi Koju. They performed dances showing the four seasons of Japan. We were greatly touched by their graceful dance performances. About 30 overseas friends joind us and they also enjoyed to learn the fundamentals of Japanese dance with a folding fan. We really enjoyed the dances there at Nashinoki-jinja on the beautiful autumn day.
We visited Kikusuihoko of the Gion Matsuri Festival. Mr. Kinzo Kawatsuka of Kikusuihoko Preservation Society told us many interesting things about the Kikusuihoko float and the Gion Festival. Then we were invited to admire the upper floor of the hoko by kind permission of Kikusuihoko Preservation Society.
We visited Kyoto Tie-Dyeing Museum and got in touch with the souls of Shibori (Tie-Die) craftsmen. The vice director of the museum, Mr. Nobumasa Yoshioka, kindly explained us the tie-dye technique in detail. After that, we enjoyed the Japanese traditional fan tossing game, "Tosenkyo".
We visited Wazuka Chagenkyo which was the very beautiful countryside with fresh green. Listening to the pleasant song of a Japanese bush warbler, we really enjoyed picking a lot of fresh tea leaves. We also studied how to brew tea. We are very sorry that we could not accept many applications for the limited spaces.
Also, please see more photos here.
The Annual Sakura Party has been cancelled due to the Tohoku-Kanto Earthquake. We donated all the money reserved for the Sakura Party.
We visited to Sumiya which once flourished as an elegant place of entertainment for commoners during the Edo Period. We were impressed by the magnificent house and the old fine arts owned by Sumiya Museum. We were also amazed to see its old garden.
We visited the Kyocera Museum of Fine Ceramics. We were overwhelmed by the range and quantity of the fine ceramics products, most of which play significant roles in electronic devices and industrial machines. In addition, we were very impressed by Kyocera's management philosophy and employee training program through this tour.
We were generously invited to the mochi-making party which was held by the local people of the Ogawa School District. 37 overseas friends joined us. Some of them enjoyed pounding mochi with a mallet. Above all, we really enjoyed various kinds of delicious mochi dishes.
