Japan Day

The Japanese Culture has never failed to amaze me with their rich and fine art and the great length put into perfecting it. Today I had a "refresher course" at the Cambridge Kaetsu Centre for the Japan Day, co-organised by the Japanese Embassy.

Japanese dolls

It was one thing learning the Japanese culture in Japan and a totally different experience learning it in a foreign country or see others learning them here. It was also more exciting blogging about the Japanese culture in the UK. That's because I understood the whole process from start to finish this time. Why? Because they were all explained in English as compared to previously!
I found the calligraphy section extremely interesting! It reminded me when I was learning it in in Japan. We spreaded calligraphy over a few lessons and today, they had it in 5 mins! The presence of foreigners made it looked even more bizarre.

Tea Ceremony (Chado 茶道)

This particular photo also reminded me so much about the time when I experienced the same thing in Niigata. However, the okashi (dessert) is somewhat different this time. It was some wafer instead of the proper redbean-filled okashi. The one I had in Japan was a plum-shaped mochi filled with red-bean paste.

It's been a while since I tasted this.

She kept looking at the back!

The battle of origami between a Japanese and a Malaysian.

It was a tough battle. Shunji couldn't do the paper crane (could you believe it?!) but was able to do a flower pot. I could do a paper crane but not the flower pot. But then, we both didn't know how to do a little jumping frog (kaeru-chan), so it was a draw! Kiki taught us both instead! We had a jumping frog competition. Shunji's frog was always overturning, Kiki's was basically limping, mine was really jumping. Yay! Haha...

Ready, Set, Jump!

This is really Char Siu Pau, trust me! I told Shunji that I didn't remember eating or seeing any Char Siu Pau in Japan, so how could it be Japanese. But he said, "Hey, there're plenty in Yokohama's Chinatown!"...I was like...cehhhh....still Chinese food mah! I mean, of all Japanese food....Char Siu Pau, aiyo!

Only maki-sushi, wallop only. No sashimi, too bad!

A British performing the Taiko drum. She was trained in Tokyo.

Have a go at the song

Whenever I feel nostalgic, Rimi Natsukawa's "Nada Sou Sou"(涙そうそう) comes to mind. Just don't know why.

This Japan Day made me reminiscent those good ol' days in Niigata. I was so overwhelmed with nostalgic feelings that at one point I thought of going back to Japan for a PhD! But whenever I had thoughts of that, Urasa comes to mind and wipes them off immediately.