It's tradition!

As soon as I saw the Nerima City Office Regional Promotion Section's Facebook post about a traditional craft tour, I knew my family would be keen to join the fun.  We have really enjoyed past tours and we are very interested in traditional crafts, so it was a good match for us.

The group met at Nerima Station shortly after lunchtime.  After a short greeting and introduction of our translators (this time we had English and Chinese translators, but if needed several other languages can be supported), we headed into the Nerima Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition.

We walked over to a small area where we were able to watch and enjoy a traditional tea ceremony demonstration.  While everyone wouldn't typically be in chairs during a tea ceremony, this was the best setup for the exhibition.  Watching a woman (I've never seen a man perform a tea ceremony) calmly and precisely walk through the steps of making matcha is beautiful.  First they shared wagashi (beautifully created sweets in the shape of nature to be enjoyed with matcha) with everyone.  Then they told us about the ceremony and different components, like where the person of honor sits and how the participants should admire the cups as much as the tea.

I am always impressed with the ceremony itself, but also with the enthusiasm my son shows toward traditional events like this.  He asked my husband several questions and cheerfully drank the matcha.

When everyone was done with their tea, we walked over to the wasai booth.  Wasai is Japanese dress making, most specifically the sewing of kimono.  It is all done by hand using techniques passed down from generation to generation.  As a person that sews a little bit, it was a beautiful thing to see.  He worked so quickly and used his foot to keep the tension in the fabric.

We then learned about the process of making hand-drawn dying called yuzen.  By drawing directly on the fabric with rubber and rice it prevents parts of the fabric from accepting the dye.  The artist then removes the rice and fills in the areas to create amazing pieces of artwork.  I was floored to learn that when they colorize the drawing, they do it over heat.  How they don't burn the fabric is beyond me.

There were lots of other booths demonstrating a variety of crafts that we enjoyed learning about.  My son really liked trying to weave braids and blow into a shakuhachi (a bamboo woodwind instrument).

After the exhibition, our group walked to a local junior high where we had a lesson in origata (paper folding using washi traditional paper that used to be taught to women in etiquette classes).  We had so much fun folding paper into gift envelopes, chopstick holders, and toothpick pockets.

The day was so interesting and informative.  It is always wonderful to learn more about Japanese culture.  I am so appreciative of the opportunity afforded to us by the city through these outings.