KANSAI 行きましょ!! 文化體驗
Having visited Japan eight times previously, I really thought I had experienced it all. I had not. JCOM organized many excursions and activities for us in which we could gain deeper insight into Japanese culture. I played traditional Japanese games, wore yukatas, wore kimonos, played a traditional Japanese instrument, and even recorded a song in a professional recording studio.
カルタ (karuta) is a traditional Japanese game in which one person reads out a Japanese proverb (for example 花より団子. it's literal meaning is rice balls over flowers, but it basically means substance over style) and the other players have to find that particular card out of a pile of cards. This is a fun way to practice reading/understand Japanese proverbs and recognizing Japanese characters.
カルタ
自己做的 カルタ
One of my favorite culture experiences was wearing yukatas and kimonos. Yukata is a light kimono made of cotton, worn during the summer and especially during 祭り (a Japanese festival). There is a very complicated and intricate way of putting on a yukata or kimono, especially kimonos, which is very formal attire (for example worn during weddings and funerals). My friends all said I look like a Japanese doll when I put on the kimono, but I think I look like 鬼娃娃花子. There are summer and winter kimonos. Summer kimonos are made of silk crepes (thin silk) while winter kimonos are made of heavier silks and satin. Even though kimonos look very graceful, they are a pain to put on. Since there are two layers in a kimono, it is very hot, but beauty is pain! : D
ゆかた
快穿好了!!
我們是浴衣美人
the crew in ゆかた
Kimono
我和崛せんせい
Another cultural experience was 茶道, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. 茶道 requires a lot of patience, but I think it is very calming and soothing. 茶道 was originated by Samurais who wanted to show off how much money and time they have on their hands. However, the door to the tea room is very low, which inhibits the entering of Samurai swords. It also forces everyone to bow down to enter, which makes everybody in the tea room equals.
Like putting on a kimono, 茶道 also requires many steps. The reason Japanese deserts are so sweet is because the tea is very bitter. However, a really good tea-maker can use the tea whisk to bring out the sweetness of the green tea. The more foam the green tea has, the tastier it will be.
I have yet to master the art of 茶道, but I would love to do it again.
While it is acceptable to wear normal clothing during the tea ceremony, it is better to wear kimonos, or in our case, yukatas. Another occassion we wore yukatas was when we were experiencing the art of the traditional Japanese instrument- koto (琴). Kotos are played with a bamboo reed, which is cuffed around the thumb. It is very hard to play the instrument loudly because the thumb does not have a lot of strength. It takes a lot of practice to become proficient in koto.
'
"茶道是這樣的..."
親身體驗茶道之美
Koto 體驗
天神祭 is one of the three biggest summer festivals in Japan. We were fortunate enough to be in Osaka while the 天神祭 was occurring. We decided to go see for ourselves why this festival is so well renowned. We borrowed yukatas from school, brought fans, and even bought Japanese styled hair accessories (which matched our yukatas!) to attend this special festival. I felt like a true Japanese girl instead of a tourist. 天神祭 boasts over 5,000 different kinds of fireworks. Even though we felt like sardines in a can and our legs felt like they were about to snap off from all the walking, it will always be the experience of a lifetime.
天神祭- 超多人!!
綺麗の花火
累...
Another experience of a lifetime was recording a song in a professional music studio. Every two weeks we could choose one subject we would like to experience out of CD making, flower arrangement, accessory making, and animation. I've always loved to sing, so I chose CD making. These courses took place at the OSM (Osaka School of Music), which has famous alumni such as one of Ayumi Hamazaki's song writers. The song I chose to record was 3月9日 by レミオロメン. The recording studio was exactly what I imagined. SO PROFESSIONAL!! I was nervous when I first went in to record, but the director of the studio just told me to relax and have fun. After I got over my nerves, I felt like a rock star♡
Pro 級的碌音室
Recording
カルタ (karuta) is a traditional Japanese game in which one person reads out a Japanese proverb (for example 花より団子. it's literal meaning is rice balls over flowers, but it basically means substance over style) and the other players have to find that particular card out of a pile of cards. This is a fun way to practice reading/understand Japanese proverbs and recognizing Japanese characters.
カルタ
自己做的 カルタ
One of my favorite culture experiences was wearing yukatas and kimonos. Yukata is a light kimono made of cotton, worn during the summer and especially during 祭り (a Japanese festival). There is a very complicated and intricate way of putting on a yukata or kimono, especially kimonos, which is very formal attire (for example worn during weddings and funerals). My friends all said I look like a Japanese doll when I put on the kimono, but I think I look like 鬼娃娃花子. There are summer and winter kimonos. Summer kimonos are made of silk crepes (thin silk) while winter kimonos are made of heavier silks and satin. Even though kimonos look very graceful, they are a pain to put on. Since there are two layers in a kimono, it is very hot, but beauty is pain! : D
ゆかた
快穿好了!!
我們是浴衣美人
the crew in ゆかた
Kimono
我和崛せんせい
Another cultural experience was 茶道, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. 茶道 requires a lot of patience, but I think it is very calming and soothing. 茶道 was originated by Samurais who wanted to show off how much money and time they have on their hands. However, the door to the tea room is very low, which inhibits the entering of Samurai swords. It also forces everyone to bow down to enter, which makes everybody in the tea room equals.
Like putting on a kimono, 茶道 also requires many steps. The reason Japanese deserts are so sweet is because the tea is very bitter. However, a really good tea-maker can use the tea whisk to bring out the sweetness of the green tea. The more foam the green tea has, the tastier it will be.
I have yet to master the art of 茶道, but I would love to do it again.
While it is acceptable to wear normal clothing during the tea ceremony, it is better to wear kimonos, or in our case, yukatas. Another occassion we wore yukatas was when we were experiencing the art of the traditional Japanese instrument- koto (琴). Kotos are played with a bamboo reed, which is cuffed around the thumb. It is very hard to play the instrument loudly because the thumb does not have a lot of strength. It takes a lot of practice to become proficient in koto.
'"茶道是這樣的..."
親身體驗茶道之美
Koto 體驗
天神祭 is one of the three biggest summer festivals in Japan. We were fortunate enough to be in Osaka while the 天神祭 was occurring. We decided to go see for ourselves why this festival is so well renowned. We borrowed yukatas from school, brought fans, and even bought Japanese styled hair accessories (which matched our yukatas!) to attend this special festival. I felt like a true Japanese girl instead of a tourist. 天神祭 boasts over 5,000 different kinds of fireworks. Even though we felt like sardines in a can and our legs felt like they were about to snap off from all the walking, it will always be the experience of a lifetime.
天神祭- 超多人!!
綺麗の花火
累...
Another experience of a lifetime was recording a song in a professional music studio. Every two weeks we could choose one subject we would like to experience out of CD making, flower arrangement, accessory making, and animation. I've always loved to sing, so I chose CD making. These courses took place at the OSM (Osaka School of Music), which has famous alumni such as one of Ayumi Hamazaki's song writers. The song I chose to record was 3月9日 by レミオロメン. The recording studio was exactly what I imagined. SO PROFESSIONAL!! I was nervous when I first went in to record, but the director of the studio just told me to relax and have fun. After I got over my nerves, I felt like a rock star♡
Pro 級的碌音室
Recording
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