Just a while ago, I went to participate in the Japan Culture Festival where one can experience Japanese tradition all at once.

This festival is sponsored by the Japan Culture Organization which was founded by Tokuji Ishikawa, a calligrapher, and Shunta Kondo, an expert at Japanese tea. It was the first time the festival was held, and there were many special events such as incense programs in addition to calligraphy and Japanese tea ceremony. It was more like a Japanese tradition festival.

The setting was Tachibanaya in Yotsuya, Tokyo. The area which is called Arakicho used to be a district for Geisha entertainment and traditional style restaurants (ryoutei). Tachibanaya, now a Japanese style rental space, was also once a ryoutei.

The current architecture is different from its original appearance, but wooden barring and decorations across the windows and doors still remain from the time it used to be a ryoutei.

One of the wood decorations.

In the Japanese tea program, participants learned and actually practiced the tea ritual with the help from the expert Mr.Kondo.

The flavor and scent of the tea is exceptionally fabulous when Mr.Kondo makes it. Simply magical.

Participants were also provided with sweets called fumanjyu that day. It is a type of manjyu which is a ball of sweet red beans usually wrapped inside rice cake. The delicate taste was very pleasant.

In the calligraphy program, Mr.Ishikawa who is a calligrapher taught eijihachihou, the basics of calligraphy.

It was named eijihachihou because the kanji character (ji) for “ei” contains all eight “hachi” techniques necessary in the art of calligraphy.

After learning the basics, everyone tried calligraphy art by writing their favorite kanji character however they felt like. I was able to enjoy just by watching all the unique ways the others were writing. I wrote the character “tsu” which is the origin of the “TWO” of JAPANTWO.

My favorite was the incense program.

Our teacher, Keiko Matsushita, came down all the way from Kyoto. She has the title of “koushi”, meaning “scent expert”. A koushi is responsible for the entire process of making incense from picking out and combining the ingredients until its finish. In the program, I created an original incense bag.

I was able to choose freely from the ten different scents that were provided. The various scents included cinnamon, several types of spices, as well as others with extreme strength. They were spooned and mixed with a shaker. Ms.Yamashita advised us to gradually turn it into the smell that we imagined, but she also said that it is extremely difficult.

Even half a spoonful can completely change the smell, so it all depended on slight adjustments towards the finish.

The mixture was then put into small colorful bags to carry around.

The bizenyaki session was also popular.

Here, guests were given the opportunity to taste sake from special types of ceramic cups made by the process called bizenyaki.

It is said that beer tastes exceptionally delicious when drunk out of a bizenyaki cup. Its rough surface creates a tiny air bubbles resulting as very smooth foam.
I did an experiment of placing a bizenyaki ball into a cup of beer.

Strangely, fine bubbles began to develop.

It also has a characteristic of a thermos of maintaining the temperature of is contents. When I actually tested it out by drinking sake out of a regular china cup and from a bizanyaki cup, the difference was obvious. Everything from the flavor to the temperature of the sake I drank from the latter was superior.

The event was brought to its end along with the appearance of a rakugo entertainer present as the special guest.

Miyakoasobi tei Konpa from the Edo Shouten provided us with a wonderful performance. Mr.Konpa has such a charming voice, and brought a roar of laughter to the audience.

By seeing that there were so many participants in this event, especially in the afternoon, I was reconfirmed that there are many Japanese who are interested in their tradition and culture.
I will post information if there are any events like this one, so I encourage everyone to go if they have the chance.

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