Filtering by Tag: Covid19

Jan 2022 Ikebana Lessons Cancelled

Added on January 7, 2022 by the ikebana shop.

In the midst of this Covid-19 omicron variant onslaught, we have decided that it is best to cancel ikebana lessons for January. Let's sacrifice being away for now so that we may be able to have lessons again when the time is right. Each of us have different comfort levels about mingling. Some may be more vulnerable than others and some may be in close contact with more vulnerable persons. We took all of these in consideration and thought it best not to have our group activity (even if Public Health may still allow it.)

Jan 19th (Wed) lesson CANCELLED
Jan 23rd (Sun) lessons CANCELLED

We will be monitoring developments and decide on the February lessons in a few weeks time.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Please take care, stay safe and we hope to see you all in more comfortable circumstances.

Restrictions Return

Added on December 15, 2021 by the ikebana shop.

Updated Dec 21, 2021:

Effective Dec 22, 2021, the maximun number of customers allowed inside the shop will be 4 persons. Thank you for your understanding.

Been there; done that. We know the drill and can do this again! As we battle the Covid-19 omicron variant this time, the number of customers inside the shop will be limited to 6 persons. Please be mindful of your fellow shoppers and practice social distancing while inside the shop. This restriction will be in place from today, Dec 15th, until further notice as we follow guidance from Public Health. Thank you everyone for your kindness and understanding.

As well, curbside pick-up option is available. We are happy to assist however we can. Just let us know! Take care! Stay safe!

Shop Temporarily Closed

Added on April 25, 2021 by the ikebana shop.

Seeing the COVID-19 case numbers in Halifax are not abating, we have decided to temporarily close the bricks-and-mortar shop from Apr 26th, 2021 until further notice.

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Our online shop remains open.

Curbside pick-up (including knife pick-up/drop-off for sharpening) is available.
Local delivery, powered by Haligone, is also available (for a small fee). See here if your address is eligible. If your address is not within the service area, we can still use Canada Post to ship.

If you find yourself outside the shop and you know what you’d like to purchase, please give us a call (902-407-0487) and we can bring the items to you. We encourage payment by e-transfer as much as possible.

All ikebana lessons for May, 2021 are also cancelled. We hope the situation gets better soon.

Stay home. Stay safe. Be kind.

December Ikebana Lessons Cancelled

Added on November 24, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

It saddens us very much but we have decided to cancel the ikebana lessons scheduled in December.

Affected dates are:

Dec 2nd (Wed) 10-12 morning
Dec 13th (Sun) 10-12 morning & 1-3 afternoon

Lessons that are already paid for will remain valid and will be honoured with your next booking when we are able to re-start.

We are still hoping that we can start lessons again in January, 2021 so we will keep those bookings active until further notice.

If you have any questions, we are a phone call or email away.

We thank you for your understanding. Please keep safe and we hope we can enjoy flowers together again soon.

Second Wave Safety Measures

Added on November 15, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

Updated Nov 28, 2020:

Customer limit inside the shop will be 3 persons maximum at any time. Thank you.

Updated Nov 24, 2020:
Customer limit inside the shop will be 5 persons maximum at any time. Thank you.

Although we are very fortunate to be in a “safe” province like Nova Scotia, we cannot relax our guard. As the weather cools, the number of COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise again. We need to remain vigilant!

Starting Nov 16th, 2020, we are limiting the number of customers inside the shop to a maximum of 6 persons. If you’ve been to our shop, you know that our space is small and it is a challenge to maintain social distancing at all times. The NS Public Health guidelines allow a maximum of 10 persons without social distancing but we decided to make stricter rules for the safety and comfort of everyone.

“Gathering limit for businesses and organizations that can’t maintain a physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet) because their physical space is too small - 10 customers or clients maximum without social distancing (keep as much social distancing as possible)”

— https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/#gatherings

So, if we are going to exceed the six-customer limit, we may ask you to wait outside for a while. There are Q spots on the sidewalk to guide you where to wait for your turn.

Everyone entering the shop is also requested to wear a face mask.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and understanding.

P.S. Online shopping and curbside/in-store pick-up are still on-going as well!

Zoom Demo At SMU

Added on September 30, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

Every year, we are honoured to be invited to present ikebana to the Japanese Culture course offered at St. Mary’s University.

Normally, the demonstration would have been live in the classroom. Afterwards, the students would have been able to see the ikebana arrangements up close and enjoy the subtle details.

But of course, this year is different. University lectures are being conducted online and so must our demonstration! We are posting the demo arrangements below so that the students may have a second look at them.

We’d like to thank Dr. Alexandre Avdulov of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics and all the students in the Japanese Culture course for your warm welcome and keen interest!

*Believe it or not, this was our first “Zoom event” ever.*

Arrangement No. 1 - Basic Upright Moribana

Arrangement No. 2 - Drawing Attention to the Container

Arrangement No. 3 - Seasonal Arrangement: Autumn

We hope you enjoyed the demonstration!

Please Wear A Mask

Added on July 28, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

On July 24, 2020, the province of Nova Scotia announced that wearing face masks becomes mandatory when entering most indoor public spaces starting from July 31, 2020. This regulation includes retail establishments like ours. (Read the NS government’s announcement here for complete details including exemptions.)

We ask for your cooperation when visiting our shop. Let us help keep each other safe and healthy. Thank you very much for your understanding.

Shop Reopens!

Added on June 19, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

Finally!

The shop will reopen on June 20th, Saturday.

New store hours are: Mon-Sat, 1:00-5:00 pm. We’ll try that for now and see how it goes.
Blade sharpening service will also re-start. Knives will be picked up and returned on Tuesdays.

We will have a hand sanitizer bottle at the door and we ask all customers to use it as they enter.

We are excited to reconnect with the community! See you!

Time To Wind Down

Added on June 18, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

To all who loved our masks, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

After over 3000 masks in more than 200 patterns, it is time to wind down the mask-making activity. Our masks will not completely disappear. They will still be available online and in our shop for a while. But we are slowing down the pace.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, masks were scarce and hard to find. We believed that face masks could help. We were not scientific folk; our belief in the good of face masks was not from any rigorous, evidence-based study. But we came from Japan…and in Japan, when one caught a cold, it was normal to wear a mask in consideration of others. It wasn’t to protect oneself; it was to protect the community from oneself. So, we made masks with our little home sewing machine. We sold our masks “at cost”. It was our own little way of helping our community battle this pandemic. And the next two months turned out to be one of the busiest times for us just keeping up with demand we actually had not expected!

But now, the big stores seem to have face masks available already….even the dollar store has them for sale. Time for us small players to step back and let the big boys fill the need. Besides, we are getting ready to re-open our shop really soon!

Things seem to be looking better for us here in Nova Scotia but please stay vigilant. Let’s keep washing our hands frequently! Stay safe. We are all in this together.

Updated October 2nd, 2020
As of October 1st, 2020, we have officially ended our mask-making activity.
We thank you for loving our masks.

Cloth Face Masks

Added on April 5, 2020 by the ikebana shop.

We have Japanese fabric. We have a sewing machine. We have time.

So we made face masks!

These are cloth masks hand-made with cotton fabric from Japan. They are not N95 or surgical/medical-grade masks. Please use in tandem with continued physical distancing and frequent & proper hand-washing.

The Proper Way To Wear A Face Mask
The proper way to put on a mask is with the pleats facing down. If the pleats are facing up, they become like pockets and will collect stuff you don't like rather than letting them flow down. So remember, pleats must face down!

The Proper Way To Handle Face Masks
The area in front of your nose and mouth is potentially contaminated. Once the mask is on your face, you must assume it is contaminated already. Touching the mask and then touching other things (including your face) increases risk of transmission. If a used mask is placed on any surface, then that surface needs to be cleaned.

While wearing the mask… Do not touch the mask.
When removing the mask…Touch only the sides or the straps and take off while moving away from your face.
After removing the mask…Do not put on any surface. Put directly in washer and wash with detergent.

Are Cloth Masks Effective? (Added on Apr 6, 2020)

Cloth masks are not N95 or surgical masks. They do not provide adequate protection to the wearer against incoming virus. They are not meant to replace proper physical distancing and hand-washing. We have to be very clear about this.

There is a danger of the cloth mask giving the wearer a false sense of security, which could lead them to abandon/ignore physical distancing and good hygiene. This should not happen.

Cloth masks hardly protects the wearer but rather protects the people around the wearer. The mask provides a barrier to contain droplets (from speaking, coughing, sneezing) coming from the wearer and prevents potential transmission from wearer to others.

“A non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or landing on surfaces….The science is not certain but we need to do everything that we can and it seems a sensible thing to do.”

From CBC News (posted Apr 6, 2020)
Canada’s top doctor says non-medical masks can help stop the spread of COVID-19

So in an ideal situation, everyone in the community wears a mask when they go out, thus protecting each other from transmission. The cloth mask is an extra layer of protection for the community. Physical distancing and frequent/proper hand-washing should be continued, mask or no mask.

“Let’s put on a mask!” Illustration by @hidekiccan (from Twitter)

Our masks are 5.00 CAD each. We are selling them basically at cost. It is our way of helping our community. They can be purchased from our online shop (while supply lasts!). Take care, stay safe. We are all in this together.