My Ikebana: The Blue Vase

Added on September 24, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Another flower container that I was able to unearth during my recent trip to Japan was this blue vase. Isn't it pretty? This is my first time to use it.

For today's ikebana, I did have a variety of colourful flowers to choose from but I decided that the simple yellow of the alstroemeria would be the perfect companion to the blueness of the container.

I also had some wonderfully leafy weigela branches to work with. But, as much as I loved the little stems branching out of the main branch, I found my clippers snipping away at a furious pace until I ended up with only a strong, simple line. My guess is that it all came back to that desire to show off the container. That was also the reason why I left the lower portion empty.

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. --Miyako

P.S. If you are wondering if we have this vase for sale at our shop, the answer unfortunately is "no". I only found it in a little antique shop in Tokyo!

Rakugo And Sushi In Halifax

Added on September 23, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

Sunday, September 22nd. We made our way to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 for an afternoon of Japanese culture.

Did you know there is a great view of the harbour upstairs? :-)

First on the programme was the Rakugo performance by Katsura Sunshine. (We had introduced him briefly here.)

The "stage" was makeshift--a table on risers covered with red cloth--but it was good enough to create the proper atmosphere for a rakugo performance.

The purple cushion is called a "zabuton". That is where the rakugo artist traditionally sits on one's heels. As Sunshine explained, sitting in this position is called "seiza" in Japanese. In English, it's called "PU-NISH-MENT!" :-)

We have no pictures of Sunshine during his performance because he asked us to listen and enjoy the show rather than get ourselves all preoccupied with our smartphones and cameras. Good advice! We thoroughly enjoyed the show and it was a very quick one hour!

One thing we'd like to share... Sunshine's comment about how funny life can be. He is Canadian. (In fact, he is the only Canadian AND non-Japanese bona fide rakugo artist!) His parents immigrated to Canada from Slovenia 55 years ago and first set foot on this country right here in Pier 21. Who would have thought that their son will find himself here 55 years later, dressed in a kimono and telling Japanese jokes?

After the performance, Sunshine took time to chat with the audience outside. We really appreciated the show, knowing that such an opportunity was quite rare in Halifax.

Next was the washoku (Japanese cuisine) powerpoint presentation by Consul General Tatsuo Arai. He gave us an overview of the different kinds of Japanese food and eating habits. He also made us very hungry!

Consul General Arai admitted that he was not a comedian like Sunshine but don't let the serious countenance fool you. We loved his deadpan jokes as well.

"Japanese breakfast consists of rice, fish and miso soup. Western breakfast consists of toast, eggs, and coffee. I like Japanese breakfast. My wife and son prefer Western breakfast. Conclusion: We have Western breakfast in my home everyday!" :-D

The second half of his presentation was an explanation of how to make sushi. We were lucky to have Fukuyama-san, master chef of Sushi Shige, to do a demonstration.

As Fukuyama-san deftly made nigiri and maki sushi, making it all look very easy, the Consul General reminded us: "It takes at least 10 years of apprenticeship and training to become a sushi chef."

It might take a master sushi chef only a few seconds to come up with your sushi but behind that is years and years of hard work and training!

After the presentation...the part everybody was waiting for: Sushi tasting! The audience was most appreciative.

Yum! Yum! :-)

We would like to thank the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal for sponsoring these events in Halifax. We're a long way from Montreal but you still made things happen and we truly appreciate that! Domo arigatou gozaimashita! (...and we hope that expression is near the top of Sunshine's list of the 47 ways to say "thank you " in Japanese ! ^_^)

Japan Weekend In Halifax

Added on September 14, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

September 21-24 is Japan Weekend in Halifax. Lots of events happening, sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal. More good news: ALL EVENTS ARE FREE!

The tea ceremony demonstration will be led by Alexandre Avdulov Sensei and John McGee Sensei of St. Mary's University. Experience a bit of open air tea at the Grand Parade. If the weather does not permit it, the demonstration will be held inside City Hall.

Rakugo is like Japanese stand-up comedy except that the comedian is sitting down! In reality, the world of Rakugo is quite strict and rigid. It takes many years of apprenticeship before one is allowed to perform to the public. Into this centuries old tradition entered Katsura Sunshine, the only non-Japanese AND Canadian Rakugo artist! "Katsura" is a very old and famous name in Rakugo and Sunshine was "adopted" by the Katsura Rakugo family. Listen to him explain how he got to where he is now.

Japanese Rakugo comedy in English! http://sunshineinenglish.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/KatsuraSunshine https://twitter.com/KatsuraSunshine Part 1/3: http://youtu.be/2SamHpK6dew Part 2/3: http://youtu.be/TFM_i1E8pcA Part 3/3: http://youtu.be/6bEa6RbhauE Greg Robic

In the washoku (Japanese cuisine) presentation, "Consul General Tatsuo Arai dives deep into the traditional customs and history of Japanese gastronomy by first exploring the incredible diversity of flavours and elegant arrangement of various dishes, and later by examining how food continues to influence daily life, popular culture, and Japanese society as a whole." [quoted from the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal information package.]

Of course, we all look forward to the food-tasting afterwards too! :-)

(Note: Image photo by the ikebana shop. We don't exactly know what kind of food will be presented by Consul Arai!)

More information on the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal website.

We hope to see you at all of the events. Everything is authentic and not normally easy to experience in Halifax!

Sleepy Cats

Added on August 28, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

These lavender-filled cats will help you sleep...because they're already sleeping serenely! :-)

Just place beside your pillow and let the lavender relax you. Sweet dreams!

Each one is hand-made right here at the ikebana shop using lavender from Nova Scotia! Which colour do you like best?

Available at the shop or online. $6.50 each (plus HST where applicable.) Made in Canada.

My Ikebana: Taking Care Of Weeds

Added on August 23, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

The Japanese Knotweed (fallopia japonica) -- this plant is considered a weed and very invasive. There's a lot of them growing in our parking area so I decided to help myself with some!

Though not at really related to the bamboo, its stems are also hollow and has raised nodes. I stripped the branches of their leaves and focused on this interesting characteristic of the stems for this arrangement.

For my container, I took two crystal glass candleholders and put one on top of the other.

I played around with straight lines and circles. I lined up the stems horizontally against the vertical grooves of the crystal. The hollow circular cross-section of the stems added round elements into the arrangement.

The orange berries, apart from complementing the circular stem cross-sections, added some colour as well!

And finally, a clump of mini hydrangeas to strengthen the mass.

Here is the whole arrangement.

Another view from the side.

It was quite fun for me to be able to use weeds for an arrangement. Normally, they would've just been cut down and discarded!

I hope you like it. --Miyako

Blade Sharpening Workshops Now Offered

Added on August 16, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

In collaboration with Peter Nowlan of New Edge Sharpening, we are pleased to offer blade sharpening workshops at our studio here in Halifax.

We did a dry-run last week and the result was good! How do we know that? Here is an excerpt from a letter from Patrick after doing the workshop.

...I worked with Peter on this for about 2.5 hrs, Pete said I had it down to a fine science in under an hour as I have been taking lessons from him off and on for over a year now, but wanted to refine my technique using all Japanese stones. I took this knife up to 8000 Grit and she is some fine knife. The selection of Japanese water stone Peter Nowlan has for teaching and for use in his own shop is unreal, he is a perfectionist and every aspect of doing it right but at the same time his teaching methods is laid back comfortable and most enjoyable.

Peter had Japanese flute music going and treated me to very nice Japanese tea, I think it was green tea but very nice indeed The shop is on Quinpool Road and is all about Japanese culture, lots of books on cooking, sushi cook books are stunning, many nice crafts and best if you want to learn the art of Ikenana [sic], Flower arrangement then this is the place not to mention my Favorite is working with a Master at his craft of knife sharpening Mr Peter Nowlan to whom I would recommend lessons or having your own kitchen / Chef knife sharpen by in a heartbeat.

Mr. Nowlan thank you for the wonderful time at your knife sharpening seminar and for imparting your knowledge on proper care and techniques to acquire the sharpest edge knife I have ever had to date from your lessons.

Patrick

Thank you, Patrick!

We don't have pre-scheduled workshops. Please contact us if you (or your group) want to arrange one. More details here.

My Ikebana: All Green

Added on August 11, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

During my recent trip to Japan, I found this flower container at an antique shop and fell in love with it immediately!

Today's material consisted of all greens--myrtle, salal and alder. WIth a green container as well, how could I make the arrangement interesting?

I put the the berry-bearing alder branches near the mouth of the container and tightened the structure with salal.

Then I extended two myrtle branches outwards to provide lightness.

A good expression of contrast between heavy versus light! Here is the whole arrangement.

Another angle.

I hope you like it. -- Miyako

Lilies...And More!

Added on August 5, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

On the recommendation of ikebana student, Patti V., we visited Harbour Breezes on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. It's a place that sells lilies and irises.

The lilies were in full bloom! We did not intend to buy any plants this time but the owners were very kind and told us to feel free to roam around and take pictures. So we did!

They practically filled one side of a hill with lilies and other flowers!

The colours were, of course, incredible....

....and there was a good view of Jeddore Harbour too!

Also, close your eyes and simply enjoy the myriad of scents!

Don't forget the Japanese irises!

Reminded us of Ogata Korin's Kakitsubata folding screens. They're depicted in the 5000-yen note too!

Other blooms could be seen too!

Poppy.

Lotus.

We had a delightful time! ...and now we know where to buy beautiful flowers the next time we get into our gardening mood! :-)

If you want to find out where we had our meals and snacks, click here!

Ikebana Workshop At The Biscuit Eater

Added on August 1, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

It was a beautifully sunny day. Perfect for some creative activity outdoors! ...and the patio of The Biscuit Eater café in Mahone Bay NS was the perfect setting for an afternoon of ikebana.

Under the canopy of parasols and grape vines, people enjoyed an introduction to ikebana.

Miyako started off with a short demonstration. The participants were very attentive and, as you could see, Miyako was enjoying herself!

Next, it was time for everybody else to try it!

Some pointers on the angle to insert the main branch....

A few adjustments here and there....

Miyako remarked that all participants seemed to have the sense for ikebana. Nobody made large bunches. Everybody understood the importance of space in ikebana!

After completing their arrangements, people were relaxed. It didn't hurt that we were at The Biscuit Eater where great tea, coffee and snacks could be had! :-)

Thank you everyone for participating in our ikebana workshop. We hope it served as a good introduction to Japanese floral arrangement.

Thank you to The Biscuit Eater for accommodating us. They re-arranged the whole patio space just for this event!

We'd like to do this again some time!

Mini Exhibit At The Biscuit Eater

Added on July 20, 2013 by the ikebana shop.

The Biscuit Eater is a cozy café and bookshop in Mahone Bay, NS.

They were kind enough to host a mini exhibit for us! So last Thursday (July 18th) Miyako and Susan (Miyako's student) worked all morning to set it up.

This arrangement, a combination of 3 containers, greets guests as they enter the café .

Inside, there are little spaces that allow for smaller arrangements. The window sills are especially bright and cheery!

The one on the left uses a teapot as container! The round yellow container on the right hides among square and triangle shapes! (Accidentally reminiscent of Zen master Sengai's work: The Universe!)

The space along the hallway that connects the two sitting rooms allows us a taller arrangement. The arrangement on the right is for ladies only. Ladies, make sure you visit the WC! :-)

...and up close.

After all the work, a sumptuous lunch! This is the Greek Isles Plate: hummus, kalamata olives, warm pita, cucumber, tomato, romaine lettuce and feta cheese.

The people who made this possible: (L-R) Cara, owner of The Biscuit Eater, Susan and Miyako.

The mini exhibit will be in place up to at least Sunday (July 21st) or, if the flowers are still holding up, even later the following week.

We will have an ikebana workshop also at The Biscuit Eater on July 31st, Wednesday. You can sign up at the café or by email/phone directly to us.