Japan Play Transylvania

In ultimele luni de zile, in mintile catorva tineri interprinzatori se contura un festival de cultura traditional si moderna japoneza, unul din primele festivale de cultura japoneza de anvergura din Cluj-Napoca. Festivalul a fost gandit sa acopere atat cultura populara moderna a Japoniei, mult indragita si anticipata de tineretul interesat de cultura japoneza de la Cluj si din tara, cat si partea culturala traditionala, fara de care cultura japoneza moderna cu siguranta ca nu ar exista in forma in care se gaseste acum.

Organizatorii principali ai acestui festival, dl Mircea Muresan si dra Raluca Tripa, au apelat la Cercul Prietenii Japoniei, care a mai avut experiente anterioare cu astfel de manifestari, chiar daca la scara mai mica, la nivelul orasului Cluj-Napoca, pentru a contribui cu o serie de evenimente culturale traditionale ce aveau sa aiba loc incepand din seara de vineri, 27 aprilie, pana duminica, 29 aprilie, seara.

Am acceptat aceasta provocare, pe care am reusit sa o ducem la indeplinire cu succes neasteptat de mare, dupa opinia noastra. Spatiul care ne-a fost pus la dispozitie a fost Bastionul Croitorilor din Piata Cipariu, poate locul cel mai potrivit din Cluj pentru domeniul care ni s-a dat in grija, acela al culturii traditionale japoneze.

Vineri, 27 aprilie – Ceainaria Sakura

Cu ajutorul voluntarilor nostri si a celor pusi la dispozitie de catre organizatori, carora le multimim, bineinteles, nespus de mult, am reusit sa pregatim expozitia ce avea sa se deschida publicului a doua zi dimineata, si sa facem in acelasi timp si pregatirile necesare pentru Ceremonia Ceaiului, care a avut loc in Ceainaria cu specific japonez „Sakura”, pe Calea Motilor, nr. 48., ca si un eveniment de deschidere pentru ce avea sa se intample in urmatoarele doua zile.

Ceremonia a decurs frumos, fiind executata de insusi directorul Cercului Prietenii Japoniei, dl Katsutaro Kawai, care a servit ceai verde pudra in mod ceremonial, fetelor superbe imbracate in kimono. 

Dupa aceasta servire demonstrativa, fiecarei persoana prezenta i s-a dat sansa sa participe la aceasta ceremonie, pentru a gusta din ceea ce inseamna aceasta onoare, de a fi servit cu ceai japonez matcha in cel mai frumos mod cu putinta de catre persoana care executa aceasta ceremonie.

La finalul ceremoniei publicul a putut face poze si sa discute, sa puna intrebari si sa se bucure de ceainarie in continuare.

Sambata, 28 aprilie – Bastionul Croitorilor

Sambata dimineata festivalul a inceput, cu toate panzele sus, la ora 10:00, prima activitate pe care am sustinut-o fiind kitsuke, sau probatul kimono-ului. Chiar daca nu am avut la dispozitie si kimono-uri pentru barbati, multe fete s-au aratat doritoare sa incerce imbracamintea deosebita.
*(Pozele facute participantilor pot fi ridicate adresele:
http://www.2shared.com/file/4q9Xnjpt/kitsuke_pt1.html
http://www.2shared.com/file/JQHTrgoK/kitsuke_pt2.html
http://www.2shared.com/file/VEL6hxHX/kitsuke_pt3.html)

                                             Multumim tuturor!

La ora 10:30 a inceput si proiectia de basme traditionale japoneze, unde cele trei fete voluntare imbracate in kimono au lecturat basmele, astfel ca acestea au prins viata, impreuna cu imaginile din spate. 

Copiii, care compuneau marea parte a publicului, s-au aratat foarte entuziasmati si incantati de acest moment, insa momentul a parut sa captiveze si tinerii si adultii, care s-au bucurat si au aplaudat impreuna cu copiii.

Ora 12:00 a adus cu ea atelierul origami, unde prezenta a fost compusa atat de copii cat si de tineri si adulti. Am confectionat impreuna cateva modele traditionale japoneze, cum ar fi bine-cunoscutul cocor, coiful de samurai si broscuta saltareata. 

Chiar daca am folosit foi de hartie de dimensiuni mai mici, participantii s-au aratat indemanatici, modelele reusite aducand zambete pe buze.

Dupa atelierul origami am trecut la jucariile japoneze pentru copii. Publicul, cu mic si mare, s-a aratat din nou entuziasmat si incantat de interesantele jucarii japoneze, in care se numara darumaotoshi, kendama, fuusen, koma si alte jucarii interesante, a caror demonstratie a fost facuta de catre dl Kawai, cu ajutorul catorva mici voluntari din randul publicului.

 Aceasta demonstratie s-a dovedit a fi de asemenea, o atractie interesanta pentru public.

Dupa demonstratia de jucarii japoneze am fost onorati sa il avem intre noi pe dl Yasuyuki Takagi, pentru un moment cultural japonez inedit, o demonstratie de muzica la shamisen, instrument traditional japonez, 

urmat de un dans traditional japonez. 

Publicul a fost incantat de spectacolul oferit de dl Takagi, care desi in prezent locuieste in Bucuresti, a inceput sa cante la shamisen in urma cu trei ani, in ciuda varstei sale. Prin propriul exemplu, dansul doreste sa ne demonstreze ca nu este niciodata prea tarziu pentru a invata ceva nou. Am dori sa nu uitam acest lucru pana cand vom ajunge si noi la varsta dansului.

Ziua a fost incheiata cum se cade, cu un ultim eveniment care a inceput la ora 17:00, o demonstratie de ikebana, arta aranjarii florilor, sau mai exact arta de a da viata florilor. Demonstratia a fost realizata de sotia dlui Kawai, dna Kayoko Kawai. 

Am asistat la procesul de aranjare a doua aranjamente florale, timp in care dna Kayoko a oferit explicatii legate de regulile de aranjare, proportii, dimensiuni, elementele componente. Publicul a fost din nou incantat si s-au realizat multe fotografii cu aranjamentele, dar si cu dl Takagi si dna Kawai, imbracati in imbracamintea traditionala japoneza, kimono.

Duminica, 29 aprilie – Bastionul Croitorilor

Ziua de duminica a semanat, in mare parte, cu ziua de sambata, cu cateva diferente, oferind astfel sansa celor care nu au putut sa vina in prima zi sa vada o mare parte din evenimente in a doua zi a festivalului.

Ziua a inceput la fel, cu probarea de kimono si cu momentul de basme japoneze, lumea aratandu-se la fel de incantata ca in ziua precedenta. Dupa momentul de basme japoneze a urmat o proiectie de documentar despre urmarile dezastrului din 11 martie din Japonia, la un an de la acesta. Dupa proiectie a urmat o noua demonstratie de dans japonez si shamisen, realizata de acelasi domn Yasuyuki Takagi. Dat fiind faptul ca de aceasta data evenimentul era anticipat, prezenta la eveniment a fost mai mare, precum si repertoriul de cantece la shamisen pe care dl Takagi le-a cantat.

Dupa momentul Takagi a urmat din nou o prezentare de jucarii japoneze, jucarii pe care publicul a fost mai apoi liber sa le incerce. Copiii s-au aratat din nou deosebit de incantati. Nu a fost insa timp de prea multa joaca pentru ca la ora 15:30 incepea atelierul etegami. 

Un numar mare de participanti s-a prezentat si la acest eveniment, care a fost unul foarte reusit, felicitarile pictate fiind unele dintre cele mai reusite pe care le-am vazut. 

Publicul s-a aratat incantat si la acest eveniment, lucru care ne-a facut sa uitam putin de oboseala acumulata in cele 3 zile.

Punct festivalului de la Bastionul Croitorilor a pus evenimentul de haiku, in care cativa studenti de la Facultatea de Litere, indrumati de dna Rodica Frentiu, profesoara de limba japoneza si caligraf, au recitat in fata publicului cateva poeme haiku.

 In a doua parte a acestui eveniment, dl Radu Cretu, autor de haiku in limba romana, a recitat la randul sau cateva creatii proprii si ale catorva din membrii cenaclului de haiku „Sakura”, care se intalneste o data pe luna la ceainaria cu specific japonez cu acelasi nume. In final am multumit participantilor iar festivalul a luat sfarsit.

Expozitia de obiecte japoneze

Pe tot parcursul festivalului, publicul a putut vizita si expozitia de obiecte japoneze pe care am amenajat-o la etajele 2 si 3 ale turnului, la etajul 2 putand fi admirata si expozitia de caligrafie a dnei prof. univ. Rodica Frentiu. 

In cadrul expozitiei s-au putut vedea diverse obiecte japoneze, de la papusi in miniatura la coiful de samurai. Printre piesele notabile se numara o papusa japoneza de dimensiuni mari, imbracata traditional, baiatul samurai, complex realizat, unde se pot observa diverse aspecte ale costumatiei unui samurai, 

waramono, manneki neko, vesela japoneza, evantaie deosebite, dar si modele complexe realizate prin tehnica origami, kirigami si papercraft. 

Personal, am fost incantati de expozitia pe care am reusit sa o realizam si credem ca si vizitatorii au ramas placut impresionati.

La iesirea din cladire, vizitatorii au avut posibilitatea, pe tot parcursul festivalului, sa achizitioneze suveniruri, pentru a avea un lucru care sa le aminteasca de acest festival.

Ganduri de final

In general, festivalul a depasit chiar si asteptarile noastre, din punctul nostru de vedere. Bineinteles ca parerile sunt impartite in cazul publicului exterior. Ar fi imposibil sa impacam pe toata lumea. Suntem insa bucurosi ca am primit feedback pozitiv din partea multor participanti, multe incurajari, ceea ce ne ajuta sa ne straduim in continuare sa facem lucruri cel putin la fel de frumoase. Ne-am bucurat mult sa vedem fete vesele, incantate, fete care poate au gasit in sfarsit ceea ce cautau de atata vreme, asa cum poate eram multi dintre noi la un moment dat.

Festivalul va ramane mai mult decat o amintire placuta pentru noi, avand credinta ca fiecare strop de sudoare scurs in acest festival a fost castigat. Dorim sa multumim atat publicului minunat cat si voluntarilor, fara de care nu am fi putut sa ducem aceasta misiune la indeplinire sub nici o forma. Dorim ca pe viitor, sau cat mai curand posibil, astfel de manifestari culturale sa mai aiba loc, fie la Cluj, fie in alte parti. Multumim tuturor din inima si speram sa ne vedem cat mai curand in cadrul activitatilor culturale pe care noi le organizam.

 ***English Version below:*****

In the past months, a Japanese popular and modern culture festival was being prepared in the minds of a few young people, one of the first significant Japanese culture festivals in Cluj-Napoca. The festival was organized so as to cover both Japanese modern culture, beloved and much anticipated by the younger generation public from Cluj and around the country, and Japanese traditional culture as well, with the lack of which modern culture would not be the one we know today for sure.

The main coordinators of this festival, Mr. Mircea Muresan and Ms. Raluca Tripa, asked Japan’s Friends Club, who had previous experience with such cultural manifestations though on a smaller scale, at city level, to handle most of the traditional culture related events at the festival, which were going to start Friday evening, April 27^th, and last through Sunday, April 29^th.

We accepted this challenge and brought it to a successful ending. The space we were provided was Bastionul Croitorilor in Piata Cipariu, maybe the best place in Cluj for the domain that we were responsible of, that of Japanese traditional culture.

Friday, April 27^th – Sakura Teahouse

With the help of our volunteers and the ones provided by the organizers, whom we thank a whole lot, we managed to get ready the expo which had been going to open to the public next morning, in time for the Japanese Tea Ceremony which was going to take place that evening at “Sakura” Japanese Teahouse, on Calea Motilor, 48, as an opening event for what was going to happen in following two days.

The Ceremony went well and it was performed by Japan’s Friends Club director, Mr. Katsutaro Kawai, who served powder green tea ceremonially to the beautiful girls dressed in kimono. After this demonstration, every participant had the chance to participate at the ceremony, to have a taste of what this honour means, to be served Japanese matcha in the neatest way the person who performs the ceremony can.

At the end of the ceremony the public was free to enjoy the teahouse, to ask questions and take pictures with the girls.

Saturday, April 28^th – Bastionul Croitorilor

Saturday morning the festival started at full speed at 10 o’clock, the first activity being kitsuke, kimono dressing. Even though we didn’t have kimonos for men, many girls wanted to try the beautiful Japanese garment.

At 10:30 the Japanese traditional legends projection began, where three volunteer girls, dressed in kimonos lectured the legends in such way that they caught life together with the suggestive images in the back. Not only children, who made up the majority of the public, appeared very enthusiastic, but so did the adult audience, who laughed and clapped together with the children.

12:00 o’clock brought with itself the origami workshop, where the public was also made up of both children and adults. We made together some traditional Japanese origami models, like the well-known crane, the samurai helmet and super frog. Even though we used paper of smaller size than usual, the participants proved very dexterous, the models they created being the source of many smiles.

After the origami workshop we we went on to the Japanese toys. The public was very curious about the interesting Japanese toys, among which we mention darumaotoshi, kendama, fuusen, koma and some other interesting toys. Mr. Katsutaro Kawai demonstrated how to play with each toy, helped by little volunteers from the public. The demonstration proved to be a magnet for the public.

After the Japanese toys demonstration, we were honoured to have with us Mr. Yasuyuki Takagi, for a special Japanese cultural moment, a shamisen demonstration, which is a Japanese musical instrument, followed by a traditional dance demonstration. The public was very excited about the spectacle offered by Mr. Takagi, who even though he lives in Bucharest, he started learning how to play the shamisen three years ago, despite his age. By his own example, he wanted to teach us that it is never too late to learn something new. We would like to keep his message in mind until we will be of his age.

The day ended in glory, with a last event which started at 17 o’clock, an ikebana demonstration, the art of flower arrangements, or literary the art of giving life to flowers, performed by Mr. Kawai’s wife, Ms. Kayoko Kawai. We assisted at the process of arranging two flower arrangements, Ms. Kawai offered explanations regarding the rules of ikebana, proportions, dimensions, elements of the arrangements. The public was impressed again and many pictures of the arrangements were taken, and also with Mr. Takagi and Ms. Kayoko, who were dressed in a japanese traditional way.

Sunday, April 29^th

Sunday was much like Saturday, with a few different activities, giving people the chance to participate to the events that they could not participate to the previous day.

The day started the same, with kitsuke and with the Japanese legends moment, the people proving as interested as they were the day before. After this event, we projected a documentary about the situation of Japan a year after the dramatic events of March 11^th. After the projection Mr. Takagi performed at shamisen and danced for us again. Given the fact that this time the event had been announced before, more people were present at the event and Mr. Takagi’s repertoire was more consistent.

After the Takagi moment we presented the Japanese toys again to the public, giving them the possibility to try them afterwards. The children were very excited again. There was not much time for playing around though, since at 15:30 the etegami workshop began. A great number of participants came to this event, which was a really successful one. The postcards they painted were wonderful, some of the best we’ve seen at our workshops. The participants seemed very happy and excited, which made us forget about the fatigue accumulated in the 3 days.

The last event of the festival that took place at Bastionul Croitorilor was the haiku event, where several students of the Litere Faculty, coordinated by Ms. Rodica Frentiu, a professor at the Babes Bolyai University, recited in front of the public a few haiku poems. In the second part of the event, Mr. Radu Cretu, Romanian haiku writer, recited some of his personal creations and some of the members of the “Sakura” haiku circle who meet once a month at the “Sakura” Teahouse. In the end we appreciated the public for their attention and the festival at Bastionul Croitorilor came to an end.

The Japanese Objects Expo

During the festival, the public could visit our Japanese objects expo, which we arranged at the 2^nd and 3^rd floor of the building, the 2^nd floor being shared with Ms. Rodica Frentiu’s calligraphy exposition. Within the exposition, the visitors could see such diverse items as miniature dolls, a samurai helmet, a samurai doll boy, very complex, on which various details can be observed., waramono, manneki neko, Japanese porcelain, hand fans and complex origami, kirigami and papercraft models.

Personally, we were very pleased with our exposition and we believe that the visitors were also impressed.

All during the festival, at the exit, the visitors had the possibility to get souvenirs for a better memory of the festival.

Final thoughts

Generally, the festival exceeded our expectations. Of course, there are always people who are hard to satisfy. However, we are relieved that we got positive feedback from many of the participants, lots of encouragements, which helps us make every effort from here on to organize events at least as interesting as this. We were very happy to see smiling faces, who maybe finally found what they were looking for for a long time, like we were maybe some time.

The festival will remain more than a pleasant memory for us, believing that every drop of sweat shed during this festival was worth. We want to give our thanks to both the wonderful public and to the volunteers, without the help of whom we could not have ended the mission successfully by any means. We wish that in the future, or maybe as soon as possible, such cultural manifestations to take place in Cluj or in other places. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and see you soon at our usual cultural activities.

Pregatiri de festival - Sambata, 21 aprilie 2012

In data de 21 aprilie, Cercul Prietenii Japoniei s-a intalnit pentru a prezenta festivalul Japan Play Transylvania si pentru a discuta ce loc va ocupa Cercul Prietenii Japoniei in cadrul acestuia, si cum ar putea, cei care doresc, sa ne ajute sa facem din acest festival o adevarata reusita, in mod voluntar.

Am avut prezenti la aceasta intalnire pe organizatorii principali ai acestui festival, dl Mircea Muresan si dra Raluca Tripa. 

La inceputul intalnirii acestia au prezentat diferitele aspecte ale festivalului, cu precadere legat de partea culturii moderne japoneze si evenimentele legate de aceasta, ce aveau sa aiba loc la Casa de Cultura a Studentilor, urmand ca apoi, Cercul Prietenii Japoniei sa prezinte partea culturala traditionala a festivalului, ce avea sa aiba loc la Turnul Croitorilor si la Ceainaria cu specific japonez „Sakura”.

Dupa prezentarea activitatilor, s-au recrutat voluntari, atat pentru pregatirile necesare festivalului, cat si pentru desfasurarea evenimentelor in sine, in final reusind sa recrutam voluntari suficienti pentru toate activitatile si evenimentele. Suntem recunoscatori si vrem sa multumim mult pentru ajutorul si implicarea fiecarui voluntar, dar si pentru sustinerea morala a celor care nu au reusit sa ne sustina altfel.

******English Version bellow:******

On april 21^st, Japan’s Friends Club organized a meeting to present the Japan Play Transylvania festival and discuss about the place Japan’s Friends Club  will have in the festival and also see in what ways could the people who would like to do so voluntarily, help us make the most out of the festival.

Among the people present at the meeting, we had been honoured with the presence of Japan Play Transylvania’s main organizers, Mr. Mircea Muresan and Ms. Raluca Tripa. At the beginning of the meeting, the two of them presented different aspects of the festival, mostly regarding the events which were to take place at Casa de Cultura a Studentilor, events mostly connected with Japanese pop and modern culture, whereas Japan’s Friends Club presented the activities and events linked to Japanese traditional culture, which were to take place at Turnul Croitorilor and “Sakura” Japanese Teahouse.

After the activities had been presented, volunteers were recruited, for both the preparation activities necessary before the festival, and also for the events themselves, in the end being able to recruit volunteers for all our events and activities. We are grateful and we want to thank you very much for all your help and effort, and also for the moral support of those who could not manage to help in other ways.

Scoala Altfel - Kirigami si ceai verde

Saptamana 2 – 6 aprilie a fost, pentru scolile din intreaga tara, o saptamana deosebita, intre ale carei scopuri se numara si promovarea activitatilor extra curriculare, prin care copiii sa se poata desprinde de activitatile obisnuite de la scoala si sa incerce ceva nou, interesant, ceva care sa le poata dezvolta deprinderi neincercate inainte, dar care sa ii relaxeze in acelasi timp.

In acea saptamana, mai multe clase primare ale Scolii „Ioan Bob” au apelat la Cercul Prietenii Japoniei si la Ceainaria cu specific japonez Sakura, pentru cateva activitati culturale pentru copii. 

In urma acestor solicitari, Cercul Prietenii Japoniei a gandit un program sustinut in spatiul ceainariei, prin care copiii sa poata avea poate primul contact cu o parte a culturii japoneze, sa afle lucruri noi si interesante despre aceasta cultura indepartata, dar adusa cu cativa pasi mai aproape de noi cu ajutorul dlui Katsutaro Kawai si a echipei Cercului.

In cadrul activitatii propuse, copiii au putut experimenta un ceai verde japonez, servit in modul traditional, fara zahar, asezati in pozitie de seiza, pe rogojinele de paie tatami.

                          (Luni, 2 apr., Clasa a III-a C)

                           (Marti, 3 apr., Cls. a III-a A)

                          (Marti, 3 apr., Cls. a IV-a B )
 Chiar daca unii copii, asa cum era de asteptat, nu au reusit sa se impace cu gustul amar al ceaiului verde, un numar surprinzator de mare de elevi au apreciat ceaiul verde, spunand incantati ca este foarte bun, spre bucuria noastra, lucru care se intampla rare ori chiar in randul adultilor care incearca putin-cunoscuta bautura.

Elevii au putut apoi sa observe, in liniste si ordine, decorul ceainariei, cu elementele specifice japoneze, cum ar fi paravanele shoji, rogojinele tatami de pe platforme, tablourile japoneze, caligrafia shodo, lampioanele chochin, perdelele din origami, si alte elemente. Copiii au observat foarte usor elementele deosebite din ceainarie, fara sa stie insa denumirile acestora. 

               Au putut sa observe si imbracamintea traditionala japoneza, admirand kimono-ul drei Andreea, chelnerita noastra, cu elementele specifice cum ar fi obi-ul­, sosetele tabi si sandalele geta.

                               ( Joi, 5 apr., Cls. a II-a )

                           (Joi, 5 apr., Cls. I- a)

Dupa savurarea ceaiului si acomodarea cu atmosfera din ceainarie, fiecare elev a primit hartie colorata in forma de triunghi, pregatite de catre noi inainte, pe care am desenat cateva modele diferite. Copiii au decupat cu foarfeca modelele usor de decupat, pentru ca in final fiecare sa descopere un model interesant. Copiii au fost foarte incantati de ceea ce au reusit sa faca.

                              (Vineri, 6 apr., Cls. a II-a )

In final am facut poze de grup pentru a avea o amintire cat mai clara a acestui eveniment. Copiii s-au simtit foarte bine in atmosfera placuta a ceainariei, s-au bucurat de ceaiul japonez, de exercitiul de decupare propus, si in acelasi timp au aflat lucruri noi, interesante despre Japonia.

Una din clase a dorit sa vina chiar de doua ori in aceeasi saptamana la ceainarie, cea de-a doua vizita fiind diferita, unde pe langa ceaiul savurat, copiii au vizionat cantece japoneze cu suport vizual animat, numite Minna no Uta, care sunt educative si ne invata unele principii morale, fiind in acelasi timp foarte placute pentru copii, prin maniera in care invataturile sunt prezentate.

                              (Vineri, 6 apr.,  Cls. a II-a )

Suntem mai mult decat multumiti de ceea ce am reusit sa realizam impreuna cu copiii si dorim ca pe viitor sa avem cat mai multe astfel de momente frumoase impreuna. Speram ca ceea ce copiii invata in cadrul acestor activitati, atat ca deprinderi practice, elemente de cultura, dar si pe plan moral, sa le ramana copiilor cat mai bine intiparite si ca interesele viitoare ale acestora sa fie influentate in mod pozitiv, spre lucruri mai inalte, sperand la un interes mai ridicat pentru cultura in randul tinerilor acestei generatii.

*****English Version Bellow:******

2 to 6 April was, for the schools in the entire country, special week, among the purposes of which accounts the promotion of extra-curricular activities for children, who would be able to disconnect from their usual school activities and try something new, interesting, something that enables them to discover and exercise skills which they might have yet to try, and which should be relaxing at the same time.

Given the opportunity, many elementary school classes from the “Ioan Bob” school contacted us, Japan’s Friends Club and Sakura Teahouse, to sustain a few cultural activities for children. Japan’s Friends Club’s response was positive, so we prepared a program for children which we would sustain in the Japanese Teahouse, where children were given the chance to have their first contact with a slice of Japanese culture and find out new interesting things about this distant culture, brought a few steps closer to us with the help of Mr. Katsutaro Kawai and the Japan’s Friends Club team.

Among the activities that we proposed, the children were given the chance to experience Japanese green tea, served in a traditional manner, without sweeteners, sitting in seiza position, on the tatami mats. Although, as expected, some of the children did not fancy green tea, a surprising number of children appreciated it, claiming that it was very good, to our joy, something that happens rarely, even when adults are giving a whirl to the little-known beverage.

The children could then observe in silence and orderly, the decorations of the teahouse, with the Japanese specific elements, like the shoji paravans, the tatami mats on the platforms, the Japanese images on the walls, as well as the Japanese callicraphy shodo, the Japanese paper lanterns called chochin, the origami curtains, and other elements. The children noticed the unusual elements with ease, however without knowing the names of specific objects. They could also observe the Japanese traditional clothing admiring the summer kimono that our waitress, Andreea had been wearing, with its own elements, the obi, the tabi socks and the geta sandals.

After the children enjoyed their green tea and got used to the environment, the pupils received a paper triangle each, prepared by us in advance, on which we had drawn a few different models. The children had been given the task to cut out the paper, in the end each of the paper triangles resulting in an interesting model. The children had been very excited about the resulting models.

In the end we took group pictures in order to have a clear memory of the event. the children felt very good in the pleasant atmosphere of the teahouse, enjoyed the Japanese green tea and the cutting exercise, while finding out new and interesting information about the Japan.

One of the classes requested our cultural services twice that week, the second visit being, of course, different, where besides the tea that we served, the children watched Japanese songs with visual animated support, called Minna no Uta, which are educative and teach us some basic moral principles that the children should know, being very pleasant to watch at the same time.

              We are more than happy with what we managed to realize together with the children and we hope that in the future we will have many more such beautiful moments together. We hope that what the children learn during these activities, skills as well as cultural elements and morals, will remain deeply engraved in the children, hoping that their future interests will be positively influenced, towards higher things, with more interest for culture whatsoever, among younger generations.

Paste fericit tuturor!

             Dupa o iarna friguroasa si plina de zapada, vantul de primavera a dezmierdat natura: florile s-au deschis iar copacii s-au imbracat de sarbatoare… Cata splendoare oriunde ai privi.

In acest decor minunat putem intampina si in acest an sarbatoarea Pastelui.

Hristos a indurat bland si tacut suferinta nedreapta, batjocurile si rastignirea, iar a treia zi a inviat. Ce minunat! Hristos a inviat!

              Va dorim tuturor sa va bucurati de aceasta sarbatoare si vacanta primita.

Va reamintim ca urmatoarea intalnire de cultura japoneza va avea loc Sambata, 21 aprilie, incepand cu orele 18:00, pe str. Motilor 48, in cadrul careia vom discuta despre momentele noastre culturale in cadrul festivalului Japan Play Transylvania care va avea loc in Cluj in perioada 28-29 aprilie si posibilitatile de implicare ca voluntar.

Pentru mai multe detalii legate de program si conditii de participare puteti consulta site-ul: http://japan-play.com/ro/.

                  In numele echipei Cercul Prietenii Japoniei,

                           Minodora B.

              *Pentru insipratia d-voastra cu ocazia sarbatorii!

Seara speciala - 31 martie 2012

Cea de a treia intalnire din luna martie a fost programata pe data de 31 martie, datorita faptului ca in aceasta zi am avut un vizitator deosebit, pe domnul Hiroyuki Ando, un domn japonez care locuieste in Germania de aproximativ 12 ani.
 Cu ocazia vizitei acestui oaspete am decis sa organizam o intalnire speciala, in care sa servim cu totii udon, specialitatea culinara a regiunii de origine a dlui Katsutaro Kawai, organizatorul principal al intalnirilor de cultura ale Cercului Prietenii Japoniei.

Intalnirea a inceput ca de obicei, cu prezentarea fiecarui participant, dat fiind faptul ca multi participanti se aflau la noi pentru prima data. Dupa prezentari, dl Ando s-a prezentat pe sine si activitatea pe care o sustine in Germania, unde asemenea dlui Katsutaro Kawai in Romania, este un misionar crestin, avand o mica biserica pentru japonezi in Dusseldorf, unde in prezent locuiesc aproape 6000 de japonezi. 

Am aflat apoi ca dansul are doua fete, una mai mica, de 15 ani si una mai mare de 18 ani, cu mentalitati diferite in ce priveste relatia lor cu Japonia. Dl Ando ne-a prezentat diverse aspecte ale vietii unui Japonez in Germania, lucruri bune, cum ar fi seriozitatea nemtilor, promptitudinea, ordinea, nivelul inalt de civilizatie, insa dl Ando acuza lipsa de maleabilitate a nemtilor, care vor sa faca lucrurile exact asa cum au invatat, fara sa accepte alte variante. De asemenea am aflat care sunt efectele unei lungi sederi in Germania asupra unui japonez, care devine treptat, treptat mai direct, astfel incat atunci cand cineva din Japonia viziteaza pe cineva in Germania, ramane socat de exprimarea directa a gandurior, in conditiile in care japonezii in mod normal incearca sa evite ranirea persoanelor din jur prin raspunsuri negative date indirect, oarecum pe ocolite.

Dupa ce am mai aflat cateva lucruri interesante, a urmat un moment in care publicul a putut sa puna intrebari, care au venit din partea publicului in numar destul de mare.

Partea a doua a intalnirii a fost dedicata udon-ului, taieteii japonezi preparati de catre dl Katsutaro Kawai, impreuna cu cativa voluntari din randul participantilor la intalnirile Cercului Prietenii Japoniei.

 Inainte de servirea propriu-zisa insa, dl Kawai a povestit ce inseamna udon pentru locuitorii regiunii Kagawa, si experientele dansului din timpul copilariei. 

Am aflat de asemenea ca exista o mare densitate de magazine de udon in regiunea Kagawa, aproximativ doua magazine pe fiecare straduta, asa cum a numarat dl Kawai in copilaria sa. Sanuki-udon este cel mai cunoscut fel de udon, preparat la poalele muntelui Sanuki, de unde isi trage numele. Cercul Prietenii Japoniei a servit un astfel de udon, preparat dupa metoda traditionala cunoscuta de catre dl Kawai.

Dupa ce am servit cu totii udon, care a fost din belsug,

 a urmat obisnuitul moment de fotografii si discutii, dupa care fiecare din noi ne-am intors acasa mai bogati cu o experienta interesanta in cadrul Cercului Prietenii Japoniei.

****English Version Bellow:********

The third meeting in March took place on the 31^st, due to the fact that on that day we had a special guest, Mr. Hiroyuki Ando, a Japanese who has been living in Germany for about 12 years. Having this special guest we decided to organize a special meeting and eat udon together, the culinary speciality of Mr. Katsutaro Kawai’s district of origin in Japan.

The meeting started as usual, with the introduction of every participant, especially since there were many participants who came to our meeting for the first time. After the introductions, Mr. Ando introduced himself and the activity that he sustains in Germany, where like Mr. Kawai in Romania, Mr. Ando is a Christian missionary, having a small Japanese church in Dusseldorf, where almost 6000 Japanese currently live.

We also found out that Mr. Ando has two girls, 15 and 18, who have two different opinions about their relationship with Japan. Mr. Ando also presented a few different aspects of the life of Japanese in Germany, with its good parts, since Germans are serious people, prompt, orderly and they have a high level of civilization. However, Germans appear to be too rigid in their thinking and mentality. Furthermore, we found out what living for a long time in Germany draws upon Japanese people, who become too straightforward, given the fact that Japanese people are usually considerate of their interlocutor’s feelings and avoid being direct when there is a disagreement.

After we found out more interesting things, the public had been invited to ask questions, and a lot of questions had been asked indeed.

The second part of the meeting was dedicated to udon, the Japanese noodles prepared by Mr. Katsutaro Kawai, together with a few volunteers, usual participants to our meetings. Before eating udon however, Mr. Kawai told us a few things about what udon means for the people of the Kagawa region and about his own childhood experiences. We found out that there is a great density of udon shops in Kagawa, about two shops on every street, as Mr. Kawai used to count in his childhood. Sanuki-udon is the most renowned kind of udon, prepared around Mount Sanuki, the origin of the name. Japan’s Friends Club served this kind of udon, prepared by the traditional recipe known by Mr. Kawai.

After we all ate udon, which was more than enough for everybody the usual moment of pictures and discussions followed. In the end, we all went home with another interesting experience with Japan’s Friends Club.