Hands-on Cultural Workshop Committee

The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan and foreigners who settle in Japan for a short period of time has been increasing year by year.  This means more importance is rising for us to convey authentic Japanese culture to foreigners.

Under these circumstances, we at MUA hold a variety of hand-on cultural workshops, including tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy and Yukata dressing. Yukata came to be known worldwide through manga.

The workshop addresses Japanese and foreigners who live, works, or attend schools in Minato City. Usually more than half of the participants are foreigners. This is a good opportunity for MUA to demonstrate the uniqueness and charm of Japanese culture to foreigners who are interested in the traditional culture of Japan.

Our activities aim at promoting international mutual understanding. We hold this workshop three times each year as described below. Because this program is co-sponsored by the Minato City Board of Education, the participation fee is set as low as 500 yen.

“Yukata dressing class”

Contents:

1.  Demonstration of yukata dressing by the instructor
2.  Exercise of wearing yukata with obi until you can wear yukata by yourself
3.  Commemorative photo of all the participants
4.  Exercise of how to fold the yukata once it was taken off

☆ Yukata and obi are available for free to attendees.

“Calligraphy exercise class”

Contents:

1. Explanation on the history of calligraphy and writing tools
2. Exercise kanji and hiragana calligraphy writing, while looking at the model letters
3. Write your favorite characters finally on a colored paper

☆ Participants can use calligraphy tools free of charge.

“Tea ceremony exercise class”

Contents:

1. Explanation on the history of tea ceremony and tea utensils
2. Exercise how to bow and walk on tatami mats
3. Demonstration by the instructor
4. Have sweets and light tea
5. Exercise individually any part of the entire process

In addition to the aforementioned programs, we have also held the following “Japanese folk songs and folk tales” events which demonstrate the handed down traditions in different regions of Japan:

The 1st Okinawa Eisa Dance and Folktales
The 2nd Kumamoto Otemoyan Dance and Folktales (Kumamoto Castle Disaster Recovery Support Project)
The 3rd Shimane Yasugi-bushi Dance and Folktales

In the future, we plan to introduce local traditions from the northern regions of Japan, focusing on folk tales, spoken with local dialects, and dances as presented by local people. Participants will be taught how to sing and dance by invited local instructors.

Plans for future events:
“Bonseki” – Saturday, November 21, 2020 from 13:30 to 16:00
“Calligraphy Exercise Class” – Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 13:30 to 16:00
“Furoshiki Wrapping” – scheduled to be held in March 2021
“Introduction to Tea Ceremony” – to be resumed in May 2021

Photos of major events in action (for your reference):