Canada: cold... okay maybe; epic...definitly!

"Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. Suddenly, I awoke, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming that I am now a man."

That pretty much sums up the sensation of waking up in my bed, in Japan, this morning. How did I get here! Wasn’t I eating Belgium waffles with maple syrup only a few moments ago! Am I Zoë living in Victoria dreaming I am in Japan or am I Zoë living in Japan dreaming I went to Canada?

After an epic one-month journey home to Victoria, I have a lot more to reflect on than my metaphysical self!

To sum up our trip: dash into Victoria, via Tokyo, for a quick hello before jetting off to Alberta with Teresa, Aki and Shauna. One 10 hour drive later, gap at the majestic rises of the rocky mountains and the miles of snow that roll across the planes before us.

We stayed in Alberta for four days, visiting with the long lost Herron clan (Ken and Barb, Chris, Lita, Cali and Paige) with intermittent visits to the Bad Lands, Tirell Dinosaur museum, Hoodoo’s, Shanks Sports Bar, Tack and Leather shop, and the smallest town you will ever see- population 4 people and shrinking…

I was also able to “reacquaint” my cousins Dan and Kathy, Evelyn, Codi and Devon, learning about the finer points of Calgarian hospitality whilst receiving tips on how to catch a cowboy… yee ha! Just point me in the right direction!

With all that excitement and melting snow behind us, we set out for the West coast once more, winding our way through the Kootney’s (Fort Steele was so cool!)- come sun, come snow, come sleet and finally typical west coast showers- to end up back on the Island with it barely having noticed we had left!

Second week in Canada: hair cut, shopping and maple syrup on everything! Marian and Stephan treated Aki, Rosa, Cori, Jay, Nancy and Daryl and I to dinner at Mattise! It was, it goes without saying, delicious! Mmm… lamb… Brule!

Oh… and let the wedding prep begin!! On Saturday eight glamorous ladies piled into two minivans to celebrate Kristy’s Stagette. We were driven out to Deep Cove and proceeded to drink our way back into town via some of Victoria’s finest wineries. My favourite: Sterling Farms. Their scientifically proven wines are rare and stunning.

Sunday Aki, Ian and I set up an Amazing Race Wedding Edition for Kristy and Sean and co. Teams raced around the city playing golf, answering questions and hunting down clues. It was such a gorgeous day that I got my first “colour” of the year… forgot how intense that Canadian sun can be!

We stayed with Stuart and Jan during all the ensuing madness, with hikes up Mt. Doug and my first Shabbat as intermittent moments of peace through it all!

Our third week in Victoria was a bit of a gong show… between taxes, dinner with friends, picnics in the park, Matteus took us out to the Victoria Symphony. And then the Isberg-Cunningham families united all fronts in pre-wedding labour. Joel and Olivia put together some stunning flower arrangements for the Wedding and Marian, John, Elijah and Co. and I put the finishing touches were put on the tables.

Michelle and Joel looked incredible on their wedding day! Michelle was so stunning as a bride that she could have done it for a living! Everyone enjoyed themselves so much at the wedding and we had a great chance to catch up. They had a beautiful reception out at Dunsmur Lodge, and though I didn’t catch the flowers I was confident that at Kristy’s wedding I could come through ;)

With one wedding behind me, the daunting task of Maid of honor lay before me. On Monday we went to stay with Pam and Bruce in their incredible home out in Saanichton. I have to say, I might be a vagrant the rest of my life! Food shelter and kayaking… who can beat it?

The night before Kristy’s wedding we stayed up late into the night (oh, and did I mention I played Wii for the first time!? Got a blister on my thumb from “rocking out” too much on the guitar…) giggling like girls. It was probably in the list of DO NOT’s before your wedding day, as we were a bit haggard the next day… Nothing a trip to the hairdresser and make-up wouldn’t fix.

Another beautiful and hot day in Victoria… Kristy looked breathtaking in her wedding dress. (one might even say Bell-like!). After a service at St. Josephs we spent the afternoon getting photos done at Sax point and down at the Admiral’s house, which was a stunning location! The reception, overlooking downtown from the Base, was fantastic. Marian did an incredible job on the flowers for the wedding… which made not catching them (again) all the more painful. Haha… Always a bridesmaid… All in good time.

Watching hockey at Pearks with Liz, catching a ride on Ian’s sexy motorbike, lunch with Daniel and Mike at Mattocks, dinner with friends at Glow, one last whip around Victoria… and somehow I found myself at my desk here in Niyodogawa, wondering if it all really happened!

I know I speak for both Aki and I when I say that this trip could not have been more epic. It was so much fun to see long lost family and friends, and to find time in all the wedding madness to so you all. Thank you so much to Ken and Barb, Shauna, Olivia, Jan and Stuart, Pam and Bruce, Grandma and Ruth for having us over to your homes, for feeding us, and most of all entertaining us!! You are all so kind and generous!

Thank you to Marian and Stephan for all their help and for the lovely meals! And to Mattise for such fine service and the most delicious dinner I have had since… well, since last time!

With such a choice of experiences and friends, I am not sure what Aki will say to her family and friends. But at the very least she will see that Canadians are a bit more than you ever bargain for!

I can’t wait to see you all again when I return in the summer (indefinitely). It sounds like Aki will come in July, so please make her feel welcome (again) and keep her out of trouble!!

Otsukaresamadeshita!

See you soon!
Love Zoe

ps. pictures coming soon! (it will take a while to cut them down from 1023!!)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

Ever since writing a thesis on the sublime I have become a bit obsessed with the notion.

"Brook and road
Were fellow-travelers in this gloomy Pass,
And with them did we journey several hours
At a slow step. The immeasurable height
Of woods decaying, never to be decayed,
The stationary blasts of waterfalls,
And in the narrow rent, at every turn..."

Who can resist it?

So it was that I conjured up the most sublime plan in the world: Ichizuchi- Dawn till Dusk.

The plan was simple: I invited some friends to join me in an all day hike of the highest mountain on Shikoku Island, commencing in the glory of pre-dawn unconsciousness and then drawing the whole sublime experience to a close as dusk set in around us. The plan was foolproof. Sublime and foolproof!

The days before the trek loomed and volunteers were dropping like flies. Apparently Wordsworth's "giddy prospect of raving stream" and "unfettered cloud and region of the heaven" was not inspiring enough to wrench people from their beds at 4am.

No matter. I was determined! So it was that I set out before dawn, driving some 45 km to the base of Ichizuchi. The night was dark, the sky was clear, and I was scared shitless by the impeding darkness that surrounded me. Yet as I drew nearer and nearer to the mountain's "skyline" assent, visions of violet and crimson rays filled my idealistic mind.

And then suddenly, there it was!! a phantom tollbooth

What? A tollbooth? At the base of the mountain... a blockade against all things dawn, sublime and attainable!

I stared at the sign with mild shock: mountain closed from 7pm to 7am.

Closed? How can you CLOSE a mountain? What could possibly happen between seven pm and seven am that Japan would feel obliged to CLOSE off the mountain.

And then it occurred to me. Ha! Only two things happen in those hours: DAWN and DUSK.

!! !!! !!!!!

Words escape me.
My hopes were severed.
My Romantic notions destroyed.

Imagine Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge coming to the passage before Mt. Blanc only to find that their anticipation of sublimity are restrained to business hours!

Beneath the tollbooth We Pondered thus
the inaccessibility of yon mountain pass
Forbearance and pitied self reclined
in lost hope for yon opening time.

Curling up in a sleeping bag I waited... and waited...
I fell asleep and dreamt that my car drove off the edge of the cliff.

I woke sometime later to see the sun beaming though the mountains... dawn come and gone.

I fell asleep again and dreamt that it cost sixty dollars to pass through the tollbooth. "But sir, I only have 6 dollars!" And I was turned away...

I woke again at ten past seven and low and behold, the gates to my tarnished hopes were open for business. I packed up my bag, revved the engine and conjured hopeful ambitions of a dusk that would make it all worth while. The day had, after all, only just begun!

As I ascended the mountain, the trees lost their leaves and the snow began to mount.
"Snow!" I thought, "how wonderful!"
And I drove on.

I reached the summit of the mountain and gazed out over the well-lit scene before me: it was glorious. Kind of dead looking and really post-winter/pre-spring. But glorious because I wanted it to be.

And so I set off on the 4.5 km trek to Ichizuchi, rice balls and camera intact.

It was a quiet morning. There were no other hikers on the trail this early in the day. There was actually nothing on the trail really. Save some fallen trees and scattered branches. There were crows as well. It was foreboding. Or perhaps heralding?

I had traveled 1 km when I reached the first traces of snow. It was lovely in its own way, dirty and crusty. Like traces of winter resistant to departure. I walked a little ways on and found the snow a bit deeper... maybe up to ones ankle... and hip... and then possibly neck...

Yes. Up to ones neck. I know because before me the trail was washed away and what stood in its place way a ravine and a precarious snow path, dotted with suicidal indentations about one or five meters deep.

Huh, I thought to myself and sat down on a nearby fallen tree to reflect on the matter. I pulled a rice ball from my pack and ate it meditatively. Just then a man came towards me, crunching though the snow with ice-picked boots and ski poles. He smiled and nodded to me and gazed at the looming trail.

"Taihen" I said, evoking the universal Japanese word for "fuck this looks hopeless" or "fuck. Good luck with that!"

He nodded solemnly and asked if I would go on. No, I said. No I would not. He asked me where I was from and I said Canada.

"Canada!" He cried. "That is a long ways away! And so cold!"

I sat in my snow drift with onigiri sticking to my fingers and nodded knowingly. Cold. Yes. We said farewell and he crunched on, sinking deep into the snow as he passed though the ravine. Luckily there were many fallen branches and trees and boulders to help him along.

I turned back and trudged through the snow towards the parking lot. I was not giving up. I was merely saving sublimity for another day.

I had gone some way when I met an elderly man and what I presumed to be his son.
"Oh! Oy! It's a foreigner!" The younger man cried to the older man. They had tripods slung to their backs and a enthralled gleam in their eye. "How is the walk?" They asked me and I shook my head solemnly. "Taihen desu ne!" I said and told them that the snow was very deep yonder.

"Snow" the older man cried. He was very enthusiastic.

"Chotto takai" I warned them, glancing over their sneakers and tripods. Maybe a bit dangerous, I offered, and they glanced though the trees contemplatively.

"Well!" said the younger man. "Well let's take a picture together!"

And we did. I posed and we all took pictures in the snow bank. Me- the only strange and exotic thing on the mountain that day; Them- the only hopefully thing I would see that day.

In the 1km back to the car I passed several more hopeful hikers. We exchanged hellos. I said taihen and ki o tsukete! and posed for a picture.


And so for a day... the early better part of part of a day, I wandered lonely as a cloud on the ranges of Ichizuchi... and have gained sudden appreciation for all things sublime.... but in that Gothic melancholy sort of way:

"Not seldom clad in radiant vest
Deceitfully goes forth the dawn,
Not seldom evening in the west

Sinks smilingly forsworn."

- W.Wordsworth

A Garden of One's Own

Spring is making a phlegmatic start this year. For the last few weeks we have had pseudo-blizzards, which look lovely as you sit cozy in your office chair, but are really quite anti-climatic as you walk into the night with anticipation of glazed mountains and rivers only to find everything really as dowdy as before the torrent passed though.

It might be said every year (and it is), but this year it seems particularly appropriate to say that the students are more restless than ever and looking forward to next weeks spring break. When I quizzed them on what they would do for the holiday they excitedly said “nothing!” and truly looked thrilled.

As a way of jump-staring spring, I asked Ono-sensei if it was possible to get hold of a neglected plot of land that I might poke around in (I can already see some of you shaking your heads!). He seemed surprised by my request and sort of stood there processing it for some time before he jumped up from his chair and cried “for the flowers and vegetables” (which really sounded more like “for the love of God!) but I knew what he meant.

I was staring wistfully out the window a couple of weeks later when Ono came into the office and fairly stumbled over the desks between the door and my desk before saying (breathlessly) “I have found you some land!”

No man’s eagerness could have been greater! Not only had he found a plot of land (about a 15 minute walk from my house, and really neglected, just like I had asked) but he was taking me there RIGHT NOW.

I can’t remember the last time I wanted to cry over an untamed patch of weeds and loam, but cry I did (in a local and private sort of way) as I gazed upon my very own garden-to-be. We stood reflecting on the land for sometime until the reverie was broken (a freak blizzard was setting in again) and I was taken to meet the mayor of Niyodogawa, “so that I might ask for a hoe.”

It’s true. The mayor of Niyodogawa had not only secured the land for me, but with much enthusiasm he implored me to use his trowel and his plow.

“And you must come and wash your hands at my house,” Ono said, gesturing enthusiastically to a house not far away. “And take the tools at any time! And use a tractor to toss the earth! And we will show you how to plant the Japanese vegetables! And you must have the help of students, who at any time will be willing! And grow many many things. But mostly spinach, we we love most. The mayor loves most. And to sell the ripe vegetables at the market! And-“

. . . .

“You do realize that you are probably the mot unusual foreigner these people have ever met,” my friend says to me a few days later when I tell him of my beloved new plot of land.

“What! How so?”

“Well, besides the obvious,” he chortles a bit, “think about what majority of the population takes up farming.”

I think for a bit and answer wisely, “The old people?”

“Exactly. And they do it because no one else in Japan wants to do it.”

It is true. Farming is primarily the employment of the elderly and the retired. As young people move onto more exciting cities and white-collar jobs, the time old tradition of rice, tea, fruit and vegetable planting and harvesting falls to those seemingly too advanced in years to be doing such laborious work. One in ten of my students want to be farmers. The others dream of being bakers and teachers and airline-stewardesses (this is the ultimate dream).

And so, along comes not only a foreigner, but a young foreigner whose idea of Sunday fun is toiling the earth. It is either the greatest mockery of Japanese culture (many people do in fact think that a source of derision) or the greatest impression yet to be made. I hope, truly, that it is the latter.

For Ono and the mayor, at least, it is a source of unending amusement.

The idea of my garden, though, has shocked my students more than anyone. I was diligently weeding away when the first of these students happened to pass by. About eight or so, he stopped and stared at me with unbelieving eyes. His mouth dropped open and the words "ego-no-sensei!" (my English teacher! ) were barely audible. And even as I waved and said hello he stared and stared. At last, regaining consciousness, he sort of stumbled backwards and walked crab-like up the hill, watching me all the while with disbelief and wonder.

About an hour later, one of my more silent and sullen students walked by. There is a scene in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas where Cindy Lu spies old grinchie stuffing the tree up the chimney and cires "ahhh!"

I cannot more accurately liken the shocked little cry that came from her lips when she saw me there.

“Hi Natsumi,” I smiled and held up my trowel by way of explanation. She stared at me for a moment, and then (like a small little miracle, for I never, never see this poor girl smile), a grin breaks out on her face and she says “sensei! Taihen!” which really says it all: Teacher: awful (alternatively: dreadful, terrible!).

I nodded solemnly to her, which seemed the only appropriate thing to do in response to such a proclamation, and then I beamed ridiculously and said, “kite!” Oh yes, join me in my folly!

Peas, and carrots and corn; potatoes, parsley and sunflowers. I will show them all! Feeling a little like Chicken Little, but also willing to share my bread, I have the distinct impression that my Tales of a Garden have only just begun.

Hinamatsuri

Akari o tsukemashou bonbori ni明かりをつけましょう　ぼんぼりに
Ohana o agemashou momo no hanaお花をあげましょう　桃の花
Go-nin bayashi no fue taiko五人ばやしの　笛太鼓
Kyo wa tanoshii Hinamatsuri今日は楽しいひな祭り

Let's light the lanterns
Let's set peach flowers
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums
Today is a joyful Dolls' Festival.

"Ureshii Hinamatsuri (Happy Hinamatsuri)."

Today is Girl’s Day!

Hinamatsuri is a festival that dates back to the Heian Era (794-1185) and is a day to wish girl’s good health and a long life. From generation to generation, ornamental Hina dolls are placed on display and offered sweetened puffed rice (hina-arare), white sake (shirozake) and lozenge-shaped rice cakes (hishi-mochi) and cherry or peach blossoms.

Also known as “momo no sekku” (Peach Festival), on March 3rd, the dolls are placed on a display in homes, schools and business’ on a five or seven-tiered stand covered in red carpet. On the top tier are the Empress and Emperor. The costume of the Empress is called the "juuni-hitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial robe)." Even today the juuni-hitoe is worn at the Royal family's wedding ceremony; on the second tier are three ladies in waiting (sannin-kanjo); on the third shelf are five court musicians (gonin-bayashi); on the fourth tier are two government ministers (udaijin and sadaijin); and on the bottom shelf are three court officials. In some displays, court furniture and various small dishes of food are also represented.

The girl’s festival of today is far different from the original Hina Festival (which may have originated in China). Originally it is said that people transferred their own impurities and misfortunes to dolls and floated them away down the river. These dolls became associated with children’s dolls of the Heian Era and soon the ritual became known as Hina Festival. It wasn’t until the Mid-Edo Period that the dolls became displayed on shelves. A custom called "hina-okuri" or "nagashi-bina," in which people float paper dolls down rivers late on the afternoon of March 3rd still exists in various areas. The Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children.

The displays range from lavish and expensive presentations to small and simpler sets. A traditional set of dolls can be very expensive. There are various grades for the sets, and some full sets cost more than a million yen! (But who can put a price on the preservation of the spirit or a children’s well-being!) Unless there is a set handed down from generation to generation, grandparents or parents buy them for a girl by her first Hinamatsuri.. However, since many Japanese live in small houses, royal couple version (with only the Emperor and the Empress dolls) is popular nowadays. There is a superstition that if you don't put away the hina-ningyo soon after the Festival, the daughter will get married late.

One of the most popular dishes associated with the festival are the pink, green and white diamond-shaped rice cakes called "Hishimochi." The pink (red) is for chasing evil spirits away, the white is for purity, and the green is for health.

“Kodomo no hi” or Boy’s Day (also known as Children’s Day) is celebrated on May 5th, and, alternatively at this time boy’s dolls are placed on display. Unlike the “purification” associated with Girl’s Day, however, Boy’s Day dolls represent strength and success in life. Carp, which are said to be able to swim up waterfall and are therefore associated with strengths, have also become associated with this day. One of the most beautiful displays across Japan is the sight of multicoloured carp flags are stretched across rivers and seemingly endless valleys.

New Photos

Photo Update:

- Christmas Cookies with the kids
- Christmas Dinner
- Thailand Trip

February Update

Spring is just around the corner and life is as busy as ever! In Japan, the end of the school year comes in March, rather than June, so this is one of the busiest times of the year for teachers and students as they draw this school year to an end and prepare for new students.

I already have big ambitions for this new school year ahead; especially as I am now familiar with everyone and with the system; and am slightly more confident in my language skills (I have also gotten really good at gesturing!)

The 3rd year students (Grade 9) are rearing to enter high school and leave their young frivolous Junior High days behind. Entering high school is a big deal here, maybe even more than back home. The students practice testing for months in order to complete “high school entrance exams.” Those who fail have the privilege of studying for months and months again in order to re-test. Each school, too, has its own form of examination, especially with regards to English. Students vying for one of the better English programs in the city have to work twice as hard.

Last week was the dreaded day. I have never seen students so wrought in all my life! I had an interesting experience though, last week, in attending the kids to the shrine where they prayed to the exam god for success.

“Is there an exam god?” I asked a teacher, surprised despite myself.
“Oh yes,” she answered. “There is a god for everything. The kitchen, the hallway; for spring and for summer; there is a god for testing and there are gods for babies. There are over 8 million Shinto gods. Because they are in everything we see, and in everything we do.”

The Shinto religion is the most prevalent in my region. There are festivals throughout the year celebrating harvest and planting, spring and fall, Coming-of-Age Day and Respect-for-the-aged Day. Unlike Christians who attend a regular service, however, it is more of a casual affair (or a really big Celebratory affair!), which is why I was so surprised when I joined my students at the shrine.

It was the first formal Shinto “service” I have been to. I watched somewhat shyly as they entered the grounds of the shrine, washed their hands (first the left and then the right) and then took a drink of purification (from their hand, which is important, because so many foreigners are unsure as to whether they should drink from the cup or not) and put salt on their tongue (also a step I have never observed before). They bowed once, hands together, and then found their seat for the conclave (boys on one side, girls on the other- which I am not sure is a regular assembly, or simply my school’s archaic notion of sexual segregation).

The ceremony was not long but it was really interesting to watch, despite my not understanding most of what was said (chanted rather). The students presented mocha (a heavy pounded rice bread) and sake and these were “mediated” over. After naming each of the students and asking for a “blessing” on their exams they were each tapped a string of bells and the ceremony was concluded.

It was quite a somber affair upon arrival, but as we left my students were back to their jovial selves, showing me things around the shrine and teaching me the names of everything.

It was one of the most profound experiences I have had here in Japan. It made me realize, more than anything, what a privilege it is to be involved in the school system, which is the epitome of opportunities for cultural experiences. After all, most of these kids are learning right alongside me!

It is in the midst of all this cultural immersion that I have been asked to stay on another year. It was a really difficult decision this year round. My feelings were that although I wanted to stay I have things to get started/finish back home. After weeks of restless nights and heaps of consultations from friends and family though I have decided to accept the contract for another year!

YEAH!! (this is where you are excited!!!)

I am looking forward to these next 18 months ahead. I feel as though this past year and a half have laid the groundwork for this next year, and know that I will be able to really enjoy the relationships and the experiences I have only just begun.

… Japan had a distinct way of getting hold of you and not letting go. It is a place that is easy to fall in love with, and because the Japanese are so friendly and welcoming, it makes it all the easier.

On hearing my news yesterday, my friend Jonathan said “you know, the longer you stay here, the harder it is to leave.” Which is ironic considering that Japan considers itself to be an “enclosed” society that does not easily accept foreigners (geijin).

I will return!!

I am actually really excited to use this time ahead to prepare for the rest of my Uni education for when I come back. After teaching in the elementary school and Junior High’s here in Japan, I am really set on working towards a Senior high/ Junior high Education degree in English with a concentration in Social Studies. (more cheering!!)


I will be returning to Victoria for three weeks in April/May for two weddings (Joel’s and Kristy’s… not to each other!), and hope to have the chance to catch up with everyone while I am there! I will send an email with dates as soon as possible.

So! Life is busy and exciting and looking to be a great year ahead!!

I will be attending the Akiba festival this weekend, and the following marks the beginning of rehearsals for the Japanese Musical, so more busy times ahead!! I will write again soon and try to keep my blog updates (sorry I have been so negligent!!!)

Ikebana: my new calling!

I've been looking forward to immersing myself in the sacred art of Ikebana for some time now.

I've heard everything from raving reviews to warnings against the tediousness of the art. Well, not the art form perse, so much as the ceremony that is inevitably intertwined in it.

Ikebana (flower arranging) is an art form that has been practiced in Japan for over 600 years. Though it originally started as a religious ritual (Buddhist offerings to the dead), it has developed over the years to become a form of (modern）art. Fundamentally, ikebana uses flowers as a medium for expressing nature and feelings. Though it was originally practiced by men, ikebana is now considered a more womanly art.

Deciding that a lesson in "womanly art" might be somewhat beneficial to me, I asked to tag along with Miyuki to the New Year's Ikebana class and she was more than happy to take me. Meeting twice a month, this particular group of women study and practice in the Shihoryu style, which incorporates grace with brightness. In all schools, importance is placed on combining the elements three elements are likened to the earth, the sky and man to form a (scalene) triangle.

Not unexpectedly, there was a bit of ceremony involved in the process. Miyuki and I were invited into Yamanaka sensei's washitsu (tatami room) where we were offered zenzai (a sweet red bean desert with mocha) and green tea. We chatted about the weather and about many "womanly" things and finally got down to business, arranging the flowers on newspaper and commencing the key part of the entire process: choosing a container.

While most arrangements are made in low, shallow containers, a great emphasis is more recently placed on the artist’s individual expression. Still, I humbly chose a small clay pot, leaving the enormous teal goblet to the more experienced Miyuki.

For New Years arrangements, pine is traditionally the focal point in the arrangement, but for ours we were given two Kara (Calla lilies), four agisai (hydrangea sprigs), two derufuriniumu (delphinium) sprigs and two large tani wa tari leaves (palm like leaves).

Once the flowers are set out you must first choose the most appealing hydrangea sprig, which will be the pieces largest point of reference. The sprig is then cut to an exact measurement: width (of container) x height x 2.


The sprig is placed on an angle in the center of the khaki (container) on a kenzan (metal oasis). (cut the flowers under water to ensure freshness!)


The next sprig is cut to half the first's length and placed on an angle, leaning back and away.


The third sprig is cut at 3/4 the original's height and is placed to the right of it, also at an enticing (okuyuki) angle .


The final sprig is cut to 1/4 and placed leaning towards the arranger at a sharp (kyakui) angle.


(this is all, by the way, very meditative, despite apparent rigidity)


Next, the Kala's are cut at two varying heights, approximately 2/3 the highest sprig and 1/2. They are places leaning forward, with the highest Kala displaying the largest blossom, and the second one opening towards the arranger. Their position is a bit ambiguous. From what I gather, it is more of an innately known position...


After the flowers come the foliage, which should be artistically arranged to frame and shelter the arrangement. A little twist in the leaves adds character.


Last comes the delphs, which are used as "filler." The arrangement should not look crowded and busy, so much as it should look full and spontaneous. In short, flowers artfully poised as symbolic and
illustrative expressions.

I sat before my finished work of art, smug and satisfied. The arrangement before me was everything I had ever dreamed it to be: elegant, expressive, naturally flowing, and (least of all) an expression of ME.

"Owarimashita," I cried triumphantly and moved aside for all to see.
Sensei pondered my arrangement for some time, gazing upon it respectfully before emitting a much humored "cute."

Cute? Cute!

I guess that is not such a bad thing.

It wasn't, at least, until she asked if she could move some pieces around to their correct position.

"Of course!" I answered, ever eager to learn. But then I watched with growing trepidation as she took one piece after the other until finally the arrangement was striped of its "cuteness" and created whole... and new...

sigh.

Though perhaps not the protégé that I thought I would be, this doesn't mean the end of my Ikebana career. I foresee great things in the near future in all things symbolically representing man, earth and sky. And if all else fails, I am beginning tea ceremony classes on Saturday with Aki...