In Japan, the trend is for men to do something quite different: ikebana. If you’re not familiar with this term, it is the Japanese word for flower arrangement. The literal English translation of ikebana is “the way of the flowers.” Obviously, this art has been dominated by women and dates back to more than half a century ago.

As with most everything, though, the tradition is slowly changing, and more and more Japanese men are turning to ikebana for some stress relief. Actually, let me correct myself – this art started with male artisans but became dominated by women. This new trend then is actually a going back to roots sort of thing.

The idea behind ikebana is simple: to establish harmony and the sense of being one with nature. The styles are minimalist and the activity itself is conducted in silence. You can easily see how stress-relieving the whole thing can be. It is thus no wonder that more Japanese men are practicing the traditional art of flower arrangement these days. And more than busting all that stress away, you get to have a beautiful home!

If you lean towards the last group, then you would be interested in what Shigeru Ban and Kenya Hara are doing. These two Japanese nationals are trying to change the perception of the rest of world with regard to modern Japan. One of their activities that has gotten a lot of attention is the Japan Car show. This show is actually part of the efforts of their group called Design Platform Japan.

Hara explains their ideology:

We wanted to introduce Japanese industrial culture to the world. We Japanese are not very good at explaining what is happening in Japan right now properly. Although Japanese subcultures such as anime or manga are becoming well known, when Japan is introduced it tends to be in terms of tea ceremonies or kimonos. Our industrial, mainstream culture just isn’t represented.

And they are currently tapping the strong interest in cars to showcase modern Japan. There are 14 models on display but not all of them are available in the market. More so, not all the cars might appeal to the average car enthusiast – especially the more “exotic” designs. Their aim, however, is to give viewers a glimpse of the future that Japan might be able to bring about through a fusion of their technology and culture. That is interesting, to say the least.

A museum that is interesting and which relaxes the soul
A museum where much can be discovered
A museum based on a clear and consistent philosophy
A museum where those seeking enjoyment can enjoy, those seeking to ponder can ponder, and those seeking to feel can feel
A museum that makes you feel more enriched when you leave than when you entered!

I have not have the chance to personally pay the Ghibli Museum a visit yet but from what I have heard and read, it is rife with kawaii – just like many other places in Japan. You will be in for a treat of cuteness at this place. They are open on all days of the week except for Tuesday, from 10:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening. They also have a café, dubbed the Straw Hat Café, which is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, if you want to enter the café, do so before 6:00 pm as that is the latest that they allow people to go in.

The Ghibli Museum is very popular and they only sell admission tickets in advance so if you are planning on a trip there, make sure you buy your tickets beforehand. Do visit their web site for more information.

Speaking of online shopping, did you know that there are great places online where you could find kawaii items? If you do not know what I am talking about, then you should read my previous post about kawaii, or cute things (loose translation). Kawaii has been around for decades and I am sure that most everyone is aware of it although perhaps not by name.

Anyhow, I found a great article on online stores featuring kawaii items.

Sweet Kitty the Anime Store is located in Kent, Washington. You can visit the store in person at 18111 E. Valley HWY S. #103; otherwise, you can purchase items directly from the store at: SweetKittyAnime.com. The store specializes in Japanese items, and it carries brands from Harajuku Lovers to Hello Kitty. The store has the best selection of Sanrio products in Washington State. The owners love their customers and encourage visitors to come to the store. Below are some of the hot items that are in-demand.

ShopKawaii.com is the web store for both Kawaii Gifts and Kawaii Avenue since April of 2006. However, ShopKawaii.com is dedicated to our imported gifts. You can visit the stores personally at Kawaii Gifts, located at 5413-B Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Kawaii Avenue is located at 5413-A Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Thanks to Katrina-Kasey Wheeler for these wonderful pieces of information.

So, what is kawaii all about? It is the idea of being cute in all respects – from pop culture to entertainment to clothes to accessories. Even the big businesses in Japan make use of the concept of kawaii. It is actually a bit hard to exactly explain it but let me give you examples, which will concretize the idea.

Wikipedia gives a very good list:

• Pikachu, a character from Pokémon, adorns the side of three All Nippon Airways passenger jets.
• Asahi Bank used Miffy (Nijntje), a character from a Dutch series of children’s picture books, on some of its ATM and credit cards.
• Monkichi, a cute monkey character, can be found on the packaging for a line of condoms[4]
• All 47 prefectures have cute mascot characters
• The Japan Post “YÅ«-Pack” mascot is a stylized mailbox.[5]
• The Japan Post also uses other cute mascot characters, for example, on stamps.
• Some police forces in Japan have their own moe mascots, which sometimes adorn the front of koban (police boxes).
• Hello Kitty

They do have a propensity for mascots, don’t they? Anyhow, if you ask the Japanese what they think of kawaii, you might get various reactions. A good majority, however, will tell you that it stems from the inherent peaceful and calm nature of the Japanese culture. There are some skeptics, however, who think that it is a mentality that makes for non-assertiveness.

Whichever way they think, it cannot be denied that the concept of kawaii has spread to other countries and is in fact one of the most intriguing things about the Japanese culture.

Japan is definitely on the top of the list of worldwide tourist destinations and what better place to experience its culture than Kyoto? This city is arguably the best place to experience the “real” Japan. Jane Singer actually wrote a very inspiring article about this. She shares:

For these travelers, visiting Kyoto, the 1,200-year-old cultural heart of Japan, without experiencing the culture is too much of a virtual experience. Why restrict yourself to the sights alone when you can feel the smooth embrace of silk kimono, taste the bitter froth after whisking up a cup of powdered green tea, or hear the reverberation when you pound on a taiko drum?

For these experiential travelers, Kyoto offers a growing menu of taiken hands-on tours in English, and I recently sampled a few. The first was at Shunkoin temple, one of 48 sub-temples in the sprawling Myoshinji Buddhist temple complex in western Kyoto, where the affable young English-speaking vice abbot, Takafumi Kawakami, leads a tour of the temple and gardens and two 15-minute sessions of Rinzai Zen meditation.

The next time you plan on going to this part of the world, you should try what she tried. Even if it is not your first visit, you just might return home with something new.

The Daily Journal has this report:

The festival shares the opportunity to learn more about the Japanese culture through a whole day of performances. Alyse Goni, Millbrae Recreation liaison to the Japanese Cultural Center, defines the festival’s mission to be the acknowledging of the Bay Area Japanese community that is here and to showcase the culture for the surrounding communities.

“We think that it is important to invite people of all cultural backgrounds to discover and enjoy ancient traditions, as well as the modern and reflect on the changes,” Goni said.

The day will begin with a short concert showcasing Japan’s national instrument, the Koto. The Koto is approximately 6 feet in length and offers 13 strings to pluck. Giving two performances, Japanese dancers have flown across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to present beautiful traditional dances. Following will be folk songs and a 15-minute Japanese comedic play.

To cap off the afternoon, there will be an energetic, heart-pounding Taiko presentation. Taiko is a Japanese word that means drum and it is an art form not to miss.

This festival is very important to Japanese-Americans in the area as it is their chance to get in touch with their roots once again. For us who are not of Japanese descent, it is still something to experience.

If you are at a loss, think about cabinets, boxes, and similar items which are covered in fine lacquer. Think intricate designs and the colors of black and red. These are the most common visuals that come to mind when lacquer is mentioned. The fact is that there are many kinds of Japanese lacquer. They differ in the manufacturing process as well as the visual result.

Some experts say that lacquer started in China although evidence shows that this art was used in ancient Japan, as early as 10,000 to 250 BC. The purpose of lacquer application back then was not only for aesthetics but also in order to protect wood and leather. And while the original color schemes used were red and black, the art evolved and the color use expanded to other hues such as gold and silver.

Today, we can still see a lot of lacquer pieces and they certainly add character to a room.

They will be featuring “The Doll Sisters,” a legendary masterpiece that combines the use of puppets and a variety of Japanese performance styles. Expect to experience both ancient and contemporary performance styles as you watch the production.

Together with Atelier Asakura, La MaMa is holding the production in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Praemium Imperiale (Takamatsu no Miya Memorial World Cultural Award). This award is meant specifically for outstanding artists and has been in existence since 1989, at the orders of the Japanese Emperor. This award is so prestigious that it has been likened to the Nobel Prize for art.

This is not the first time that the production has been held at La MaMa. In October of 1978, Setsu Asakura directed a version of “The Doll Sisters.” Though it ran for only 5 days, the production became a hit and has since then been regarded as one of the best cultural productions.

What is the production about? News Blaze reports:

In “The Doll Sisters,” two sisters are paralleled by a doll character, who are revealed finally to be the two natures of the single woman. The younger, more passionate sister is obsessed with finding a man to love her; her older, more reserved sister is obsessed with the man who abandoned her. On the modern psychological level, the play explores opposing qualities, both innate and acquired, of being female. It has strongly feminist tones.

I am not sure that he falls under the anime category but he is one weird and interesting character. Domo Kun looks like a rectangular block of tofu and has a deep brown color. I accidentally ran into this little guy on the Internet and I had no clue as to who he was.

I know better now. He is technically not part of anime but in fact, he is the mascot of the NHK television station. I don’t know what it is about him but he has quite a following – both in Japan and outside of the country! So what else is there to know about Domo Kun?

Well, he was hatched from an egg (weird looking chick, isn’t he?) and he love to eat meat and potato stew – Japanese style, of course. Make sure you don’t offer him apples as he extremely dislikes them, due to some sort of DNA mystery. And when you know him to be upset, stay clear of him as he is known to pass gas over and over again during these times.

If you want to know more about Domo Kun, visit his official US web site. You can also go to eBay and find tons of Domo Kun merchandise.

Photo courtesy of dailyinvention