April Ohanami Tea Ceremony and Taiko Demonstration

A busy springtime leaves little time for writing! After our demonstration and fundraiser in April we found ourselves busier than usual with little energy or time to spare.

As we settle now to a more normal pace of life we're finding some snippets of time to catch up. Here are some photos from our spring Ohanami Cherry Blossom Viewing Tea Ceremony and Taiko demonstration.

Tea ceremony demonstration in the lobby
of the historic Vance Hotel,Old Town, Eureka.

Origami crane "adoption" table, with Johnson Tilghman and D'har.
Gary Thawatchai Ronne begins his taiko performance.

A curious onlooker watches Gary Thawatchai Ronne
as he demonstrates taiko.

One of Gary Thawatchai Ronne's taiko drums, made of a wine barrel.

Detail of one of Gary's drums.

The skies threatened to rain on us, so we held our demonstration indoors at the then-vacant Vance Hotel lobby. The Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association benefitted from our "Adopt A Crane for Kamisu" campaign and we shared cha-no-yu with about 45 people. Taiko performances by Gary Thawatchai Ronne were a special treat.

Many thanks go out Gary and his lovely family for adding the new dimension of taiko to our demonstration; to Johnson Tighlman and the students of Eureka High School who are working to re-boot the Eureka-Kamisu Sister City exchange student program; to our friends (both old and new!) who support our efforts to share tea in Humboldt County; and especially to our "Tea(m) Horai" volunteers without whose help we could not offer these demonstrations.

And yes, the cherry trees were lovely! More photos are on our Facebook page.

Ohanami/Tea Ceremony Demonstration UPDATE

Sunday, April 7, 2013, Noon-2:00 p.m.
NEW VENUE IN CASE OF RAIN:
Vance Hotel Lobby, 525 2nd St., Old Town, Eureka

A last update as we head into this rainy weekend — yes, the forecast this weekend is for rain —  so no tea outdoors beneath the cherry trees. But we're very fortunate to have the lovely Vance Hotel lobby as our new and larger alternate venue! The Vance is located at 525 2nd St. (between F and G streets) in Old Town, Eureka. Many thanks to Eureka Main Street and the Vance Hotel!

Please join us this Sunday, bring a friend and come adopt an origami crane! Proceeds benefit the Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association and the Ink People Center for the Arts. See our Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/520822421292902/) .

If you can't make it this weekend, try to take a moment — soon — to appreciate the beautiful cherry trees on the Gazebo. They're magical!

It's Cherry Blossom Time

We're celebrating with a Japanese Tea Ceremony and Taiko Demonstration!

Enjoy the cherry trees on Eureka's Old Town Gazebo with a demonstration of the Japanese Tea Ceremony and traditional Taiko drumming on Sunday, April 7 from noon to 2:00 p.m., Second and F streets in Old Town, Eureka. This event benefits the newly-revitalized Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association. Kimono or other traditional attire is encouraged.

Presented by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture, a DreamMaker program of the Ink People Center for the Arts. 

For more information or to participate, email horai.center@gmail.com or visit our Facebook event page!

Inspiration

The wind of Mount Fuji 

I've brought on my fan 

A gift from Edo 

— Bashō 

A breath, a breeze. That's how brief it seemed as we presented an introductory course on "Chado: The Japanese Way of Tea" through Humboldt State University's OLLI program.

There is so much to learn about the Way of Tea that it seems impossible to even contemplate such a course, but our intrepid class seemed to enjoy the presentations — from the first aisatsu to the influence of Zen. Each of three two-hour class meetings incorporated a slide show and discussion of history, philosophy and aesthetics followed by a presentation of usucha, or the thin tea ceremony.

Harvey discusses wabi as part of the the philosophy
of Chado. Wabi is always a topic of particular interest,
but is a such a difficult concept to explain!

Awesome hanto prepared many bowls of tea in the mizuya.

A makeshift tokonoma with a Valentine's Day theme.

Laura and Harvey present usucha, the thin tea ceremony

So many books to read!

Laura and Pia in a four-and-a-half mat "room"

Laura and Pia in a four-and-a-half mat "room"

Holly makes tea for Laura and Pia

Pia prepares to make tea for some of the students

Laura, Pia and Holly (Ann, not pictured, was a
hard worker behind the scenes.)

Of the many joys of Chado is the sharing of poetry and art. Several students read haiku in class, and two students were inspired to bring hand-made cards with the haiku featured in this post. Another shared a reading from a book on shodo and ink painting. Before and after class we discussed travel, gardening, pottery … as we should at any tea gathering.

So many memories

flood my mind —

cherry blossoms 

— Bashō
 

The science of cherry blossoms (3:00)

Explained artistically by the Washington Post.

Pan-Asian Pacific Islander Perspectives Festival, March 25-30, 2013

The Pan-Asian Pacific Islander Perspectives week-long festival, sponsored by the HSU Asian Pacific Islander American Student Alliance (A.P.A.S.A.) will gather together, on one common calendar, different events around pan-Asian Pacific Islander (API) ethnicity, and share pan-API resources in Humboldt.

Most events are free and open to the public.

The events throughout the week highlight some different API people in Humboldt County, their perspectives and experiences. It will bring us together to enjoy different cultures, draw attention to the local API community (which can be invisible to many), and to have opportunities for dialogue around what it means to be "Asian Pacific Islander."

Come participate and enjoy music and dance performances, workshops, lectures, art showings, and dance classes, including:

• Tuesday, March 26, 5 pm, HSU Science B 133: Key Note by Betty Chinn: "Turning Hatred Into Hope, Perspectives of a Survivor of the Cultural Revolution"
• Thursday, March 28, 7:30 pm, HSU Jolly Giant Commons: Non-Stop Bhangra and Dohlrhythms Dance Company, live from SF!

For a full calendar of events, visit the online Zine at http://agoile.wix.com/pan-api. On the online Zine, you will also enjoy articles, art, and sharing of reflections highlighting the API community in Humboldt, as well as API resources.

Also visit the facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AsianPacificAmericanStudentAlliance.

Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations, should contact the MultiCultural Center 707-826-3364 or mcc@humboldt.edu as soon as possible.
Sponsored by HSU Diversity, Associated Students, Dept of Theatre, Film & Dance, MultiCultural Center, Wells Fargo Bank, and All Under Heaven

Eureka City Council Renews Relationship with Sister City

The Times-Standard reported on Eureka-Kamisu sister cities today:

… [T]he council unanimously approved adopting a resolution reaffirming the sister-city relationship between Eureka and Kamisu, Japan. 

According to an agenda summary, the relationship between Eureka and Kamisu was established in 1991 to promote culture exchange, but has fallen off over the years. In 2010, the city's membership in Sister Cities International lapsed. 

The approved resolution reaffirms the council's support of a continued sister-city relationship with Kamisu and authorizes $500 to re-establish membership in Sister Cities International, a nonprofit that works to connect and strengthen sister cities.
Councilwoman Melinda Ciarabellini said she thought passing the resolution was a wonderful idea. 

"I know a family who hosted Japanese exchange students and it was just so fun to talk with them," she said. "It's amazing all of the things we find we have in common. I am excited about this. I hope we hear from a delegation soon."

http://www.times-standard.com/20130220/eureka-council-shows-support-for-enterprise-zones-approves-renewed-relationship-with-japanese-sister-city-kamisu