Japan is here!

        Yesterday, some students and I could visit Japan without going out of São Caetano do Sul. We had the great opportunity of participating in a event at our school sponsored by Rotary International, the Forum For Peace. The Forums have taken place in Berlin (Germany), Honolulu (Hawaii), and there will be a forum in the city of Hiroshima (Japan) in May. 

          We participate in various workshops, such as:

- Ikebana (flower arrangement), 

- Manga (a kind of Japanese comic book style ), 

- Shodo (the traditional Japanese writing), 

- Furoshiki (the art of using scarves to create a kind of purse (a bag) able to load whatever it takes) and 

- Origami (the very famous Japanese art of folding)

          All of them were very interesting and helped us to learn more about the Japanese culture, one of the richest culture in the world.  I really enjoyed the Furoshiki workshop because it was completely new to me! It's very simple, practical and charming! Today I used it to carry my bottle of water to the classroom! And just by curiosity, did you know that the largest Japanese community outside Japan is in Brazil? The largest concentration of Japaneses are in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Brazil in 1908 and since then, they have shared not only their culture, but also their own way of being - what a great present for us! Each one of us had our names written in the Japanese way at the Shodo Workshop and after that we requested the Japanese elderly lady to write one more sentence for us: "We are family!" She kindly did it and she is showing this sentence in the photo below. I just hope all of us are showing our "names" in the right position too!

Post Question: Are you familiar with the Japanese culture? What aspects of Japanese culture do you like best? If you could choose one of the workshops at the event that was held yesterday (Ikebana, Mangá, Shodo, Furoshiki e Origami), which one would you like to participate in? Why?

Tip: Take a Quiz about Japan Culture and check how much you know about it. Don't forget to write down your score and to check the right answers. Besides the quiz, there are also some very interesting facts about Japan. Just click here.

And if you want to learn hoew to make the Furoshiki knot, Just click here and watch the video. Have fun!