Things Japanese in TN (especially Memphis)
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Memphis-area folk: there's a Japanese festival at the Botanic Garden this Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. I went to the preview party tonight as a guest of one of the exhibitors, and so far the set-up looks terrific - lots of nifty ikebana arrangments on display (the ones with sunflowers and gnarled wood caught my eye especially) in addition to the garden itself, which is beautiful (the geese were literally making quite a splash earlier tonight). There's also some playful signage, a fish kite peeking out of a tree, and quite a few booths and demonstrations on deck, including kamishibai storytelling and a kimono fashion show by Shibui.
Tonight's opening party featured an extended, high-energy performance by a troupe of taiko drummers -- and the volunteers/staff were impressively dedicated and on top of things. (It was also fun eavesdropping on a few conversations among some corporate/civic/professional-volunteer types on the walk back to my car. I get a kick out of listening to older Southern women tell things true and/or being enthusiastic -- there's a flavor to it that has both strength and warmth. I don't do warmth but I aspire to the strength.) (Not being self-deprecating here -- warmth just isn't what I'm known for. I do receive a fair number of unsolicited compliments for being cool and restful to be around, so it balances out.)
At the entrance to the garden, "The Candyman" was creating critters out of small lumps of toffee, using scissors, straws, and the warmth of his fingers. My cell phone snapshot doesn't do his handiwork justice -- there are such delicate whiskers and fins on this thing:
He also created balloon-style fishes out of the toffee for some other visitors, and I glimpsed something bird-like with a paper cocktail umbrella attached to it sometime later in the evening. The combination of playfulness and dexterity reminded me of a strolling-performer-style performance I saw inside a Tokyo museum three years -- it was an after-hours corporate party, and the BYM and I were looking at an exhibit in a less-crowded area with a couple of other people, and somehow the performer meandered into our area and started to work his magic on the bundle of sticks he carried, turning them into a hat, a bridge, a house, and a dozen other things as he recited. I have no idea what that style of storytelling is called (although I gather it's fairly traditional -- I saw another performer demonstrating the same moves a couple days later on TV), but to this day I can remember the cadence and beat of his chant -- and what I treasure most about that memory is the reaction of a senior Japanese businessman who happened to be in the same room: when the performer raised the sticks and started his rhyme, the businessman clearly recognized what was about to happen and his face broke out into this HUGE smile, and he delightedly clapped and nodded along in time to the chant.
I'm still raggedy from the freakin' bronchitis: lungs + brain resembling wads of masking tape = not conducive to staying on top of work, never mind correspondence (and let's not even start on having to bail out of a reunion and postpone my wedding anniversary dinner and did I mention we've had houseguests? (I'm glad they stayed with us; I'm unhappy I didn't feel well enough to be more hostessy)) and commenting and the like. But I do love the cards and notes and updates from those of you who enjoy the sending and posting of 'em, and I'm looking forward to responding and reciprocating once I feel better.
Anyhow, respiratory woe notwithstanding, there have still been commitments to honor and projects to shepherd, including the reason I'm in Memphis at the moment: the update to "Things Japanese in Tennessee" is now live. This is a beta release -- there are various miscellaneous tweaks and tests and touchings-up to sort out between now and the official premiere next month (Marion, I'll be in touch) -- but it's pretty darn close to the final version, and I think the new sections turned out well (especially considering the limited budget for new material). The "Poetry" in the "Literature and Libraries" unit ought to interest a good many of you. The course is intended for ages ten and up, the audio is in both English and Japanese, and it's available free of charge.
Speaking of poetry, I'm now part of a group of iamb-handlers who'll be posting periodically at Vary the Line, a new collective blog. It's very pretty (major props to marymary for starting the group and setting it up), and the participants are all over the map both geographically and stylistically -- it's going to be fun seeing if/where we intersect in terms of themes, choice of topics, tone, and other such influence-able elements.
(And now that I think about it, I'm all over the map regardless - or at least more of it than your average mouthy pentameter-slinging slant-eyed chick - but that is definitely another digression for another day. There is a hot bath calling my name, as well as another swig of Robitussin (sigh), and then it's back to the stylesheet-stone. Onwards!
Tonight's opening party featured an extended, high-energy performance by a troupe of taiko drummers -- and the volunteers/staff were impressively dedicated and on top of things. (It was also fun eavesdropping on a few conversations among some corporate/civic/professional-volunteer types on the walk back to my car. I get a kick out of listening to older Southern women tell things true and/or being enthusiastic -- there's a flavor to it that has both strength and warmth. I don't do warmth but I aspire to the strength.) (Not being self-deprecating here -- warmth just isn't what I'm known for. I do receive a fair number of unsolicited compliments for being cool and restful to be around, so it balances out.)
At the entrance to the garden, "The Candyman" was creating critters out of small lumps of toffee, using scissors, straws, and the warmth of his fingers. My cell phone snapshot doesn't do his handiwork justice -- there are such delicate whiskers and fins on this thing:
 |
| From things that make me happy |
He also created balloon-style fishes out of the toffee for some other visitors, and I glimpsed something bird-like with a paper cocktail umbrella attached to it sometime later in the evening. The combination of playfulness and dexterity reminded me of a strolling-performer-style performance I saw inside a Tokyo museum three years -- it was an after-hours corporate party, and the BYM and I were looking at an exhibit in a less-crowded area with a couple of other people, and somehow the performer meandered into our area and started to work his magic on the bundle of sticks he carried, turning them into a hat, a bridge, a house, and a dozen other things as he recited. I have no idea what that style of storytelling is called (although I gather it's fairly traditional -- I saw another performer demonstrating the same moves a couple days later on TV), but to this day I can remember the cadence and beat of his chant -- and what I treasure most about that memory is the reaction of a senior Japanese businessman who happened to be in the same room: when the performer raised the sticks and started his rhyme, the businessman clearly recognized what was about to happen and his face broke out into this HUGE smile, and he delightedly clapped and nodded along in time to the chant.
I'm still raggedy from the freakin' bronchitis: lungs + brain resembling wads of masking tape = not conducive to staying on top of work, never mind correspondence (and let's not even start on having to bail out of a reunion and postpone my wedding anniversary dinner and did I mention we've had houseguests? (I'm glad they stayed with us; I'm unhappy I didn't feel well enough to be more hostessy)) and commenting and the like. But I do love the cards and notes and updates from those of you who enjoy the sending and posting of 'em, and I'm looking forward to responding and reciprocating once I feel better.
Anyhow, respiratory woe notwithstanding, there have still been commitments to honor and projects to shepherd, including the reason I'm in Memphis at the moment: the update to "Things Japanese in Tennessee" is now live. This is a beta release -- there are various miscellaneous tweaks and tests and touchings-up to sort out between now and the official premiere next month (Marion, I'll be in touch) -- but it's pretty darn close to the final version, and I think the new sections turned out well (especially considering the limited budget for new material). The "Poetry" in the "Literature and Libraries" unit ought to interest a good many of you. The course is intended for ages ten and up, the audio is in both English and Japanese, and it's available free of charge.
Speaking of poetry, I'm now part of a group of iamb-handlers who'll be posting periodically at Vary the Line, a new collective blog. It's very pretty (major props to marymary for starting the group and setting it up), and the participants are all over the map both geographically and stylistically -- it's going to be fun seeing if/where we intersect in terms of themes, choice of topics, tone, and other such influence-able elements.
(And now that I think about it, I'm all over the map regardless - or at least more of it than your average mouthy pentameter-slinging slant-eyed chick - but that is definitely another digression for another day. There is a hot bath calling my name, as well as another swig of Robitussin (sigh), and then it's back to the stylesheet-stone. Onwards!
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