JAPAN HOUSE

Support Japan House by Treating Yourself to a Cupcake!

We are honored that Cream & Flutter, the incredible bakery in downtown Champaign, at 114 N. Walnut, has chosen Japan House as their community partner for the month of May 2012. Cream & Flutter will be donating 5% of their profits from that period to Japan House. You can enjoy any of their delicious treats but the Green Tea Cherry Blossom cupcake looks utterly delightful to us! 

Thanks to Cream & Flutter for their innovative combination of baking and generosity! 

And as an added inducement....for every 6 Green Tea Cherry Blossom cupcakes that you buy you will receive a voucher for a free tea ceremony ($8 value)!

Thanks to the Japan House Tea Study Group: Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association

Japan House exists because of shared visions....a vision by Founding Director Shozo Sato to share the culture of Japan by teaching its traditional arts, and then a vision by Associate Professor Emeritus, and former Director, Kimiko Gunji, to further those teachings by establishing a permanent facility. It also exists because of a shared vision by all those that practice or appreciate the arts of Japan and believe so strongly that they volunteer their time and talents to support Japan House.

This past Saturday, which was Mom's Weekend here on campus, members of the Tea Study Group served almost 100 bowls of tea.  Many more people toured the house and observed the tea ceremonies---so well over 200 people learned about the Way of Tea!  Without this group, we would never be able to reach as many people.  I want to express our sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude to the Tea Group...they are indeed a vital part of Japan House.

The Tea Group is affiliated with the Urasenke Foundation, one of Japan's most revered tea schools.  In 1995 the Urasenke Foundation agreed to donate two tea rooms to the prospective Japan House facility. Their commitment enabled the fundraising process to begin in earnest and led to the facility that stands today. Japan House has been honored by the support of the Urasenke Foundation (they also donated the 50 cherry trees in 2008) and is proud to sponsor them.

The Tea Study Group is open to anyone interested in the Way of Tea. The class members are multinational, span a wide variety of ages, and come from all sectors of the community including students, working professionals, and many others. If you are interested in becoming part of this group you can find more information on their facebook page. They do not meet during the summer but will start again when the fall semester starts.

We thank them sincerely for all they do.    

                                                                                                        Cynthia Voelkl, Assistant Director

 

Although Chikako is one of the youngest members of the Tea Group she is actually a veteran of seven years!

 

 

Lindsey Stirek, who is currently studying in Japan, had the opportunity to meet Daisosho Sen Genshitsu. We look forward to her returning to Japan House and the Tea Study Group this fall!

 

Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association

 

 

The Spring Semester at Japan House

It's hard to believe that the busy spring season here at Japan House is going to wind up next month. Despite the peace found here at Japan House, there has still been a whirlwind of activity this semester! Our series of calligraphy workshops under the direction of Shozo Sato were a great success, as was our cooking class series held with Tamaki Levy.  Both series were sold out with waiting lists. We were delighted to be responding to such strong interest!

We changed our tea ceremony schedule and are now pleased to offer tea ceremonies on the third Saturday of each month (due to demand) and will continue to offer that throughout the year (except for August).  

We offered special experiences to our Tomonokai members, including a backstage visit to the Damine Children's kabuki group at Krannert Center, a free full dress rehearsal of Shozo Sato's final directorial (and sold out) performance of Kabuki MacBeth. We also invited all our Tomonokai members to a special Cherry Blossom Celebration in April, complete with a presentation on our cherry tree allée by Bill Kruidenier, Associate Director of the Arboretum, as well as a Spring Cherry Cocktail and a bento box of delicious Japanese food.  

 

In between all that we found the time to honor events both small and large---from celebrating Setsubun (the first day of spring) with traditional activities----to the moving experience of paying tribute to the one year anniversary of the Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Throughout the semester we also welcomed classes to Japan House.  ArtD 299: Japanese Aesthetics met twice weekly here at Japan House, studying a wide range of Japanese arts----calligraphy, tea, ikebana and Japanese cuisine. The Tea Study Group, more properly known as the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association continues to meet every week and the Prairie Ikebana Group meets for monthly workshops.

We do still have one more event coming up---our annual celebration of Children's Day!  Storyteller Dan Keding will enchant children with stories from 1:30 to 2:00 and during the half hour before, and after, they will have a chance to take part in hands on Japanese craft activities, including ikebana (Japanese floral arranging), origami, and have their names written in calligraphy!  Free and open to all. Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 1:00 to 2:30.

Open House Spring 2012

We were honored to have Shozo Sato return to campus for our Spring Open House.  It was, of course, standing room only when he spoke about his kabuki work.

Children's Day at Japan House on May 5, 2012!

Sakura and A Spring Whirlwind of Activity

Japan House has been a whirlwind of activity this spring it seems.  The suprise of the early cherry blossoms started it all in mid-March.  Since then we have held our final Calligraphy workshop, our final cooking class, our Spring Open House and a special Cherry Blossom Celebration for our Tomonokai members.  In the next few weeks I will be sharing pictures with you.  

I will begin with a slideshow of many of our images of sakura.  You'll also find pictures of many other Japan House activities at the flickr page to which this slideshow takes you! Enjoy.

 

Spring Open House with Shozo Sato April 7, 2012

Spring Open House is tomorrow!!  Please join us---it looks to be a beautiful day....

Tea ceremonies throughout the day (10-4) except during Shozo Sato's presentation on kabuki at 11.  Garden tours at 1 and 2 with Jim Bier, the designer, donor and caretaker of our gardens.

We're at 2000 S. Lincoln Avenue in Urbana, across from Vet Med, just south of the intersection of Kirby and Lincoln.  Tea ceremonies are free if you are a Tomonokai member or just $5 if not.

Riki's Cherry Blossom Retrospective

At last my weekly cherry blossom photo project has come to an end. It truly amazes me how quickly these beautiful flowers fade away. I am sad to see them go and I regret that I missed them at their height. Kimiko Gunji-sensei calls the feeling one has after the cherry blossoms have passed “nagori sakura” which roughly translates to “the sorrow of parting of the cherry blossoms”. I think it describes my own feelings perfectly.

 Oh well, I will remember this year’s cherry blossoms fondly and look forward to the gorgeous blooms to come next spring!

~Riki Bongen

Japan House Student Volunteer

Sakura 2012

We thought the cherry trees would bloom early this year, given the mild winter.  They surprised us nonetheless, and were in bloom when I arrived at work on Monday, March 19th. Through the week we watched them, the change just between morning and evening itself amazing. By that weekend the blossoms were carpeting the sidewalk.  Although we were sad to think how many people were away on spring break and didn't get a chance to see it---we were thrilled with the great number of visitors, from early morning to dusk that came to enjoy the experience of walking admidst the blooms.

It was only four years ago that the trees were planted as a gift from Dr. Sen of the Urasenke Tea School in Japan.  Now it is like a new gift every year!

There are a few blossoms still hanging on....a double blossomed tree close to the ponds was one of the last to bloom...it is still lush and especially fragrant:

and now some scenes from the past few weeks....

by Cynthia Voelkl

Spring Open House with Shozo Sato April 7, 2012

Our Spring Open House will be a very special one this year.  Japan House is honored to welcome Professor Emeritus Shozo Sato for a presentation on kabuki and his final directorial performance of Lady MacBeth: A Kabuki Play at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

Professor Sato is a theatre director and master of Zen arts.  Sato was officially adopted into the Kabuki family of Nakamura Kenzaburo XVII, and is a master of the highest order of Japanese Tea Ceremony, Ikebana (flower arrangement) and Sumi-e (black ink painting).  Sato was the founding director of the original Japan House.  He was granted a D.F.A. from the University of Illinois in 1998. Please join us for his presentation at 11:00 a.m.

Tour the gardens with James Bier, designer and builder of the Japan House gardens, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.  Tea ceremonies will be performed throughout the day by the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association.  

We are also honored to welcome the Consul General of Japan at Chicago, Yoshifumi Okamura, who will make brief remarks before Professor Sato's presentation.

 

To participate in a tea ceremony, a ticket must be purchased at the door for $5 per person (regularly $8).  Tomonokai members can participate in a tea ceremony for free by showing their membership card!

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