JAPAN HOUSE

Fall Open House on Saturday, November 5, 2011

Our Fall Open House is coming up next Saturday, November 5, 2011.  These events are always memorable and this one looks particularly great!  You will have a chance to participate in a tea ceremony and take a tour of the gardens.  The Japanese maples are really beginning to glow with color so it will be beautiful no matter what the weather is.

You will have the opportunity to learn about KOGO, the tiny Japanese incense containers used in the tea ceremony and also have the chance to support Japan House by purchasing one of these little jewels!  Artist, Professor Emeritus, and Tea Master, A. Doyle Moore has donated a number of KOGO to Japan House.  All proceeds from these KOGO's will go toward supporting Japan House and keeping the facility open.  The suggested prices are very, very low but we encourage you to consider Japan House and its facilities when making your payment!

Special presentation on KOGO, Japanese incense containers used in the Way of Tea, by Professor Emeritus & Tea Master, A. Doyle Moore. Please join us for his presentations at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm.

Tour the gardens with James Bier, designer and builder of the Japan House gardens, at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

Tea ceremonies will be performed throughout the day by the Urbana-Champaign Association of Chado Urasenke Tankokai Tea Study Group. To participate in a tea ceremony, a ticket must be purchased at the door for $5 per person. Tomonokai members can participate in tea for free by showing their membership card!

All our welcome. Please join us!

 

Kogo or incense containers are small ceramic, wooden or shell containers used to hold a few pieces of incense. A Kogo can be made in many shapes and forms — from simple round to cherry blossom petal shape, an octagon, various animal shapes, moon shapes, and much more. Incense from the Kogo is placed in the charcoal fire to create a nice fragrance as the charcoal gets hotter and hotter in preparation for tea.

The Season of Midterms and Falling Leaves

Fall is truly here.  It's hard to believe that we are already in the season of midterms and falling leaves.  It was a busy week here at Japan House, between the University tea class on Tuesday, the moonviewing Tuesday evening, tea ceremonies and tours on Thursday, Saturday afternoon tours and then on Sunday evening we welcomed a group of registrars representing all the Big Ten schools, as part of a Committee on Institutional Cooperation conference.  We were pleased that when looking for a special and unique way to introduce represenatives from other universities to our campus, they chose to highlight Japan House.  A very busy week indeed, but a good one.

So now we look toward the second half of the semester, more classes, more tea ceremonies and more events. Our fall Open House will be on November 5, 2011 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. We hope you join us for one of these events---or just stop by to find a moment of peace in the gardens.

 

Moon Viewing at Japan House

Tsukimi, or moon-viewings, are celebrations held in Japan to honor and view the autumn moon.  Last night at Japan House we welcomed guests who have been particularly generous in supporting Japan House.  Without private donations we would not be able to fulfill Japan House's mission of promoting an appreciation of Japanese arts and culture and helping our visitors find a moment of peace in their day.  We are always looking for ways to thank them so this year we chose to share the pleasures of a moon viewing with them.

We welcomed our guests with traditional decorations of autumn grasses throughout the house:

Tamaki Levy, a Japanese food nutritionist who has been working with Japan House, prepared a menu of light refreshments based on foods associated with temples and moon viewings.  They were absolutely beautiful and truly delicious!  I hope to post some of her recipes here so please check back.

Guests enjoyed sake, tea, wine or, the most popular drink of the evening, the Citrus Ginger Sake Spritzer!

Many asked for the recipe so we are sharing it here.  It is adapted from a recipe based on a popular Japanese drink called the Yuzu Sour.  Our version uses less sugar and more sake!

Japan House Sake Spritzer

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

3 inches of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced

2 limes, juiced and rind quartered and reserved

2 grapefruits, juiced and rind reserved (we used pink grapefruit)

10 oz. sake

lemon lime soda to taste

Heat the sugar, ginger and water over medium high heat.  Stir frequently until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and cool.  Strain out ginger.  Chill and use five ounces of syrup for the recipe. 

Combine lime juice, grapefuit juice, sake, and ginger syrup. Cut 1 1/2 squares of grapefruit and lime rind and pulp, and add to pitcher.  Add ice if wanted and muddle contents of the pitcher together.  Add lemon lime soda to taste.  Pour into glasses and add slice of lime.

Here is Tamaki completing last minute preprations for the evening:

Our guests also enjoyed a presentation on the moon by Brian Fields, Professor of Astronomy here at the University of Illinois, and because poetry is often associated with moon viewing, haiku expert Lee Gurga also spoke about haiku and encouraged our guests to use the moon as inspiration for a haiku!

Thanks to all those that attended.  And if you didn't attend, perhaps you should make yourself a sake spritzer or some green tea....and sit and enjoy the moon tonight!

Campus Honors Program Celebrates 25th Anniversary at Japan House

October 8, 2011 saw the Campus Honors Program celebrating its 25th anniversary.  We were delighted to welcome a group of Campus Honors alums to a special tea ceremony that afternoon.  It was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces--thank you so much for attending and remembering Japan House as one of your key experiences as a student!

 

 

Fall Arrives in the Gardens

The Japan House gardens are glorious in the fall.  We hope you can make time to visit....they are open every day from dawn to dusk.