JAPAN HOUSE

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.

 

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

Want to Bet on the Cherry Blossoms? Free Tea Ceremony Vouchers!

We just spent some time gathered outside with a few colleagues from the University Arboretum talking about upcoming plans for the gardens and what will be happening this spring and summer.  Look for more planting of native grasses along the edges of the ponds by the Arboretum and placement of some trees and benches by Japan House.  It is exciting to think of and hard to believe how soon the cherry trees will be blooming.

Does anyone want to make a bet on when the cherry trees will bloom this year?  Will the mild winter throw off their regular schedule?  Perhaps not a bet....but a guess anyway....  And I'll throw in two vouchers for a free tea ceremony to whomever is closest!  Pick the date that at least 50% of one of the cherry trees is in bloom.  Only the first correct guess gets the vouchers!  Leave a your guesses in the comments!

Ready, set, GO!

 

Winter Morning in the Gardens

There haven't been many snow mornings here this winter so you have to appreciate the beauty while you can.  That's what I told myself when I decided to take a walk around the Japan House ponds this morning.  Gloves made picture taking a little clumsy but the walk left me feeling energized and peaceful.

If you haven't yet taken advantage of the new walkway around the ponds that the Arboretum put in this summer you must try it.  It affords absolutely beautiful new views of Japan House and the gardens.  This morning the geese appeared to be having an altercation of some sort and as I watched them I saw some kind of furry animal swimming through the pond.  Anyone have an idea of what it might have been?

The Week Begins Begins With Fog and Food and Black Ink

Walking up to Japan House this morning was breathtaking---the fog floating around the frosted branches in the garden---just stunning. I could barely see Japan House from a distance and a group of geese were honking from the center of the ponds as though they were complaining about the fog.

Now the fog has receded a bit however and we are getting ready for a busy week here. Today, Tamaki Levy will be doing final preparations for her cooking class tomorrow (unfortunately, or fortunately, it is completely full but there are still spots in the April 3, 2012 desserts class).  I look forward to wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen and hopefully getting a chance to steal a sample or two of different Japanese appetizers.  After that ARTD 299 will meet for a class studying the art of calligraphy with Professor Emeritus Shozo Sato.  Tuesday will see our evening cooking class, Wednesday another ARTD 299 session and on Thursday there will be tours, tea ceremonies and then in the evening our Tea Study group, more properly known as Chado Urasenke Tankokai Association of Urbana-Champaign will meet. In between we will be busy with meetings and preparations for all our other upcoming events.  And no doubt some more beautiful moments in the gardens.

Fall Open House Pictures

We are fortunate to have a wonderful photographer who documents many of our Japan House events.  Charles Hannon has a beautiful touch as you can see in these recent pictures of the gardens, and our Fall Open House in early November.  You can find more at the Japan House facebook page, as well as the facebook page of the Tea Study Group.

You can also find pictures of many Japan House events over the years on our Flickr page.  We hope you enjoy perusing them!

Nestled Within the University of Illinois Arboretum

I attended the annual meeting of the University of Illinois Arboretum Board of Advisors last Thursday afternoon.  Perhaps a two hour meeting doesn't sound like a pleasure...but it was!  It was a great feeling to be with others that care for the Arboretum and are excited to plan for its future.  The Arboretum is an incredible resource for the University, surrounding communities, and through it's trial gardens, the entire Midwest.  Here at Japan House we consider ourselves most fortunate to be nestled within it. 

The mission of the Arboretum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is to discover, interpret, and disseminate knowledge in the plant sciences and applied arts by providing an aesthetically enriched setting for education, research, conservation and enjoyment.  Some of the major components of the Arboretum include Japan House, the Miles C Hartley Trials Garden, the Idea Garden, the Noel Welcome Garden and the Pollinatorium.  Although Japan House and its gardens are certainly enough of a reason for a visit, there is much more here.  The new walkway around the ponds near Japan House, which I wrote about some time ago, has added an entirely new dimension to spending time in the Arboretum.  The views of Japan House are spectacular---I can't wait for cherry blossom time---or perhaps a snowy day!

There are many plans for the future of the Arboretum, for increased signage, plantings, walkways, etc. Although the future looks exciting, you don't have to wait for any of that.  There is much to do and enjoy in the Arboretum right now.  Tours of Japan House are available on the third Saturday of the month (November 20th this month) from 1:00 to 5:00.  Tours are also available at 2:00, 3:00 and between 4:00 and 5:00 on Thursdays (excepting University breaks).  Tours are free and if you wish to take part in a tea ceremony (available at 2:00 and 3:00 on Thursdays) it is only $8.  Reservations are recommended for tea ceremonies as we sometimes sell out.

Group tours of the Arboretum and the Idea Garden are available upon request and the Pollinatorium is open on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm (by appointment during the week).  All tours are free.  The Pollinatorium is accessed off Windsor Road, while the other areas of the Arboretum are accessed off of Lincoln Avenue, near St. Mary's Road.  Click here for a map.

The Arboretum gardens, including those at Japan House, are open from dawn to dusk.  There are still gorgeous colors to see in the landscape.  The Japan House walled tea garden is closed once we have icy weather so plan a visit soon!

 

Many Thanks for a Successful Open House!

Saturday, November 5, 2011 was a beautiful fall day on which to open up Japan House and share tea ceremonies, garden tours and a fascinating presentation on Japanese incense containers used in the tea ceremony.

The Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association served many, many bowls of tea at a special reduced fee of $5.00 (and free for Tomonokai members).  Tea was served outside as well as inside the two main tea rooms of Japan House.  We are most grateful to the Tankokai---without them we would never be able to share the Way of Tea with so many people!

Professor Emeritus, as well as Tea Master and artist,  A. Doyle Moore gave presentations on kogo, tiny Japanese incense containers used in the tea ceremony.  He had also created a number of kogo to be sold to help support Japan House.  Thank to Doyle-Sensei and all of those who purchased a kogo of their own!

Thanks also to Jim Bier who led garden tours in the afternoon.  If you didn't make it, or haven't been to Japan House this fall, try to visit before the leaves are all gone.  The Japanese maples are so red this year that they almost don't look real!  It is a wonderful chance to find a moment of peace in the face of such beauty.

We'll have lots of pictures from  Open House coming soon and we will share them here and on our facebook page.

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.

 

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.