My Japanese language school organized a field trip for us today to attend an event at the Showa Women’s University as an introduction to a few Japanese culture-related activities. The entire event, put together by the students of the university itself was a very educational one for us, not to mention fun too! *smile*

They not only walked us through the art of the Akido martial arts and the koto (Japanese harp) playing, but also mochi pounding, calligraphy, traditional Japanese toys and the yukata (summer kimono)! Check this out! Your Japanese panda… *bow* Hehe…

As with kimono, the general rule with yukata is that younger people wear brighter colours and bolder patterns than the older ones. Hehe. A child might wear a multi-coloured print and a young woman, a floral print, while an older woman would confine herself to a traditional dark blue with geometric patterns. (Note the colours of our yukatas…) Bottomline – we were all still considered very young women! Haha.

For those of you who do not know what mochi is, it’s actually a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice which is pounded into paste and moulded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki (the pounding which I’m seen doing here! *grin*). While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year (1^st January) and can be served in a variety of different ways, from sweet to savoury! *wink*

I totally enjoyed myself this afternoon thanks to the wonderful students of the Uni who graciously put the event together for the group at no cost to us. *smile* Thank you ladies for doing such a great job and making us feel so at home!!! *smile*

In my next post, I’ll show you what we did after the event…hehe. Have a wonderful weekend everyone! *smile*