The farewell party at Greenwood for the Yotsuba Gakuen students from Isesaki, Japan was full of Japanese cultural activities. Students played Ayatori, a traditional girls’ game in which a loop of string is passed from player to player using both hands to make various shapes.

Two students demonstrated Kendo – the basic “Kata” (position) which was a quiet and smooth move, unlike many martial arts group performances which are done to loud music at the Japanese Fall Festival.

During their two-week visit to Springfield, the Yotsuba students stayed in dormitories during the week for their intensive English classes at Missouri State University. They also had the opportunity to experience local family life by staying with a Springfield host family on the weekend.

For the Japanese Tea Ceremony, students dressed their Sunday host families in Japanese Yukatas and taught them how to make Matcha (green tea). The participants learned to scoop powdered tea from container to their tea cup, pour hot water into the cup, and use the bamboo whisk in the proper way.

The Japan night was well organized with many tables for different activities — Tea Ceremony, Calligraphy, Japanese snack foods, and Japanese games. The students taught each activity at the tables and then performed Japanese song and dance and Kendo on the stage.

For the grand finale, everyone joined hands in a big circle and sang “We Are the World.”

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During their August 2011 visit to Springfield, 22 Isesaki municipal junior high students stayed with host families in Springfield for the first time in four years. At the same time 30 middle school students from Yotsuba Gakuen in Isesaki, Japan stayed at Missouri State University for intensive English Language program. Both students were welcomed at an early evening barbeque at the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden pavilion, having a good time mingling with the Springfield host families.

The students and host families enjoyed homestyle grilled hamburgers and lots of other good food, including a special “Welcome to Springfield” cake. Welcome speeches were made by the Isesaki academic leader, SSCA board member and Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Stevens, and the Kickapoo/MSU advisor and coordinator Kazumi Holcomb.

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The students will sing Japanese songs, present J-pop dance, and more at two 20-minute performances at 7 pm and 7:30 pm at Obelisk Home, 214 W. Phelps on August 5th as part of First Friday Art Walk.  Please come out to see these performance and support these students!!

And if you see them downtown walking around during the Art Walk, give them a big Springfield welcome!

Here’s a sampling of the cards that are now on their way to Isesaki, Japan. Click on a thumbnail below to see larger.

Origami originated in Japan during the 17th century and became popular in the 1900’s and is now spread all over the world. Origami is the art of folding a single sheet of paper into a variety of different shapes without the use of cutting or glue. Originally, origami figures were given as gifts or offerings to the gods and to guests. Today, origami is not only given as gifts, but is also recognized as an art form and a hobby. Nearly any shape can be created in paper origami form with enough practice.

There are many types of origami; but three of the most popular types are action origami, modular origami, and a particular method of sculpting paper called wet-folding.

Action origami

Action origami is a type of origami that moves, such as flying birds, movement of a certain flap or limb, and inflatable boxes. Action origami is very common, and first appeared as the Japanese flying bird.

Modular origami

Modular origami involves putting many identical pieces together to form a complete, more complex shape. The kusudama, a decorative ball, is one example of modular origami.

Wet-folding

Wet-folding is a particular origami folding technique that allows the paper to have gentle curves rather than the typical straight folds. Wet-folding involves dampening the paper which allows it to be easily sculpted into shapes and when it dries it will keep whatever shape it is molded to. Wet-folding is used primarily to make realistic animals.

Anyone can make origami. All you need is paper, a flat surface, and your hands! There are many types and shapes of origami, but it usually takes the form of animals. The most common origami animal is the crane, but you can also make pigs, butterflies, fish, turtles, frogs, and rabbits. There are also origami shapes you can make like boxes, stars, boats, and flowers. If you want to fold origami, you can click on the links below.

Learn how to fold simple origami (this is a great place to start if you’re a beginner): Click here

Learn how to fold origami animals: Click here

Learn how to fold origami boxes: Click here

The cherry blossom, sakura in Japanese, is a widely known symbol of Japan representing the transition from winter to spring as well as the fleeting beauty of life. Cherry blossoms only remain on the trees for as long as a week before they fall off and are replaced by leaves.

The most popular type of cherry blossom in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. The flower is purely white except for a slight pink near the stem. Other types of cherry blossoms are bright pink, like the yaezakura or the shidarezakura, the weeping cherry, which has branches that fall like those of a weeping willow.

The Japanese track the sakura zensen, or the Cherry-Blossom Front, as the cherry trees bloom with the change of the seasons. The blossoming typically begins in February in Okinawa and reaches Kyoto and Tokyo by the end of March or beginning of April. Then it proceeds north, reaching Hokkaido a few weeks later.

In order to enjoy the beauty of the sakura blossoms, Japanese families and friends partake in hanami, or “flower viewing party.” They will visit shrines and parks to celebrate the blooming and beauty of sakura and take the time to relax and enjoy the beginning of spring.

Did you know?

Did you know in 1912 Japan gave the United States 3,020 sakura trees as a gesture of the growing friendship between the two nations, and another 3,800 in 1965? The trees line the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C.

Did you know during World War II Japanese pilots would paint sakura blossoms on the side of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission? The sakura blossom acted as a reminder of ephemeral life.

Did you know Sakura is the name of a popular character in the manga and anime Naruto? She is named after the sakura blossom and sports pink hair like some variations of the flower.

Bento boxes themselves have many different appearances, from lacquered wooden boxes to children’s plastic lunchboxes with cartoon characters on them. Bento boxes are served at restaurants, used as lunchboxes for school children, and are even taken to work by businessmen and women. Bento can also be bought in convenience stores or train stations, but it is still common for bento to be homemade with great care and attention to detail.

They can be filled with anything, but the traditional Japanese bento box is filled with rice or noodles, and any combination of okazu, side dishes, which can include meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and tofu. All the food is in bite size quantities to make it easier to eat with chopsticks.

There are elaborate styles and methods of arranging bento boxes too. Kyaraben or “character bento” is a way of arranging the food into the shape of anime (cartoon) or manga (comic) characters. Oekakiben or “picture bento” is decorated to look like pictures, animals, buildings, or landscapes. There are even competitions where bento arrangers compete against each other to see who can create prettiest bento design.

Bento Box Favorites

Onigiri – Onigiri, or rice balls, are usually included in bento boxes. Warm, sticky rice is typically molded into discs or capsules, but can also be made into cute shapes like rabbits or teddy bears.  Onigiri is eaten by hand and usually has a strip of seaweed, called nori, wrapped around it to keep the rice from sticking to the fingers.

Eggs – Hard-boiled eggs, usually cut in half to show the color, or Japanese style omelettes are usually included. Tiny quail eggs are sometimes included instead of large chicken eggs and make a cute addition.

Curry – Curry is one of the new beloved dishes Japanese imported overseas. Originally from India, Curry now enjoys popularity in Japan.  The Japanese version is not as spicy as its Indian counterpart and is usually served over rice.

Bite size fruits and veggies – The Japanese love to have color in their bento and therefore like to add small fruits and vegetables like mandarin oranges, cherry tomatoes, and baby corn to really make the meal beautiful.

Want to buy your own bento boxes? Click here

You can also learn some tips about making you own bento by visiting this site. Click here

Japan is a country of varying geography. It has tropical beaches and snowy forests. It has low plains and mountain ranges. It has volcanic activity, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. That all of this is packed into a space smaller than the state of California is truly fascinating.

The country of Japan consists of many, many islands in an archipelago that is separated from the east coast of Asia by the Sea of Japan. Its closest neighboring countries are Korea, China, and Russia. Out of the more than three thousand adjacent islands and islets that make up Japan, the four largest are called Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

Honshu

Honshu is the largest island, holding more than eighty percent of Japan’s population. It contains Japan’s capital and largest city, Tokyo. Honshu also has the Japanese Alps, the highest mountain range in Japan consisting of three smaller ranges. Hokkaido is the northernmost island, holding about five percent of the population. It has the highest latitude, but drops to the lowest elevation.

Kyushu

Kyushu is the southernmost island and holds eleven percent of the population. Kyushu is the island with the most rugged natural scenery, including several volcanoes.

Shikoku

Shikoku is the island located between Honshu and Kyushu that holds approximately one percent of the population. This island is best known for its beautiful farming regions.

Climate

Japan’s climate varies strongly in different regions. In most of the major cities such as Tokyo the climate is humid and temperate, consisting of all four seasons and plentiful precipitation. In this central region of Japan the winters are mild, the summers are hot, and there is a rainy season during the entire month of June.

The northern island of Hokkaido has a colder climate. Its winters are longer, colder, and receive large amounts of snowfall.  On the other hand, Okinawa, which is a prefecture located just below the southern island of Kyushu, maintains around sixty degrees in the depths of winter and has hot, long summers typical of a sub-tropical climate.

The pacific east coast of Japan is warmer than the west coast and receives typhoons or hurricanes every year in September. Being located on the ring of fire, Japan experiences occasional low-intensity volcanic activity and frequent earthquakes of varying intensity (around one thousand earthquakes occur per year in Japan on average).

Terrain

The terrain in Japan is mainly mountainous with very few large, flat areas of land. In order to obtain more habitable land, dikes and drainages have been built, artificial islands have been made, shorelines have been extended, and parts of hills and mountains have been leveled. Still, only about twenty-five percent of land in the country is heavily populated.

Rivers, Lakes, and Springs

As far as bodies of water, Japan has many small rivers, lakes, and hot springs. The rivers are usually steep, swift, and short (the longest being 228 miles long), making them useful in providing hydroelectric power generation, a renewable resource that Japan has exploited nearly to capacity. However, these characteristics also mean the rivers are unfavorable for transportation use. Furthermore, the rivers are prone to significant seasonal variations in flow, often leading to flooding.

by Bob Stephens

There is no travel as exciting and immersing as Sister Cities home stays. Instead of staying in anonymous, internationally-identical hotels, our Sister Cities trips give you a real feel for the place and its people that no tour guide can provide. And the people are the Sister Cities folks themselves, and so are incredibly loving and giving hosts.

This year’s cultural exchange trip for the Isesaki City Summer Festival was no exception. Kellswater played Irish folk songs at the Saturday festival, then helped to carry the shrines for the Sunday parade through downtown.

It was a thrilling, first-hand experience for the band members – Myself and wife Cindy, vocalist (and percussionist) Steve Gaither, and tenor and guitar player Bob Jones. But we also reaffirmed dear friends from previous trips (for the Bobs) and all of us made new ones.

We had a very touching moment when playing music in the lobby of the large municipal hospital the day before the festival. The visitors and the patients clapped along, tapped their feet, and smiled, even though many had no idea what the words were saying. But, when we performed one Japanese song “Hometown,” one of the ladies with the Isesaki Sister Cities program took a microphone around and got some of the audience to sing along. There were several folks in the audience with tears in their eyes.

As always, the Welcome Party and other get-togethers were full of warm socializing with our wonderful friends. The parades on Saturday and Sunday were riots of color, with very polite and appreciative crowds. And the tears returned again as we left our host families and friends to return to our Springfield homes. Our Isesaki homes are still in our hearts.

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