今週はお茶所として有名な福岡県の八女で紙漉き体験を行いました。

伝統的な和紙の作り方や、八女の日本文化にも触れてより日本のことが理解できたようですよ♪

On June 6^th we went to Yame city to see how Japanese traditional paper is made.

The whole trip may take a while if departing from Hakata station, but I think it is worth it, especially for those who have never experienced something like that, as it was for me.

Yame is a quiet town and, even if it isn’t all that big, it has a lot of Japan history and traditions in it.

So, we first went to Yame Cultural and Traditional Crafts Museum to try making in person some examples of Japanese paper. The process was actually very easy to follow and the final product really nice: we made some bookmarks and postcards, that we’d been able to customize as we liked using for example dried flowers. The paper seems rustic, as it is kind of uneven and unrefined; but I think this is exactly what makes it so unique.

While we were waiting for the paper to dry out, we visited the adjacent rooms full of famous Yame crafts. We could admire some example of bamboo-made goods and utensils; beautiful paper lanterns (some were huge); arrows and arches; Japanese Hina dolls. But for me the most incredible crafts were the Buddhist altars. Some were bigger, other smaller, but they are all so refined and full of details that one can’t help but be amazed.

After that, we also saw an example of Japanese puppet theatre.

We also had the opportunity to buy some of the local green tea, since Yame is well known for its tea, too.

As for the other activities, I really enjoyed this one, since once again I could get in touch with the Japanese culture.

6月6日にどう和紙をすくために、八女市に行きました。

博多駅から出発すれば時間が少しかかりますが、こんな体験をしたことがなかったら絶対に価値があります。

八女市は静かな町であまり大きくなくても、日本歴史と伝統が多いです。

まずは、個人的に和紙をすくのに八女伝統工芸館に行きました。作り方は簡単です。例えばドライフラワー、好きな飾りつけを選んで、はがきを2枚とブックマーク4枚作りました。作った和紙の格好は平らではなくて粗いかもしれませんが、どうして和紙がユニークか、これも理由の一つだと思います。

次に、和紙が乾いている間、館内も見学しました。展示品や催し物がたくさん見えました。例えば竹細工、美しいちょうちん、弓と矢、ひな人形とひな壇。でも、一番すごい工芸品は仏壇だと思います。大きくても小さくても、全部詳しくできて驚かないわけにはいきません。

それから、人形浄瑠璃の舞台も見ました。

最後に、八女市のお茶も有名なので、緑茶が買えました。

ほかのアクティビティと同じ、この体験も本当におもしろかったです。理由はもう一度知らなかった日本伝統が習えたことです。

5月の終わりに南蔵院散策に出かけてきました。自然豊かな土地とブロンズ製としては世界最大の大きさを誇る釈迦涅槃像を見て、学生の皆さんもパワーもらったようですよ♪

On May 30^th we went to Nanzoin. The place is located in Sasaguri town, which you can reach by train, followed by a brief walk.

As soon as you step out the station, a beautiful landscape welcome you: mountains covered with the bright green of the trees and a small river.

We headed to the statue of the reclining Buddha walking through many chapels, shrines and then up a hill.

I didn’t expect you can actually go inside the statue, as we did. We reached a room located approximately in correspondence with the Buddha’s heart, where we prayed a little bit before exit.

I was surprised that a Buddhist temple and lots of Torii could be found so closed to each other, as they formed a sole worship place, with no evident difference between the two religions. For example, we walked through a tunnel dedicated to the Seven lucky Gods of Japan; we could admire a statue of Fudo Myo-o and a very large number of other statues representing the Buddha’s disciples.

For me, the most remarkable aspect was that this large complex is entirely surrounded by nature with perfect harmony: woods, routes, also a waterfall and a small cave; and you can get lost and feeling calm, tranquil and regenerated, too.

There were also so many turtles! I love them so much that I was really happy to see lots of them.

So far, this was my favorite activity, I really enjoyed it and I would love to go to Nanzoin once more before my return to Italy.

5月30日に篠栗町の南蔵院に見に行きました。電車に乗って、少し歩いて、簡単に着けます。

駅から出ると、美しい景色に歓迎されます。緑豊かな山や狭い川が見えます。

いくつかの鳥居や礼拝堂を歩いたり丘に登ったりして、涅槃像に到着しました。像の中にも行って、びっくりしました。仏の心臓の中にある小さい部屋で止めて、自分の大切なものを祈りました。

お寺や鳥居はそんな近くにあるのを驚きました。仏教は神道と違いますが、あそこで同じ崇拝そうです。例えば七福神トンネルを渡ったり、不動明王像やアラカン像も見たりしました。

南蔵院は全部自然に囲まれて、本当に素敵だと思います。林、小道、滝、小さい洞窟もあるから、気分がよくなります。

カメもいっぱいありました。カメが大好きだからとてもうれしかったです。

それまでに参加したアクティビティの中では今週のが一番よかったと思います。帰国する前にもう一度南蔵院に戻りたいと思います。

この日もとてもいい天気（むしろ暑い…）の中、美しい日本庭園で有名な友泉亭に行ってきました。

池の鯉にえさをあげたり茶室でお抹茶を頂いたりとのんびり過ごせましたよ♪

On May 22^nd we went to Yusentei Park. I found it very pleasant, as being surrounded by nature is one of my favorite things. Moreover this park shows pretty well a typical Japanese garden, with its lake full of carps and maple trees. The view was fantastic from every angle. We also enjoyed a cup of matcha green tea with some Japanese-style confectioneries.

We then visited Fukuoka zoological and botanical gardens. I preferred the most the latter, since I feel quite uncomfortable seeing wild animals kept in captivity. Nevertheless, the botanical garden was amazing. I had never seen flowers as big and colorful as the ones I saw there. Their smell was really nice, too.

I really liked this activity.

5月22日に友泉亭公園に行きました。自然に囲まれるのが大好きですから、とてもよかったです。日本の伝統的な公園なので、例えば鯉が泳んでいる池も紅葉も見えました。どこでも素敵な景色に見とれました。そして、抹茶も飲んで干菓子も食べました。

その後、福岡市動植物園も見に行きました。

檻の中に入れられている動物を見るといつもかわいそうに感じますから、植物園の方が絶対によかったです。あんなに大きくて色とりどり花を見たことがありませんでした。とてもよい香りもしました。

今週のアクティビティも楽しかったです。

5月のいいお天気の中、博多の旧市街を散策して来ました♪　福岡の歴史や文化についてたくさん勉強できた1日でした。

Today we joined the Fukuoka Walking Tour. Despite the weather (it was quite hot, but also windy), I really enjoyed it.

I learnt many things about the city of Fukuoka, particularly some aspects of its history. We visited some Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, being able to know various aspects of the Japanese religion and culture that you don’t hear often outside this Country (unless you do specific researchers or consult genre specific books).

I liked visiting the Old City of Hakata the most; it is so beautiful! You can clearly see how tradition and modernity melt together with great harmony.

Surely worth it.

以下はアクティビティのコメントです。

今日は福岡ウォーキングツアーに参加しました。少し暑かったのに、とても楽しかったです。

過去の福岡市についてたくさん習いました。そしていくつかのお寺と神社も見学して、例えば日本の文化や宗教を言われてくれました。面白かったです。

一番好きなことは博多旧市街を散歩することでした。理由は本当に素敵な地方で、伝統と近代性が共存していることに気づくからです。

うれしかったです。

This week we went on an open top bus tour of Fukuoka. It was a great opportunity to get familiar with the different areas and places in Fukuoka City.

We started at Fukuoka City Hall near the Tenjin station. We visited spots such as Yafuoka! Dome where the SoftBank Hawks baseball team plays, Fukuoka Tower, Ohori Koen, and the busy streets of Tenjin just to name a few. We also saw views of the ocean and crossed on a tall beautiful bridge. The baseball stadium was framed by very interesting buildings that were supposed to look like ships.

We enjoyed the view of the different neighborhoods decorated with the young greenery of spring. The azaleas were in full bloom and the wisteria garden had also started to drop their grape-like flowers. One of the best viewing spots of the spring season was the large park surrounding the Fukuoka Castle Ruins. We will explore these different areas further in the weeks to come.

今週のクラスの活動はオープントップバスでした。一時間のツアーで福岡市の色々な観光地を見に行って、有名な場所に紹介されました。例えば、SoftbankHawksという野球チームのヤフオカ！Domeや福岡タワーや大濠公園を過ぎました。海と林がある小さな島も見えました。さらに、今は春の季節なので、福岡市にたくさんの花が咲いています。ピンクと白い躑躅とぶどうみたいな藤があります。私達は福岡市の様々な場所に行くのが楽しみにしています。

Hinamatsuri, Dolls’ Festival, or specially Girls’ Festival is a festival quite special to the Japanese culture.  Families celebrate the day with the display of dolls signifying the Emperor and Empress, along with dolls of different levels in the traditional hierarchy, with the aims to offer blessings for their daughter.  This is one of the most heartwarming and colorful festivals in Japan.  This week, not only was I able to witness how Japanese people celebrate Hinamatsuri, I was able to experience this in Yanagawa, a town known for its many bridges and canels, which can be navigated by boats.

Tsuboi-san accompanied me in this trip. Thanks to him, I was able to understand more about the culture and tradition of Yanagawa and Japan as a whole.  We started our day trip with a boat ride. Our punter was an Ojiisan, an elderly man. He showed us his wonderful punting skills by going through amazingly narrow bridges with ease. He not only introduced the places as we punted along, but also entertained us with singing Japanese folk songs.  His voice was really awesome.  The whole journey was 4 km long which took about 40 mins.  The ride was really entertaining and comfortable.  Unlike Venice which seems to be overcrowded with tourists and has constant congestions  in the canels, Yanagawa was relatively relaxing and serene.

During the boat ride, we saw a stage where Hinamatsuri ceremony was performed, and children gathered on different boats, getting ready to send paper dolls to the canels, with the hope to pray for good fortune and health.

After the boat trip, we went to the the Tachibana Museum. Besides housing lots of important cultural properties, the museum also displayed an awesome collection of traditional dolls specifically in celebration of Hinamatsuri. The dolls together with the unique hanging ornaments were gorgeous. The Museum has an attached Japanese garden which was an absolute beauty. The best viewing point was from the second floor.

We had  lunch in this old building overlooking the beautiful garden. Lunch was unagi, Sea eel, which was also famous in Yanagawa and a must-try.  The day was wrapped up with a short walk around Yanagawa town, where we could see a lot of fully bloomed sakura trees, a Shrine with caged chickens, goats, a monkey and some other animals.  It was a very enjoyable and memorable day trip !

今週は坪井さんと柳川へ行きました。柳川は有名な水郷です、それで、私たちは船で観光しました。後で、ひな祭りのお飾りを見に行きました。すごいきれいでした。ランチなら有名なうなぎ丼を食べました。柳川は食べ物もおいしいし、景色も綺麗だし、そしてうれしかったです。

今回は日本の春の定番行事、「お花見」に行ってきました♪

お城の石垣と相まって桜がとてもきれいでした。

Spring is a lovely season to visit Japan and hanami (cherry blossoms viewing) is a much anticipated festivity in the year. Having the privilege to come to Fukuoka in March, I have been looking forward to the hanami this week. Although it was not my first time viewing sakura, it was my first time going with a group of Japanese teachers and classmates.

I have always been fascinated by Japanese people’s hanami culture; it is not just a mere action of appreciating sakura blossoming; its a celebration of the beauty in life, the approach of spring, and camaraderie of friends and families.  We went in a group of 10 teachers and classmates to the Maizuru Park, where we had bento under the cherry blossom trees.

Afterwards i went with teachers to visit the ruins of the Fukuoka castle and Korokan Historical Museum, a guesthouse for diplomats in ancient times.  I found it particularly interesting that researchers of the museum could actually infer what food the people had eaten, and even reconstructed the whole feast in the old days just by examining the elements found in the toilet remains. It was a really funfilled day.

今日は先生達と一緒に花見に行きました。舞鶴公園にたくさん桜がありました。とてもきれいでした。桜の下に座ってお弁当を食べました。後で、福岡城と鴻臚館で見学に行きました。面白いでした。

今回は日本人形の絵付け体験に行ってきました。すてきな猫神様ができました！

This week I was accompanied by Yoko sensei to make the traditional doll of Fukuoka.

When we arrived at the shop, we couldn’t help but marveled at the display of hundreds of beautifully handcrafted dolls. After a little tour around the shop, we started to work on our own dolls.

Of course with the limited time we had, we could only do coloring for our chosen doll mold. There were plenty of molds to choose from and I chose a little cat mold.  I had a lot of fun mixing different color paints to make my cat look more interesting.  I got inspiration from Yayoi Kusama’s polkadot pumkin and decorated the back of my cat with black polkadots.

After an hour of hard work, my cat doll had eventually come to life.  Sensei and I posed for some pictures with our own works.  I named mine “God of Cats”.  I think it looks adorable and majestic!

今日は緒方先生と一緒に福岡人形を作リました。私の人形は「猫神」と言いました。一番可愛いかったです。猫神ちゃんの後ろは水玉模様がありました、草間彌生のパンプキンを写しました！人形の作るは面白かったです！

Dazaifu-shrine

We visited one of the well-known shrines in Japan. A god of study is there. Many Japanese students come to this place and pray for their exam success.

Here is a comment from our student:

After two days in the School, I have been looking forward to the outing to Dazaifu today. I was blessed to have sunny weather though it was a bit chilly in the morning.  It was a great pleasure to have Tsuboi-san from NILS accompanied me in the trip. He has been most friendly and caring.

During the trip, he explained in detail a lot of interesting things about Daizaifu, its vicinities and Fukuoka. We communicated mainly in Japanese and it was an excellent opportunity for me to brush up the language.

We also visited Kyushu National Museum where national treasures of Kyoto’s Daigoji were currently exhibited. Having visited Daigoji before, I was particularly delighted to look at the amazing exhibits outside of its Kyoto premise.

Before we left, we had coffee at the famous Starbucks designed by Kengo Kuma-san, and savoured the yummy plum biscuits.  I went home with a full stomach and many happy memories.

She writes down her impression in Japanese.  ありがとうございました！

今日の見学はとても楽しかったです。太宰府天滿宮と九州国立博物館へ行きました。すばらしい展覧を見ました。太宰府は、にぎやかだし、きれいだし、面白いです。坪井さん、どうもありがとうございました。