Nihongo Caravan SY 2010-2011

Last school year (2010-2011), my Nihongo students and I decided to come up with an open-house style culminating activity.  Previously, we've already done a song and dance type of program; for a change, we wanted something that is more interactive.  So we decided we'll just have five booths --- onigiri booth, origami booth, calligraphy booth, yukata booth and a game booth.  Judging by the tons of pictures I have saved on my laptop, this was one huge success.  Thanks to my students and to all who dropped by to show some support.  This is going to be a picture-heavy post, so please be forewarned.  I wanted to show all the images, but it will take me the whole day to load 300++ pictures in one post. 

So here's what made into the final cut:

 I ❤ Manga!  Thankfully, Meara has a collection of manga, anime characters and some toys and trinkets.  These were a big hit among the students.

 I want one of those for myself, but where would I put them in my house?  ;-)

 Micah (in green yukata) and her friends had their hands full trying to write the students' names in Katakana.

 Julie and Ayra try to show to the students how to make a crane origami.

 Kat, Dana (in hat) and Pam (in green yukata) demonstrate how to make onigiri, or Japanese rice balls.

 See?  Japanese manga have many fans in Pasig!

 Guess what anime character he is ;-)

 A girl tries to wear a floral yukata.

 Oishii!  Tabetai!!!

 Who's that mysterious guy behind the mask?

 Ms Jha (Filipino / Spanish teacher) becomes a Japanese for a day.

 Ms Beloy (Science teacher), Ms Jha and Ms Joan (Filipino teachers) ---- geisha for a day? Hehehe

 Students try writing in Japanese ink and brushes

 Pretty Cosplayers

 Hanami Sensei + Sir Ephraim (Science teacher) and me

 Francis tries to demonstrate how to do karate while we're busy posing

 Julie demonstrates another onigiri art.

 The boys and the girls turn competitive playing the kendama.  Yatta!

 The Japanese believe that when you combine a thousand cranes, it means good luck, prosperity and longevity.  Check out this article from Wikipedia for more info.

Library in-charge Ate Lita with Kenneth and Rein.  She is wearing the pink yukata which my friend bought for me from Japan.

Give Me Some Onigiri!

Japan to me is the land of so many good things, one of which is Japanese food.  There's something about their food that I find so irresistable (ask any companion during buffets at Saisaki and they'd tell you I keep going back to the maki, sushi and tenpura corners!).  I'm no food connoisseur, but I sure do love tasting different kinds of dishes and being adventurous in the process.

It's kinda expensive if I ask my students to shell out about Php 250 per head just so we can order from Teriyaki Boy, apparently the cheapest Japanese food there is.  Nah, but Hanami Sensei told me it's already Filipinized and not authentic.

So, we had to think of alternatives.  And I thought:  why not onigiri?  All they'll need is sticky rice, tuna in original flakes, Japanese mayo, and seaweeds.  Roll them together, and enjoy eating!

Preparing to whip up an onigiri

Ready?

Daijoubu?

Hungry?

Lorenzo is laughing or is not quite sure....

Wow, they're done!

See? 

Want some?

Ready to serve

Meara finds the rice too sticky....

Oopss..just a little pressure Meara-san...

Allain shows off the rice ball..

Ready to eat!  Tabemashou!

Ate Lita tries out the chopsticks

See how many onigiri they produced.

JapaNICE!

I'm getting hungry looking at these pics.

All smiles now :-)

Sir E tries out the onigiri. He said it's delicious!

Got tea?

I'm sure you all know a thing or two about tea.  Iced tea is still the most popular drink among the young here in the Philippines.  But the older ones prefer the traditional put-in-the-teapot type of tea, the kind you drink after gorging on fatty food in a buffet service.  And because there's a big portion of the Filipino population that patronizes tea, we now have the moringa tea, corn-based tea, rice tea, and yes, let's not forget the age-old, ever-reliable herbals:  banaba, sambong, and Ernie Baron's pito-pito.

But the Japanese tea is different.  Tea is sacred to the Nihonjins, such that they even have what they call as tea ceremony.  What is it?

According to wikipedia,

The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu (茶の湯) or chadō (茶道; also pronounced sadō^?). The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called otemae (お手前; お点前; 御手前^?). Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the tea ceremony.
Tea gatherings are classified as ochakai (お茶会^?) or chaji (茶事^?). Chakai is a relatively simple course of hospitality that includes the service of confections, thin tea (薄茶, usucha^?), and perhaps a light meal. Chaji is a more formal gathering, usually with a full-course meal (kaiseki), followed by confections, thick tea (濃茶, koicha^?), and thin tea. A chaji will likely last at least four hours.

So without further ado, let me show you how we had our own version of the tea ceremony:

Tea ceremony paraphernalia courtesy of Hanami Sensei and The Japan Foundation Manila

This can of green tea can serve for 200 people.  Believe it or not!

Aerial shot of Hanami Sensei's paraphernalia

Nice, authentic Japanese bowl

This is the wooden ladle that the Japanese use for this traditional ceremony.

Here are the sweets you have to eat before the tea ceremony.  These are very sweet to stave off the bitterness of the authentic tea.

This is the cover box for the sweets, courtesy of Hanami Sensei's mother

Nice paper napkins  :-)  very Christmas-sy

This is the very tiny teaspoon used to scoop out the tea.  You'll need only 2 teaspoons per cup to make that fabulous Japanese tea.

I believe this is the pack of mochi balls, another type of sweets for the tea ceremony.  They go well together.  Oishii!

Hanami Sensei + me :  kawaii?  Hai!  Hehehe

And I just can't get enough of the ribbon....

Nihongojins preparing for the tea ceremony...

See?  They look Japanese already in their yukata!

Hanami Sensei explaining about the sweets...

Girls helping out in distributing the mochi....Fair share please

Hanami Sensei doing the actual ceremony...

Stir the tea in up and down motion, not in circular motion as in beating eggs in a bowl...

Lorenzo strikes a pose as the others watch how the tea is being prepared...

Another batch of students prepare their own tea.  Is that a yukata or bathrobe, Ian?  :-)