Japanese Calligraphy

This is what I was doing at 4am today ... practicing Japanese Calligraphy. Why? Well, the short answer is, "Because I'm a procrastinator." The long answer also includes procrastination, but it's really because I wasn't very confident that I could do this.

I'm in the Japanese Calligraphy group of my women's club and I'm the least experienced one in the group. I was still practicing dots, dashes, and lines until a couple of months ago. But we were given the opportunity to exhibit a piece at the May luncheon (usually, the group exhibits at the Japanese Ambassador's residence at our March Tea!) and I thought that having a deadline would motivate me to progress a bit.

So I practiced and practiced, and practiced some more:

 

I finally felt like I was getting the hang of it, so I pulled out the shikishi (色紙), the special square board that we were supposed to write our completed work on. Turns out, the paper texture is much smoother and slippery-er than my practice paper, so my final product wasn't as good as I had hoped. I still gave myself a pat on the back for getting it done. 

[numerous practice sheets on the left, the teacher's sample on the top right, and my final piece on the bottom right]

Of course, when my piece was displayed next to everyone else's, it looked pretty amateurish, but that can't be helped. I am an amateur!

This opportunity gave me the confidence to continue with calligraphy after the summer. For awhile, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep trying, but I see that I have potential (as long as I practice), and it's a wonderful way to forget about everything else for awhile and concentrate on creating something.

Speaking of creating ... here are a few bonus pics of me attempting to draw with a calligraphy brush with the extra ink in the suzuri (ink stone -- 硯 ). It's really quite difficult, and I admire artists all the more (especially one of my favorite illustrators, Chris Riddell, who does a lot of work with black ink and a thin paintbrush).

 

Adventuring in DC :: JICC and Georgetown

It's Rupert's birthday today so I ventured into downtown (DC) to have lunch with him. And, as long as I was trekking into town, I made a pitstop at the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) near Farragut North to see their mini-exhibit, "Japanese Versatile Cloths: Furoshiki and Tenugui."

[books wrapped in furoshiki (風呂敷)]

[a karuta (かるた) pattern furoshiki]

Then I walked the mile or so to Georgetown to meet up with Rupert. Along the way, I took a quick photo of the stream to the Potomac by the Swedish Embassy and the House of Sweden.

[You can see the Red Ball on display at the House of Sweden. I also like that I got the plane taking off from National Airport in the shot.]

Then it was off to lunch at Miss Saigon Restaurant to celebrate the start of Rupert's last year in his 30s.

Rupert suggested I stop by Fantom Comics in Dupont Circle on my way home, and I debated whether I should because I'm trying not to buy more comics, but I'm actually really glad I checked out the store. They have a decent sized all-ages section, it's clean and organized, and, what really stuck out to me is how female-friendly the store is. While I was shopping, there were just as many female customers as male, and I liked that the staff was young, female, and diverse.

Japan Information and Culture Center

1150 18th Street, NW, Suite 100

Washington, DC 20036

Embassy of Sweden and House of Sweden

2900 K Street, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Miss Saigon Restaurant

3057 M Street, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Fantom Comics

2010 P Street, NW, 2nd Floor

Washington, DC 20036

Adventuring in DC :: JCAW New Year's Festival

Maya and I headed out today to celebrate the Japanese New Year a bit late at the JCAW New Year's Festival (新春祭り), held at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park near the Zoo.

I learned about the event from friends in the Washington-Tokyo Women's Club and I thought it would be a great way to introduce Maya to some Japanese New Year traditions.

[kites are a traditional gift given at the New Year, and tako-age (凧揚げ), kite-flying, is common]

[lunch: inari sushi (稲荷寿司) and takoyaki (たこ焼き)]

[playing a traditional New Year game similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey: fukuwarai (福笑い)]

[trying her hand at Japanese calligraphy; she wrote the word dog in Japanese, inu (犬)]