Bangkok--6 Jul--The Japan Foundation
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok proudly presents a new program “Japanese Arts and Culture Workshop Series,” twice a month on the first and the third Thursday for one hour from 18.30-19.30 hrs. from July to September, 2010. The workshops are designed to introduce various types of Japanese art and culture, ranging from Origami (the art of paper folding) to martial art like Aikido, to those who are interested in Japanese culture.
FREE Workshops Schedule is as follows:
Jul. 15 Yukata Dressing and Bon Odori (open for reservation from 8 Jul. until full)
Aug. 5 Aikido Demonstration (open for reservation from 29 Jul. until full)
Aug. 19 Furoshi Gift Wrapping (open for reservation from 11 Aug. until full)
Sept. 2 Japanese Song Singing (open for reservation from 26 Aug. until full)
Sept. 16 Introduction to Go (an ancient board game for two players) (open for reservation from 9 Aug. until full)
Seat reservation is kindly requested. Please contact us via phone no. 02-260-8560-3.
Be ready to attend the workshop you are interested in and call us at your earliest convenience. We are ready to serve you.
If you think of Japanese art and culture, think of US. The Japan Foundation, Bangkok
Bon Festival or Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to pay respect for their ancestors. The families will gather back to their hometowns to clean their ancestors’ graves during the time when the spirits of their ancestors pay a visit home. A feast will be celebrated to send them back to the world of the dead including the dance called ‘Bon-Odori’. The festival has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years.
The Bon festival will last for 3 days, which varies by the regions in Japan. It could cover from July to August. The festival mostly includes parades, a summer fair and festival, games and food. It will end with the floating lanterns. People will float the candle-lit paper lanterns in the river in order to send their ancestors’ spirits back to the world of the dead. This part usually ends with the fireworks presentation.
Bon-Odori or the Bon dance is a dance to pay respect and gratefulness to the ancestors. It is mostly held in the mid-summer. People wear Yukata or cotton Kimono to enjoy the festival.
The folk music and choreography of the dance are also differ by region. But basically they are circular movements around a wooden platform which is the place for the musicians to play their music.
Yukata — Japanese Summer Kimono
When referring to Japanese traditional attire, general people might think of the word “Kimono” rather than “Yukata”
Kimono is the cloth used on formal occasions such as New Year celebration, graduation, and wedding ceremony. People who frequently have the chance to wear Kimono are those associated with traditional Japanese arts and culture such as tea ceremony and Ikebana (flower arranging) masters, Geisha, and Sumo player. For women, there are two types of Kimono, one called Furisode which is a long sleeve Kimono for unmarried women; and the other is called Tomesode which is a short sleeve Kimono for married women.
Yukata is commonly made from cotton and worn in summer. At present people are seen wearing Yukata in fireworks festival, Bon Odori festival, in public bath places, and it is also available for wearing in hotels in Japan.
Yukata is comprised of a Yukata dress which can be made in many colors and patterns, 2 pieces of Himo, Obi and Geta or Japanese style wooden slippers. With fewer pieces of cloth and accessories, the way of wearing Yukata is less complicated than Kimono.