Took a JR Negishi Line train from Ishikawacho Sta. to Shinsugita Sta. Transferred to Kanazawa Seaside Line and got off at Nojima Koen Sta. Walked to Nojima, first to the viewpoint, then to Hirobumi Itoh’s villa. Took Seaside Line again to Uminokoen Minamiguchi Sta. and walked to Shomyoji Temple.

Participants: seven Saint Maur International School guardians (two from Spain and one from each of these: France, India, Mexico, Thailand, and the UK)

Staff: four KSGG guides.

On a bit windy but mostly sunny day at the end of November, a party of seven Saint Maur School^[1] guardians (six mothers and one grandmother from different countries) visited Kanazawa-Hakkei. This half-day tour was planned as a part of the joint project with KSGG and the school for the students’ guardians, especially new comers, to get acquainted with Japanese culture and history as well as survival skills in Japan. Kanazawa-Hakkei, a town on the coast to the south of Yokohama, used to be a popular tourist destination from the 17th century to the early 20th century. The name Hakkei means eight beautiful sights. Although most of the fine sights samurai loved got lost due to industrial development after World War II, the place still has several historic spots worth visiting.
First, the party went up to the top of Nojima, a small island with a round, 57-meter-high hill. At the top, the participants were excited by the grand 360-degree panorama, with Tokyo Bay in the east, a vast test course of Nissan Motors in the south, and over the skyline in the west, Mt. Fuji. Although most of the participants were speakers of English as a second language, they listened to the guide explain the history of the Kanazawa-Hakkei, including the episode of Matthew Perry, an American naval commodore who led a fleet of huge black battleships into Tokyo Bay in 1854. He anchored just off the shore of Nojima, got fascinated with the beauty of the place, and named the bay American Anchorage. His ships amazed and as frightened the samurai government enough to open up the long-closed diplomatic gate of Japan to the world.
After going down the hill, the party visited the villa of Hirobumi Itoh, the first prime minister of Japan, who loved Nojima and its neighborhood. The participants entered the doorway of the humble-looking, single-story wooden building with a thatched roof and were soon impressed with the elaborate interior designs. While listening to the guide talk about the details of the villa and Itoh’s career, they noticed that the cozy house was designed in a practical, traditional Japanese style. They also seemed to be enjoying the feel of tatami mats while walking from room to room, feeling as if each of them was the guest of the 19th-century prime minister. One of the participants from the UK asked about a painting of a three-masted sailing ship. She learned that it was the ship young Hirobumi Itoh sailed on to the UK. She also made sure that it was the Victorian Era. Another participant asked if there was any heating system in the house. She was surprised to learn that the only heater available in those days would be a hibachi, a large ceramic bowl to burn charcoal inside.

Participants listen to the guide explaining the interior of Hirobumi Itoh’s villa.

Then, the party went to Shomyoji, a Buddhist temple established in the 13th century by a samurai lord of the most influential clan in the Kamakura shogunate court. The temple is also known as the site of the first library in Japan. First, at the temple gate, the party looked up a pair of giant wooden, fierce-looking statues of guardian deities and listened attentively to the guide’s talk about the origin and history of this temple. One participant from Thailand liked to talk with the guide about the similarities and differences of Buddhism in her home country. Then they entered the temple site and were immediately attracted by the Pure Land garden^[2] in front of the main hall. All of the party were strongly fascinated by the contrast of the golden leaves of big ginkgo trees against the clear blue sky and the shiny red and gold bridges over the pond. The garden looked very exotic to the participants. Besides, the temple site was quiet enough to make any of them fully enjoy the special atmosphere of the place. Everyone took a lot of photos of each other and selfies on the bridges.
Another of the participants was a grandmother from Spain visiting the family for a short time. Although her English skills were limited, she walked happily, talked a lot with other participants, and enjoyed everything she saw.
On the train back to Ishikawacho Sta., they kept talking happily with each other, sharing the excitement of the half-day tour in which they surely touched a historic reminiscence of Yokohama.

The Saint Maur tour party with KSGG guides on the Pure Land Pond, Shomyoji Temple

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1.^ Saint Maur International School is in Yokohama, in operation for 151 years as the oldest international school in Japan and Asia.
2.^ The Pure Land garden is often placed in the sites of Buddhist temples, designed to reproduce a celestial place on this earth, where believers aspire to be reborn.

The visitors were two cheerful and friendly American couples who had applied to the KSGG’s guide service over 6 months ago, expressing their long-standing desire to visit Japan.
Michael had started planning their itinerary with their guide, Chieko two months before their visit, but his interests grew and grew while exchanging emails, from simply visiting Enoshima Island to trying zazen (Buddhist meditation), Japanese calligraphy, the tea ceremony, and so on, while visiting Kamakura as well.
Nini, Michael’s wife, is very interested in Japanese culture, and she has been attending a zazen class taught by an American instructor for many years. So, they all wanted to try zazen meditation. So, the guide recommended a zazen class to be held at Kenchoji Temple, which they accepted, and their tour plan was finally set.
But, when Chiyoko went to the temple two weeks before the tour to check on the zazen class, it turned out that the session they were supposed to attend would not be open on that day. So, the plan had to be changed from zazen class to shakyo, the practice of copying a Buddhist sutra class.
Michael made an additional request to eat shojin-ryori, the traditional Japanese temple vegetarian meal. So, she looked for a couple of shojin-ryori restaurants in advance of the tour and managed to be able to book one of them.
On the day of the tour, the temple was expected to be crowded due to the special prayer session. However, the visitors started early in the morning when the temples were quiet, so they were able to explore Kenchoji Temple and northern Kamakura, in a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.
The visitors then had a shojin dish lunch at the “Hachi No Ki” restaurant. The lunch they were looking forward to was beautifully displayed and the graceful taste was excellent. The guide explained the ingredients and contents of the dishes while the visitors enjoyed the dishes.
Then, they took the Enoden tram packed with people to Hase Temple where the shakyo class was to be held. But to their disappointment, the class had already closed at 1 p.m., even though the guidebook said it would be open until 3 p.m. Chiyoko was afraid that they would be disappointed again. But they taught her their old saying: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
Chiyoko was very grateful for the generosity of the visitors, whose conversation and company over the past five hours since they had met had led to a more relaxed relationship with her than she could have known from just exchanging emails. The visitors had time to visit the other fun sights of the temple, namely, the caves, the lookout observatory, etc. at the Temple.
The visitors seemed getting tired and sleepy. Nevertheless, the guide was keen to show them the Dai-Butsu (Big Buddha), so she took them to Kotokuin Temple. Nini and Jean seemed to be more impressed by the sight of the statue than by Chiyoko’s explanation, and they walked through the crowd, getting closer and closer to the statue with their smartphones in their hands, as if being sucked in, until they were standing right under the statue.
After that, they all took the bus directly back to Kamakura train Station. and Chiyoko escorted them to the Minatomirai Line at the Yokohama Station because the visitors were so worried about the transferring from the JR Line to the Minatomirai Line at the Yokohama Station.
At the end of the tour, the visitors were surprised by the souvenir the guide gave them—Japanese paper dolls made by the KSGG origami group. Nini and Jean looked as if they really liked them very much. They said they knew how to do origami, but they couldn’t make them as beautiful as these!

Date & Time: Friday, 6 October, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Visitors: Four Americans, including John, Vicki (his wife), Alyssa (their niece), and John Jr. (their son) who joined along the way.
Spots: Yokohama Motomachi, Yamate area, Yokohama Chinatown, and Yokohama Doll Museum
Guides: Two KSGG members, Michiko & Noriko
Language: English

The first leg of this tour was the area of Yokohama Yamate Western-style old buildings in a former foreign settlement, deeply connected to the history of the opening of Yokohama Port. These buildings convey the lifestyle of old days, and a lot of tourists visit there for retro-cool and fancy airs. There are a total of seven buildings open to the public without reservation or charge.

It was the finest and most comfortable day ever, one of the attendants supposed. The three Americans started to walk around the Yamate area. Their great love for animals was extremely surprising to the attendants. Anytime they came across a dog, they unexceptionally patted its head, held its paws, and hugged it. Every dog laid on its back pleasantly. Their activities seemed to be a most ideal type of communication without the use of language.

When John went to the Bluff 80 Memorial Terrace, the remains of a residence ruined by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, he talked to us about the experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 during which he was staying in Kyoto. The memorial terrace is behind Ehrismann Residence, one of the seven buildings.

The tour group had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown for animal loving Alyssa was reluctant to eat meat.

Next spot of the tour after lunch was Yokohama Doll Museum, which houses a collection of more than 10,000 dolls from over 100 countries and territories, and you feel like cruising to explore dolls worldwide in the museum. It was unexpected that the museum was the place where the tourists took photos most. They looked fascinated by sophisticated Japanese dolls made in old days from the 17th century to the 19th century.

Then John Jr. joined the tour outside the museum. When John Jr. was asked why he had signed up for the tour of the Yamate Western-style old buildings area, he replied that he wanted his parents to understand a traditional Japanese culture as well as a westernized culture in Japan after the Meiji period. And he said, “I came to Japan to study at a Japanese university 10 years ago, and I am now teaching English in Japan. I have been engaged to a Japanese woman.”

The visitors were warm-hearted, and the attendants had amusing conversations. One of the attendants expressed the impression that this guide experience gave them good tips on how to guide foreigners around the Yamate area.

At the “Minato Capsule”, a VR theater, the participants watched a brand-new program called “Yokohama Chronicle” (Yokohama Port, bustling through the ages). The program showcased the transformation of Yokohama Port through powerful imagery.

Fortunately, it was the very day when Nippon Maru, a sail training ship, hosted a full-sail exhibit, which occurs almost once a month. After taking group photos in front of the beautiful sailing ship, the participants spent some time taking photos at their own pace.”

The students had lunch at Port Terrace Café of the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), where Halal cuisine was also available. After lunch, they visited the Tower Yokohama Kitanaka building and enjoyed the breathtaking view of Yokohama Port from the 46th observation floor.

The final destination was Sankeien Garden, an expansive Japanese garden, featuring a skillful arrangement of historical buildings collected from places like Kyoto and Kamakura within a nature-rich environment. The garden is also well known for its beautiful flowers, including plums, cherry blossoms, azaleas, and autumn leaves. Sankeien is one of Yokohama’s most popular tourist attractions, and visitors from overseas have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Japanese culture while exploring the garden.

At Sankeien, everyone took commemorative photos of the beautiful Rinshunkaku, a former residence of the feudal lord in the Edo Period, which had been recently renovated.

Then the students ascended to Shofukaku, an observation deck in the garden. Once there was a vacation home named Shofukaku there, but now only ruins remain. Tagore, an Indian poet and thinker, had stayed there for a while during his stay in Japan. He is the first Asian laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The participants, especially Indian students, listened attentively to the story of the poet.

Finally, the extensive and diverse tour concluded with group photos taken in front of the large pond in the garden.

Date & Time: Saturday, August 12, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Visitors: 12 Australians in their 70s, who are passengers from the cruise ship “Spectrum of the Seas”
Spots: Yokohama Marine Tower, Yokohama Hammerhead pier, and Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
Attendants: Four KSGG members
Language: English
Report by Akiko

I took 12 senior cruise ship passengers on sightseeing tour in Yokohama.
To avoid heat, I selected three locations: Yokohama Marine Tower, Yokohama Hammerhead*, where they could have ramen they requested for lunch, and Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse as our destinations, and we took “Akai Kutsu,” a retro-style sightseeing tour bus, by using “Minato Burari Ticket,” a one-day pass for unlimited rides within the designated area.

The visitors were Chinese descents residing in Australia, with their ethnic background from Hongkong, Taiwan, and Malaysia. While they communicated with us in English, they conversed with each other in Chinese.

They were incredibly open and friendly from the moment I met them at the bus terminal at Yamashita Pier, which eased our tension.

One thing I found regrettable was the coordinator and his wife, with whom I had been contacted to arrange today’s schedule, were suddenly unable to join this event due to some urgent reasons. They said that the couple was very disappointed not to be able to attend this tour.

First, the visitors walked to Yokohama Marin Tower. They took a group photo in front of the mosaic mural fresco created by Kiyoshi Yamashita, a famous Japanese painter, which located at the back of the entrance. After that, I provided a brief history about the opening of Yokohama Port, Yokohama’s Three Towers, and so on. Then, everyone climbed up to the tower’s observation deck and enjoyed the spectacular view from it. Pointing their finger at their cruise ship “Spectrum of the Seas” anchored at Daikoku Pier over the Bay Bridge, they enjoyed lively conversation each other.
After spending about 30 minutes at the observation deck, we got on the “Akai Kutsu” bus and headed directly to Yokohama Hammerhead pier.

At Hammerhead, we all went up to the second floor, stepped out onto the deck, and took group photos with the Port of Yokohama Hammerhead Crane in the background. I explained the history of Hammerhead pier and significance of the Crane. Then, they had ramen, which they had been looking forward to having for lunch, at Hammerhead’s “Ramen Food Hall.” Everyone commented “Japanese ramen is so delicious.”

We also reached our final destination, Red Brick Warehouse, using the “Akai Kutsu” bus. This area was for the venue for Pokemon World Convention, so it was bustling with people. One of the visitors took photos of large outdoor Pikachu balloon as a souvenir for her grandkids.
On the way back on the bus, one of the visitors who loves Karaoke, sang some of his favorite karaoke songs in a low voice. Our tour had been lively and full of conversation.

When it was time to say good-bye, the visitors kindly presented us lovely cloth towels featuring Australian pattern as a token of their appreciation. We took many photos together and missed each other until 3 p.m. when their shuttle bus to Daikoku Pier departed. The Australians had a big smile on their faces, we, the guides, also had a truly heartwarming experience with them.

After the tour, they sent us the following thank-you text messaging via WhatsApp.
“Miyako, Toyo, Akiko & Katsumi thank you for your excellent guidance and above all your cheerfulness made the tour very enjoyable. If any of you visit Melbourne, please contact me. Look forward to see you in Melbourne. Goodbye for now.”

*Yokohama Hammerhead : a commercial facility adjacent to the Port of Yokohama Hammerhead Crane, a historically valuable structure and a certified industrial relic by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

The Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata*1 Festival is a fantastic event held every year in July, captivating international students and trainees from around the world. This year, we divided approximately 50 participants into 16 groups for a guided tour. Among them were four students from China who were studying at universities in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Ms. T, Ms. L, and Ms. Q came to Japan last year, and Ms. X has stayed in Japan for three years. All of them were lively and enthusiastic, and proficient in the Japanese language. Before experiencing the Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival, we experienced Japanese culture. In the International Cultural Salon (ICES) held in Old Yokohama Rubber Hiratsuka Manufacturing Memorial Hall, the Yawata-yama Western-style building, we had the opportunity to engage in various hands-on activities. They tried Origami and Ms. Q, who is good at crafting Origami cranes, showed a special passion for washi paper. She was so happy to receive much washi paper. They all participated in the day’s workshop and made a souvenir. They crafted small kimono with Origami and pasted it on washi paper. After this cultural experience, I asked them what they liked most. Ms. L said she loved Kendama or cup and ball, Ms. T and Ms. Q enjoyed Ayatori (cat’s cradle), and Ms. X was captivated by Hasami Shogi (Scissor shogi) *2.

After enjoying Japanese culture, we head for Mitsukedai Park to enjoy the Tanabata decorations along Shonan Star Mall Street. Although they knew that Tanabata has its origin in Chinese legends, experiencing the Japanese Tanabata Festival for the first time filled them with joy. They marveled at the beauty of the event, especially after hearing about
the festival’s history and its growth in Hiratsuka: It started in 1951 to wish for the
reconstruction of the town after World War II. being modeled on the famous Tanabata Festival in Sendai; today the festival has grown into a major event in Hiratsuka that attracts over a million people. They were impressed to know that still now various groups are involved in this festival, creating unique hand-made Tanabata decorations.

We had planned to buy lunch from food stalls, but there were long queues everywhere on the street. In the end, we stood in a line with relatively fewer people and got to eat a “Jagabutter” (potato with butter) standing up. This, too, became a memorable experience.

On our way back, we admired Tanabata decorations themed NHK historical drama along Benitani Pearl Road. They shouted for joy to see the decorations of popular characters and took photos of them. Although we arrived at Hiratsuka Station, the visitors said, “We want to see the decorations to our hearts content once more because we had a very good time.” Then they came back to the crowded streets again by themselves.

Other visitors : “We enjoyed ourselves to have had opportunities to experience putting on yukata or cotton kimono for summer, making Origami, and learning Japanese calligraphy. We want to participated this kind of event if we have a chance.”

*1 Tanabata (Star Festival) is held on July 7th every year It is based on the Chinese folk legend, It is a love story for the Cowherd star and the Weaver star, who live in the opposite sides of the Milky Way, and they are allowed to meet only once a year. The moment would take place on the night of July 7th in the lunisolar calendar.
*2 Scissor shogi is a board game which you move your pieces to surround your opponent’s
pieces from both sides.

Date & Time: Sunday, June 25, (Part 1) 10:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (Part 2) 1:20 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
Place: Tsuzuki Minka-en, Folk House Garden
Participants: 19 international students at Yokohama National University and Tokyo Institute of Technology (five from Philippines, four from China, two each from Switzerland and India, one each from Indonesia, Mongolia, Germany, Sri Lanka, America, and Malaysia)
Attendants: 15 KSGG members
Languages: English and Japanese
Report by Fumie, KSGG

KSGG holds an annual event called “Yukata Kai” for international students. In this event, the students wear yukatas, (traditional Japanese summer kimono), then decorate strips of colored paper called tanzaku for Tanabata Star festival, enjoy Tanabata celebration and Japanese folk dances.
The weather is very worrisome issue for this event in the rainy season, but fortunately the sky was very clear all day long. The students chose their favorite patterns of yukata immediately after their arrivals. Those yukatas had been prepared by KSGG volunteers. Then the volunteers helped the students get dressed in yukata quickly. All of them in kimono looked very happy while chatting with each other: “I wore a kimono when I traveled in Kyoto,” “I was really looking forward to wearing a yukata.” After that, all of the students wrote their wishes on tanzakus in their own languages and hung them on the bamboo tree 　prepared by Minka-en staff. They had cut the bamboo tree in the grove behind the house and the KSGG volunteers had arranged their handmade decorations on the bamboo tree two days before the event. Brush type calligraphy pen is difficult even for Japanese people to use, however every student could use it very well. Afterwards, they listened with great interest to explanations in English and Japanese about the Tanabata festival and Japanese folk dance. Then they sang “Tanabata song” along to beautiful melody on the CD while looking at the hiragana lyrics cards. After singing “Tanabata song”, they went out into the garden for Japanese folk dance. The weather was fine but it was very humid. So right after dancing “Tokyo Ondo” only two times, everyone got drenched in sweat and had to take a 5-minute break to drink water. The second dance “Tanko-bushi” began in the shade, but everyone was sweating a lot again, so returned into the house to prevent heatstroke.
In the afternoon, as light cloud kept sun out, we could dance both “Tokyo Ondo” and “Tanko-bushi” twice. They enjoyed the Japanese folk dances with smiling and were attracted by the unique movement. While dancing “Tanko-bushi” they were chanting “Dig, Dig (scoop up coals)”. Before taking off their yukatas, they went to the bamboo grove for taking photos as well as Otsuka-Saikachido Relics Park. For keeping the event on schedule, KSGG volunteers accompanied with each small group of the students. In spite of the very short tour for 20 minutes, KSGG volunteers also had great chance to communicate with the students. After changing their clothes, they expressed their impressions of this event: “I am happy to wear a yukata,” “the Tanabata decorations is fun” “the folk dance is interesting,” and “it was a very valuable experience for me to learn about Japanese culture.” This “Yukata Kai” was well-received by the students and great successful.

Following are “Thank you messages” from the students.
1）Thank you very much for inviting me to the Yukata event today. I had a wonderful time there with all the friendly KSGG members and fellow tutees. I had lots of fun singing and dancing and also wearing Yukata was a unique experience for me. I am very grateful for KSGG for organizing sure a wonderful event. I look forward to participating in other KSGG events in the future. Thank you very much again.
2) I really enjoyed this event. When I first met KSGG members wearing yukata at the station, I felt sure that today’s event would be so fantastic. I felt grateful that the volunteers helped me change into yukata. As one of us mentioned, it is difficult to tie the obi on the back of the yukata. It is amazing that the volunteers are able to tie it so beautifully. And now I am very interested in Japanese history and culture. So, I am happy to have experiences including writing my wishes, decorating bamboo branches, and joining Japanese folk dances. I also learned a lot from the volunteers when we went to Otsuka-Saikachido Relics Park. It was definitely productive day.

The visitors are going to Tokyo and Kyoto, so they chose Yokohama in order to enjoy different atmosphere. I arranged to meet the visitors in front of Central Exit of Minatomirai Station of Minatomirai Line. First, we went to a shop selling backpacks (for school children). I simply explained “Elementary school children use them.” Then they asked, “Do only elementary school children use them?” They seemed to have researched Yokohama beforehand. By an anime “Crayon Shin-chan,” they knew the daily lives of Japanese typical households. They also loved Pokemon, and took pictures with Pokemon on the mailbox near the Yokohama City Hall.
We stopped by Japanese Oversea Migration Museum in *JICA Yokohama. Daily commodities and food samples are displayed in order to understand the atmosphere of the days when Japanese emigrated overseas. As the situation of Japanese emigration is explained in Spanish, as well as English, Vincent and Yoel could understand easily. At Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal, I explained that one ship was going to leave at the moment the **Great Kanto Earthquake occurred. In China Town they seemed to like vividly colored buildings. Above all, they were surprised by the number of fortune-telling stores.
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*JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency
**Great Kanto Earthquake: 1923, Magnitude 7.9

Report by Hiroko

Kamakura Festival, one of the biggest events in Kamakura, was held on the day when Felix and Marina visited Kamakura. Kamakura is an ancient city with history and tradition. Around Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the symbol of Kamakura, this annual spring festival is held in April, with such events as Shizu no Mai(dancing), Yabusame (horseback archery by samurai warriors), and Nodate (tea ceremony in the open air). Because of this festival, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine was so crowded.

When Felix and Marina looked toward the main street after visiting the shrine, they luckily happened to see Shutsujin-Sai, a samurai procession in armor, walking along Dankazura (approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine). As they had been looking forward to seeing the samurai procession among all the events of the festival, they exclaimed with delight, “Amazing!” They ran after the samurai procession, pushing through the crowds to take photos of the procession. I, their guide, ran after Felix and Marina so hard not to lose sight of them. When all the samurai warriors went up on the Maiden stage in the precincts of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Felix and Marina stood right in front of them and looked up at Mayor of Kamakura City in a samurai costume who made a speech.

In the afternoon, Felix, Marina, and I went to Hasedera Temple. Before seeing “Eleven-Headed Kannon,” I explained about the legend of the statue of Kannon (the Goddess of Mercy) at Hasedera Temple. When they saw “Eleven-Headed Kannon” for themselves, they were really impressed. Then the visitors and I went up a walking path named Prospect Path and enjoyed the view of the Sagami Bay to our hearts’ content.

Next, we went to Kotoku-in Temple. Marina, who is learning Yoga, sat on the foundation stone in the same posture as the Great Buddha, which surprised people around her. Later, strolling along the street, we reached Yuigahama Beach, where we saw the blue and calm sea to find that it was already 6:00 p.m. As a guide I had such a good day with cheerful and curious visitors that I forgot the passage of time.

Report by Masako

The first origami (paper-folding) workshop** for KSGG members of the 2022 fiscal year was held last October after a long interval, for this activity had been postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic. The second origami workshop for KSGG members of the 2022 fiscal year since then was held on March 7. As 2023 is the year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac, every participant made two origami rabbits. Because I wanted to make origami rabbits for myself and my foreign acquaintances, and I wanted to teach foreigners how to make an origami rabbit, I decided to take part in this workshop.

Nine KSGG members who wanted to learn how to make origami rabbits and some origami instructors of Origami Team were divided into three groups. Each group consisted of four persons, with one or two origami instructors and two or three KSGG members who wanted to learn how to make origami rabbits. From 2:00 p.m. to around 3:00 p.m., each one made origami rabbits; later, all gathered and took some group photos as a memory of this day, with origami rabbits on the palm of each hand.

Most Japanese including me have made origami at least once in his or her life. This time, however, I had a chance to know more about what origami is. Since origami is the art of folding a sheet of square paper, the finished depends on “folding”: You fold a sheet of square paper not only to form an origami rabbit but also to make a sharp crease; the size of the face of an origami rabbit depends on how you fold a sheet of paper. In the process of making an origami rabbit, you can use a bamboo skewer or a bamboo spatula to make a sharp crease; a pair of scissors are also used to make a cut in an origami rabbit.

Before this workshop was held, the origami instructor of my group had prepared a finished origami rabbit and the sample patterns of an origami rabbit-making process. Taking a look at the sample patterns and listening to the explanations by the origami instructor, the other two KSGG members and I made an origami rabbit step by step. In order to learn making an origami rabbit, first we used a sheet of origami paper at school. After this trial, finally, we made an origami rabbit with thick washi (traditional Japanese paper). Chatting with each other, we made origami rabbits. We learned from the origami instructor that making a sharp crease first is a knack of making a beautiful finished origami rabbit. I had a good and precious time in this one-hour workshop.

It is difficult to learn by heart all the process of folding one sheet of square paper into a finished rabbit. Practice makes perfect. Yet I found it very interesting to make origami. I want to make other origami models. I again realized that origami must be an attractive paper craft to people all over the world.

* Kanafan Station: This is a room on the 2nd floor of Kanagawa Kenmin Center. It can be used by foreign students studying in Japan and the group members who support them.
** Origami Team in KSGG Introduction to Japanese Culture Group started an origami workshop once a year for about ten years. Senior members of this Origami Team taught origami to their junior members so that they can teach origami to the other KSGG members and foreigners. The technique of origami has been succeeded in the team as just described.