Kimonos with Saito Sensei and Kae –
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Shakespeare As You Like It Globe Theater Posters -
So I gave my class a Shakespeare assignment to generate a play poster (think movie poster) for the Globe Theater. Students were to make posters advertising Mr. Shakespeare's upcoming play, As You Like It.
Kimonos with Saito Sensei and Kae –
We continue to feel blessed and are regularly amazed we get the opportunity to be in Japan teaching and sharing about the Lord. Thank you for your partnership in this adventure that makes these opportunities a reality. We hope to share with you in pictures our efforts to connect with this culture, students and community for His greater purposes.
In Christ with a grateful heart,
K. Chadduck
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| Shakespeare's As you Like it Movie Poster |
They were instructed to entice patrons to spend their hard earned money, provide details regarding the play, introduce the cast, type of play, include one advertisement and write an editorial review after the first nights showing.
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| As You Like it Movie Poster |
They are amazing and came up with some fantastic, funny and beautiful posters for the project. I think you will enjoy their sense of humor. Bob and I even found ourselves part of the cast on one poster!
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| The caption on this one made me laugh out loud! |
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| Globe Theater Movie Poster |
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| This one was giving away tickets signed by Shakespeare himself to entice attendees |
Imazu Lighthouse and Mukogowa Women's University –
We took a trip to Kobe to watch Alex play futsal at the Canadian Academy and after the matches we met up with a couple former Mukogowa students, Yuki and Mikiko. They met us in Kobe for lunch, to see the Imazu Lighthouse and tour the Mukogowa campus as well.
The Imazu lighthouse, which is in the shape of a lantern is an important part of the Imazu port history and is still active today. We wanted to see this particular lighthouse in Kobe because Spokane is a Sister City to Nishinomiya and they are building a replica of the Imazu lighthouse in Riverfront Park in Spokane, Washington.
We first heard about the building of the Imazu lighthouse replica in Riverfront Park at a Spokane - Nishinomiya Sister City Society Meeting in the summer of 2015. The Imazu lighthouse was originally built in 1810 and was restored to its original state in 1984. |
| Imazu Lighthouse Built in 1810 and restored in 1984 - Kobe, Japan |
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| Much smaller than I thought it would be for a lighthouse... |
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| Imazu Port Lighthouse - Kobe, Japan |
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| Yuki, Alex and I at the Imazu Lighthouse |
The Imazu lighthouse being built in Riverfront Park is part of the ongoing fifty year sister city relationship between Spokane and Nishinomiya. We enjoyed seeing the original lighthouse and experiencing this part of our Sister City heritage.
We also toured the campus of Mukogowa Women's University with Mikiko while in Kobe. It was great to see the campus in Japan which we hear so much about through the Mukogowa Fort Wright Institute (MFWI) in Spokane.
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| Alex, Stephanie and Mikiko enjoying ice cream on the Mukogowa campus |
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| Mukogowa Women's University - Kobe, Japan |
Mukogowa is the largest women's university in Japan with roughly 10,000 students and a satellite campus in Spokane where they host students from the Kobe campus each quarter. They offer a home stay program at MFWI which is how we met many of our friends here in Japan.
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| Mokogowa Women's University |
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| Our visit with Mikiko at Mukogowa Women's University |
Over spring break Stephanie and I had the amazing opportunity to dress up in kimonos with Saito Sensei and Kae. Saito Sensei invited us to share in this Japanese tradition and blessed us tremendously by sharing her family kimonos and allowing us to take pictures in these beautiful gowns.
Because the kimono tradition is fading in Japan and many in the younger generation are opting for more Western style clothing, the tradition of the kimono as daily attire in Japan is losing popularity. You still see women in kimonos for special occasions including weddings, coming of age ceremonies and special celebrations. However, in the not do distant past the kimono was the daily attire for Japanese women.
Because the kimono is worn less frequently today, many women do not know how to wear or dress in the kimono which is very involved and difficult to put on properly. There are classes available to teach women how to properly wear and assemble the kimono. It is an art form and we were fortunate enough to have Saito Sensei and Kae practice their skill as they allowed us to wear these beautiful pieces of Japanese tradition and family heritage.
We had a wonderful time visiting and taking pictures with these amazing women. They blessed us with tea and snacks after preparing the kimonos and our hair with traditional Japanese hair clips, shoes and hand bags. We are grateful for their generosity to give of their time and experience in sharing part of their rich Japanese culture with us.
Thank you for checking in again to our blog. Sorry it has been so long since I posted an update. As you can tell from our pictures and activities, we have been busy experiencing as much of this rich culture and wonderful people as we can.
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| Stephanie and I in Kimono's |
Because the kimono tradition is fading in Japan and many in the younger generation are opting for more Western style clothing, the tradition of the kimono as daily attire in Japan is losing popularity. You still see women in kimonos for special occasions including weddings, coming of age ceremonies and special celebrations. However, in the not do distant past the kimono was the daily attire for Japanese women.
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| Kimono's in Japanese Garden |
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| Kimono's in Japanese Garden |
We had a wonderful time visiting and taking pictures with these amazing women. They blessed us with tea and snacks after preparing the kimonos and our hair with traditional Japanese hair clips, shoes and hand bags. We are grateful for their generosity to give of their time and experience in sharing part of their rich Japanese culture with us.
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| Saito Sensi, Kae, Me and Stephanie |
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| Kae, Me and Saito Sensi - such a fun day. Thank you so much! |
We continue to feel blessed and are regularly amazed we get the opportunity to be in Japan teaching and sharing about the Lord. Thank you for your partnership in this adventure that makes these opportunities a reality. We hope to share with you in pictures our efforts to connect with this culture, students and community for His greater purposes.
In Christ with a grateful heart,
K. Chadduck