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2007 Year of Japan -- Past Events

East Meets West: -- performance of "silent language" with Sergio Neglia and Yass Hakoshima, November 28th

"The eyes talk more than the mouth...

This popular Japanese saying perfectly describes the East Meets West performance of "silent language" movement Buffalo audiences were treated to at the Center for Arts on the University at Buffalo's North Campus, November 28, 2007.

World-renowned artists, Yass Hakoshima and Sergio Neglia put together a program of Western ballet dances and Japanese inspired mime performances using the art of "silent language" to bring the audience on many litle journeys including a trip to see a Faun romantacizing on a balmy afternoon, a puppet dejected in his cell, a fisherman who cannot seem to catch a fish, or a shogun slowly going insane believing ninjas are after him.

Read about the performances, see photographs, and flip through a PDF of the program

The East Meets West program was sponsored in part by the Mentholatum Company, Inc., Office of the Vice Provost for International Education, AirSep Corporation, Northtown Subaru, Birdair, Astellas Pharma US, Inc., Buffalo-Kanazawa (Japan) Sister City Committee, Year of Japan in Buffalo-Niagara, Neglia Ballet Artists.

Bunka No Hi -- Japanese Culture Day, November 3rd

Thanks to our many volunteers and contributors Bunnka No Hi was an overwhelming success! The fundraiser made over $1500 to donate to the Japanese Garden of Buffalo. Everyone who attended had a wonderful time experiencing some of the most wonderful aspects of Japanese culture. Odori No Kai danced two wonderful Japanese folk dances, we presented a kimono fashion show, and showed the documentary film, Dream Windows: Reflections of the Japanese Garden. A special treat for our event, Michelle Brown, wife of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, was a gracious model as we demonstrated how to put on a kimono. And even the weather was sunny enough for people to take a stroll through the Gardens!

View a slideshow of over 70 photos from the event

View the Bunka No Hi program [pdf file]

Beneath the Harvest Moonlight -- Full Moon Viewing in the Japanese Gardens, October 26th

Although a cloudy sky and a drizzly rain prevented us from viewing the moon, a few of us from the Year of Japan and the Buffalo Astronomical Association met to drink tea and discuss both the Japanese Garden and the night sky.

photo of the Moon Viewing group in the Japanese Garden

Friendship Through Flowers -- an Ikebana Workshop, June 19, 21, 26, 28

Co-Sponsored by Bryant Street Studio and tru-teas.

See photos from the Ikebana Workshop led by intructor, Takako J. Michii, president of Buffalo Chapter of Ikebana International. Participants got the opportunity to learn about and practice the gentle Japanese art of flower arranging. Ikebana is more than arranging flowers however. It is a practice, an opportunity to be fully engaged in the moment with living things in space.

See the photos

Cherry Tree Viewing and Picnic, May 6, 2007

The Japanese Group of Buffalo hosted a Cherry Tree Viewing and Picnic for members. Also included was a performance of traditional Japanese folk dancing as well as planting four new cherry trees!

Photos from the event
Use the arrows underneath the images to move back and forth in the slideshow

Friendship Through Tea: East Meets West at Clara's House, April 30 - May 5, 2007

A week long event highlighting Japanese culture through story telling, origami, ikebana, music and Chanoyu (tea ceremony).

Presented by: Clara's House, Buffalo-Kanazawa Sister City Committee and Ikebana International, Buffalo Chapter #50

Print out the event flyer or read the News Release

Photos from the event
Use the arrows underneath the images to move back and forth in the slideshow

Thoroughly Modern Meiko reception with a demonstration of Cha-no-yu, March 21, 2007

See photographs from the reception and tea ceremony for the "Thoroughly Modern Meiko" exhibit.

Teahouse Fire reading and tea ceremony by Ellis Avery, February 10, 2007

tru-teas!
810 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222

"Teahouse Reading Celebrates Year of Japan"
(article written by Todd Mitchell for buffalorising.com)

It was a friend's gift of The Book of Tea that introduced Ellis Avery to the world of the Japanese tea ceremony. She studied tea ceremony for five years, including five weeks in Kyoto, when, as Ellis remembers, "It was basically tea 24/7." Early on, she heard the story of an extraordinary Japanese woman named Shin Yukako. The daughter of Kyoto's most important tea master in the late nineteenth century, Yukako transformed Japan's tea world. Ellis decided she had to write a novel about her.

The result is Ellis Avery's first novel, The Teahouse Fire. About forty people gathered in Tru-Teas Saturday evening to hear Ellis read several selections from her novel. She also demonstrated the tea ceremony. The audience watched in rapt attention during the whole 15 minutes. The tea ceremony is a time of meditation, a moment when host and guest turn away from everyday concerns, and enjoy the tea, the company, the moment. Atsuko Nishida took the role of honored guest... [continue reading]