Ikebana International January Event was held on Saturday 1/20/18. Dave and I were fortunate to be able to attend. It was held at The Great Buddha of Kamakura- Mrs. Sato’s residence. The gardens and flower arrangements were beautiful even in winter.
The event included a Taiko drum performance, mochi pounding, and sake tasting. The Taiko drum club is a group from Zushi High School. I took a picture of the information from the itinerary.
They were incredible. They had a total of five performances. I took a short video of each one for your pleasure. Please take time to enjoy. Their performances are amazing. They do not use a conductor during their performance. The first one I filmed from our seats.
http://wabisabisole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_1204.movAfter the first performance, Dave showed me a much better vantage point to capture video and pictures.
The third performance.
The fourth performance.
http://wabisabisole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_1228.movThe final performance included eight members each taking a turn on the large drum. We learned the large drum cost the same amount as a Toyota Prius. The strength they use to beat the drum is incredible. Notice, there is at least one person holding the drum during the performance. I filmed several, this one was one of my favorites. Please remember, these are high schoolers!!!
http://wabisabisole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_1233.movAfter the Taiko drum performance, we observe mochi pounding. The Mochi pounding was an orchestrated dance! Fresh mochi is delicious!
http://wabisabisole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_1255.movBefore lunch, we posed for a few pictures in the garden. Me with Dave and Miki.
For lunch we enjoyed a gourmet bento box.
It was a delightful afternoon. Probably for everyone’s sake, I put my phone down before we started tasting sake. Happy New Year! Kanpie!
