Review & giveaway 14: Ultimate Origami

Tuttle Publishers has given me an excellent sets of origami set for beginners to review.

(You can read all of the reviews on my blog by going to my ““Reviews & Giveaways” page).

The publishers have kindly agreed to give (given) a set of free to two random visitors to my blog (one set each)!

This set, called “Ultimate Origami for Beginners Kit: The Perfect Kit for Beginners“ by origami masters Michael G. LaFosse and Richard L. Alexander, includes an instruction book, a step-by-step instruction DVD, and 62 origami papers.

“Ultimate Origami for Beginners Kit: The Perfect Kit for Beginners”

This set is perfect for anyone interested in Japanese art in general…but especially in learning Japanese origami (art of paper folding).

I’m not very good at origami…but I was able to fold many things by following the steps on the DVD and in the book!

You can buy “Ultimate Origami for Beginners Kit: The Perfect Kit for Beginners” through Amazon here.

But, as I said above, Tuttle Publishers is going to give (given) one free set of each of these origami papers to two random visitors to my blog (one set for each winner)!

To enter the drawing for the free book, submit this form by 2015 April 5th:

***** Updated April 5th, 2015 *****

This special promo ended on 2015 April 5th. Two random winners were selected and contacted directly by Tuttle Publishers (via email) with the details about the free sets.

Thank you to all who entered, but only the winners were contacted.
*****

Review & giveaway 8: Geisha prints Origami Sets

Tuttle Publishers has given two more sets of origami papers to review.

(You can read all of the reviews on my blog by going to my ““Reviews & Giveaways” page).

This time it’s two sets of origami papers with Geisha prints.

The publishers have kindly agreed to give (given) a set of each free to two random visitors to my blog (one set each)!

These sets, called “Origami Paper: Geisha Prints“, each have eight beautiful ukiyoe designs of geisha.
One set has origami that are 6¾ inches (square) and the other has 8 ¼ inches paper.

Both of these sets of origami are perfect for anyone interested in Japanese ukiyoe art or art in general, folding origami, or Japanese culture.

The artwork on each piece is gorgeous!

Both sets come with illustrated step-by-step instructions for folding a variety of origami animals, toys, kimono, etc.

You can buy “Origami Paper: Geisha Prints”(6¾ inches) here and (8 ¼ inches) here.

But, as I said above, Tuttle Publishers is going to give (has given) one free set of each of these origami papers to two random visitors to my blog (one set for each winner)!

***** Updated October 27th, 2014 *****

This special promo ended on 2014 October 25th. The random winners were selected and contacted directly by Tuttle Publishers (via email) with the details about the free origami sets.

Thank you to all who entered, but only the winners were contacted.
*****

 

Review 5: Hiroshige Prints Origami Paper

This is the fifth in my series of reviews for Tuttle Publishers.

This time it’s not a book, but origami paper with famous ukiyoe prints.  And, once again, Tuttle Publishers will kindly be giving (gave away) one free set of these papers to a random visitor to my blog!

The details about the giveaway will be at the end of this post.

Do you like origami? Are you interested in Japanese ukiyoe woodblock prints? How about traditional Japanese culture? Or even art in general?
If so, then you will certainly like “Origami Paper: Hiroshige Prints“!

This set contains forty-eight 6¾ inch origami papers printed with famous ukiyoe artwork by the master ukiyoe artist Hiroshige.

It also comes with an instruction sheet explaining how to fold six things such as the iconic “paper crane”.

You can buy “Origami Paper: Hiroshige Prints” here.

But, as I said above, one random visitor to my blog will receive (received) this origami set directly from the publisher.

To enter in the drawing, simply submit this form by 2014 October 11th:

***** Updated October 11th, 2014 *****

This special promo ended on 2014 October 11th. One random winner was selected and contacted directly by Tuttle Publishers (via email) with the details about the free origami set.

Thank you to all who entered, but only the winner was contacted.
*****

Arigato in London

To show gratitude to the people of many countries around the world for supporting and helping Japan in the aftermath of the Great Earthquake in Sendai of 2011 March 11, Japan will host a special event in London, England that will be called “Arigato in London“.

This event will feature many aspects of Japanese culture including photos and a movie of the Earthquake affected area that will also include many Japanese children expressing thanks to people around the world, Japanese food, beer and 日本酒 (Japanese sake alcohol), Japanese tradional games and traditional arts and music.

To allow many people from many different countries to attend, this event will be held in London from 2012 July 28 until August 11 to coincide with the Olympics that London will be hosting then.

Click here to visit the “Arigato in London” website.

Sadako’s crane part of WTC memorial

Today is 2010 September 11.
Nine years since the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Last year I wrote a post about Sadako Sasaki. She was a young girl in Hiroshima when America dropped the atomic bomb on that city in 1945 and she developed leukemia from the radiation and died at the age of twelve.

The story of the 千羽鶴 (“1000 origami cranes”) that she folded while in the hospital is well-known in Japan.
(Click here to read that post.)

Almost all of the origami cranes that Sadako Sasaki folded were cremated with her when she died, but her family kept a few of the cranes.

Sadako Sasaki’s surviving brother learned of a memorial in New York to the Japanese employees of Fuji Bank‘s New York branch in the World Trade Center who died in the 2001 September 11 attacks.
This memorial included thousands of origami paper cranes…and now one of those cranes is one of those folded by young Sadako Sasaki before she died in 1955.

Two kids with big stories

Do you know the story of 春日めぐみ (Megumi Kasuga) or 佐々木偵子 (Sadako Sasaki)?

They are two young Japanese girls that were about the same age when they each had a tragedy in their life and how they reacted made them both famous in Japan.

Megumi Kasuga was a thirteen year old junior high school student in 茨城県 (Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan) when her father died of cancer.
In memory of her father, who wanted to travel overseas on holiday…but never got the chance, Megumi wrote a letter explaining that she hoped people around the world would take her favorite teddy-bear on a world journey.

She gave the letter and the bear to an American visitor in Japan, who in turn gave it to a Swedish tourist in America…who then gave to another tourist when she got back to Sweden.
And the bear’s journey began.

Megumi received letters from people all over the world wishing her well.
Some people were so touched by her story that they came to Japan to meet young Megumi in person.

Here’s the letter she wrote:

Dear Kind Person,

I’m a seventh grade student in junior high school. I’m 13 years old and live in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Kashima is located on the Pacific coast, to the northeast of Tokyo. It takes about two hours by car from here to Tokyo, and about one hour to Narita (New Tokyo) International Airport. Soccer is very popular in Kashima. Our city is the home of the only Japan League professional soccer team in Ibaraki Ken, the Kashima Antlers.

My father, at age 52, died of pancreas cancer on April 26 of this year, 1996. He loved to travel, but he didn’t have a chance to travel abroad, except his honeymoon in Hawaii. He was always very busy as a doctor at his hospital. He was also one of the team doctors for the Antlers. I would like to send this little hand-made teddy bear around the world to carry my father’s spirit to all those places that he never could go. My mother and I share this dream. Would you please help me, and take him with you? When you get to your destination, please give Mack to another person so that he can continue his journey. That way, my father can finally see the world through Mack’s eyes.

Thank you for your kindness. May your dreams also come true.

Peace and love,

Megumi Kasuga

P.S. If you can, please send me a picture of yourself and Mack wherever you go, so that I’ll know he is still travelling.

===

Sadako Sasaki was born on 1943 January 7 in 広島 (Hiroshima, Japan).
She was two years old when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on that city.

When she turned twelve, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia and was given less than a year to live.
She had to stay in the hospital.

While she was in the hospital, she began to fold 千羽鶴 (1000 Origami Cranes) which are a good luck gesture in Japan.

千羽鶴 (1000 Paper Origami Cranes)

Sadako folded any piece of paper she could find in the hospital into a paper crane. Hospital staff, other patients and friends and family helped her and gave her any paper they could.

On 1955 October 25, Sadako’s mother made a special meal for her and gave it to her in the hospital.
The last word Sadako Sasaki said before she died that day at age 12 was 「おいしい」 (“It’s delicious“).

Sadako only managed to fold less than 700 paper cranes before she died.
Her friends and family folded the rest and put all 1000 paper cranes in Sadako’s casket with her.

Sadako Sasaki’s story has come to symbolize the need for world peace and there is a statue of her in Hiroshima.
People often leave 千羽鶴 (1000 Paper Origami Cranes) at the statue.

Japanese ‘Get Well’ wishes to America

A nineteen-year-old young American man named Christian Schmidt who lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA was recently diagnosed with a severe form of cancer.

He has been receiving extensive, painful chemotherapy treatments nearly everyday for hours at a time. Due to the treatments, he has lost all of his hair…so his mother made a local request of her neighbors for donations of hats for her son Christian.

It must have been a surprise to her when she received hats from all over America. But I bet it was a real surprise for her to receive one from Japan!

Christian Schmidt’s hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama has a sister city of 千葉県、習志野市 (Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, Japan), and the mayor of 千葉県、習志野市 (Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) found out about Christian Schmidt’s situation and decided to send him a hat from the Narashino High School baseball team (who are set to play in Japan’s National High School Baseball Championship Tournament for the first time in over three decades).

Along with the hat, 千葉県、習志野市 (Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) sent Christian 千羽鶴 (1000 Origami Cranes)…which is a Japanese traditional “Get Well” wish.

敬老の日

Today is 敬老の日 (Respect For The Aged Day).
(I wrote a short FAQ about it here).

My kids bought a small gift for their 94-year old great-grandmother. They took it to her house and paid her a visit.

—-
Yesterday we went to 上野 (Ueno, Tokyo).
As we were leaving 上野駅 (Ueno Train Station), we passed the Hard Rock Cafe, Ueno Stn Tokyo. We didn’t go in, but I noticed this poster outside the cafe:

I like the American rock band Mötley Crüe, and I know that they’re coming to this year’s Loudpark Heavy Metal Festival in October (see my “Festivals In Tokyo” page)…but according to this poster, they’ll be playing dates in Japan after the festival, too.

From there, we went to the big 「やましろや」 (Yamashiroya Toy Store), and then we went to a lake that has rental boats.

We rented a boats for our daughters and they had fun paddling around the lake for a half-hour.

Here are a couple of videos of the boats on the lake (none of the videos of my kids are online):

After that, we saw some people feeding the 亀 (turtles) and 鯉 (carp).
It was crazy. They started swarming to get the bread:

A nearby shrine:

At shrines in Japan, you can buy your fortune. After you read it, you tie it to one of these:

You can also buy an 絵馬…which is a wooden board that you write your wish on and then tie it near the shrine so your wish may come true.
Here are some people’s 絵馬 with their wishes written on them:

The shrine was setting up in the evening for the 祭 (festival) the next day (today):

My wife and daughters folded bamboo leaves into boats:

We stopped at an Okinawan store in Ueno to buy some Okinawan food. I really like Okinawan food.

This シーサー (Shiisaa) was outside the store. They are Okinawan mythological guardians (usually found in pairs):

And here’s an intersection in Ueno at night: