Favorite Day

Today was my monthly Ikebana class - a day I look forward to from the moment the last class ends ... I can't wait for the next one to begin. Six American Navy spouses, all thrown together in this crazy Navy world, come together once a month to learn about Ikebana - the ancient Japanese flower arranging art form. We share laughs, great food, learn about the nuances of Ikebana and Japanese culture from our two sensei's, Chikako and Fusako, and offer each other a lot of support for this life we've been thrown into.

This month I chose a vase that I had picked up in the 1000 Yen pile at the Yamato Shrine sale a couple of months ago (see previous entry in clearykazuko.blogspot.com about being a trash picker). Jeff brought me miniature carnations and babys breath for Mother's Day and I attempted to artfully arrange them using this vase. It was a disaster. I should have taken a picture of it so I could compare. Knowing that I was somehow missing something I decided to remove the flowers this morning and shove them into a more traditional vase - where they looked much more at home - and asked my sensei about how to use this vase. Her guiding words to me were "free form." Alrighty then ... I love having no rules!

The main flowers this month were orange blossom and iris. The small accent flower's name now escapes me (note to self - write this stuff down next month because if you can't remember it several hours later you sure as hell won't remember it in 18 months when you go back to the states). I was thrilled with the outcome of my arrangement - it is so different from anything I ever would have come up with before coming to Japan. Perhaps that's why I love this class so much, I get to experience and learn about an art form that before arriving here 9 months ago I didn't even know existed and now I am an avid fan. I can't wait for the next class ... and inspiration.