「Private or Group Lesson (Non-Sports)」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Tomas Serna: Koto

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For my CIP, I learned the koto, a traditional Japanese 13-stringed instrument, through taking lessons with my teacher Iwasaki sensei. Because I had experience with musical instruments before, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to learn a traditional Japanese instrument and see how the experience compared to the previous instruments I learned. My CIP experience was very worthwhile, especially due to the friendly and welcoming environment Iwasaki sensei created for me during our practices. Unlike strict one-on-one sessions where you might be afraid to make a mistake, Iwasaki sensei allowed me to play from almost the very beginning with the rest of her students in her workshop, making me truly feel like part of the group. The atmosphere was always very lively and positive, and I had a lot of fun talking and getting to know the rest of her students, which were mostly elderly people who have been playing their respective instruments for a while. I was also able to perform the piece that I had been practicing since the beginning of the CIP which was an unforgettable experience and something I couldn’t even imagine doing before the start of the program. I am so grateful for Iwasaki sensei and all of her kind students who helped me along the way, and the opportunity to show what I learned over the past 2 months in a concert setting. No matter your music ability, learning a traditional Japanese instrument is a completely different experience all together, but I would advise incoming students not to worry at all as you are in the best of hands, and by the end of the program you will definitely feel like part of Iwasaki sensei’s big family of musicians in her studio.

Julianna Golembeski: Weaving with Kawasaki-Sensei

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For my CIP I took weaving lessons with 河崎先生 and ゆり様. I usually attended lessons once or twice a week and made items such as a table center, wall piece, and scarves. Each lesson usually consisted of chatting for a little, getting to work on the loom and learning new techniques, tea time with a conversation between the three of us (I was the only student for this semester), more weaving, and then another tea before heading out. Seeing a piece and a vision slowly come together was really rewarding. I also really enjoyed talking with 河崎先生 and ゆり様 as well as showing them pictures of my dog (ゆり様 loved those pictures!) and talking about life in Japan and America. This was a nice and relaxing CIP where you get to slowly make textiles and have some nice conversations.

I really recommend this CIP and if you are even a little interested, please check it out. 先生 and ゆり様 are so welcoming and sweet and even though it was my first time using a loom, they taught it to me in easy Japanese and were really patient with me. You also get to make some snazzy textiles which is a big plus!

Ymir St. George: Calligraphy

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My CIP this semester was shodō, or Japanese calligraphy classes at Zōkei Calligraphy School. As a beginner, I’ve struggled at times with brush control and the language barrier, but the patience and kindness of my teacher and classmates have created a welcoming and supportive environment. I chose to practice 南無阿弥陀佛 (“Namu Amida Butsu”) for spiritual reasons, and as a way to pay homage to the tradition of copying sutras. Beyond improving my artistic skills, this experience has taught me a lot about myself and my communication styles, and has given me a sense of community in my new, temporary home. A word of advice I would give, even though it is easier said than done, try new things even if they scare you. Sign up for that class, ask that difficult question, take that solo trip. Chances are you’ll regret it if you don’t. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed out on what might have been a wonderful experience because I was too afraid to take the first step. You’ll learn new and fantastic things about yourself and the world around you.

Kendall Owens: Calligraphy.

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For my CIP I chose to attend 象啓書道教室 (Shoukei Shodo School) to learn calligraphy. Through my calligraphy courses, I learned the basics of shodō, how to write simple and more complex kanji, and finished the course creating two pieces on a canvas completed with my signature in katakana, and a red seal. While the early classes were very slow and awkward, I grew more comfortable with my ability to write and talk with others, and coming to the end of my classes is a bittersweet moment. I was happy to have finished the course with two pieces to take back with me, 竹 – a gift for my Aunt Take, and 幸 – happiness which I will keep for myself. If any incoming students are interested in learning Calligraphy, I would recommend it. However, if you are looking to talk with students close in age, or want to make quick progress, I would suggest a different CIP as this is not a fast paced learning experience, and the majority of students are much older. Overall I enjoyed my time at Shoukei Shodo School, and I may return for another class if I return to Kyoto.

Faith Li: Ikebana at Kadou Enshu

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My CIP activity is Ikebana–the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as  kadō. 

I’m taking lessons at Kado Enshu, a school which has locations in Marutamachi (group lessons), and Kitaoji (private lessons). A typical Ikebana lesson for me lasts around 1.5 hours, and consists of arranging my flowers (almost always in upright , moribana  style), with some suggestions from Sensei throughout the process, and then with some final tweaking from Sensei.

Here, I want to share the pros and cons of taking Ikebana lessons, as well as some advice:

Firstly, Ikebana is definitely one of the pricier CIP choices! I paid 30,000 yen (around $200 USD circa 2024) for 8 lessons per month. On top of this, I also paid a 2500 yen annual membership fee, and maybe around 30 USD for a kenzan  and flower scissors. KCJS is able to cover a portion of these fees, but there will still be a sizeable portion (well over $100 USD) left to pay. I believe that these prices are on the cheaper side as well!

Next, is the fact that you’re not going to get a lot of Japanese practice in–you’ll be silently arranging your flowers for the bulk of the session, and this is very much a solitary activity. This is especially true for me , since my Sensei speaks fluent English, so he often just spoke to me in English. If language immersion is a priority for you, I’d recommend something like volunteering with children.

Finally, like any traditional Japanese craft, Ikebana requires a lot of patience, and I ended up progressing slower than I expected. So, don’t expect to progress too rapidly, since it’s an art that’s meant to be perfected over one’s lifetime. Make sure that you’re sufficiently interested in Ikebana to be willing to do the same style of arrangements for pretty much 2 months straight!

If you’d like to pursue Ikebana, I highly suggest purchasing at least your own kenzan and scissors. As for the Ikebana vase, the actual Ikebana vases are quite expensive (hundreds! shudder), so I just use this random bowl that can fit a kenzan and some water. This way, once you bring your flowers home, rather then sticking them in some random vase, you can re-arrange them yourself at home. Kadou Enshu provides me with kenzan, flower bowls, and flowers while I’m practicing during class, but the only piece of my arrangement that I’m allowed to keep and bring home with me are the actual flowers.

Ultimately, I’m glad that I chose to pursue Ikebana, because it’s something that I wouldn’t have the chance to study in America (at least not without an exorbitant fee), and I would consider this a more transferable skill as far as traditional activites go (unlike something heavily ritualistic and intangible like Sado ), since I can certainly continue to make floral arrangements in the future as well. Also, it’s just a super Zen activity with a beautiful philosophy and history behind it!

Maxwell Maveus: Ikebana at Kadou-enshu

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I practiced ikebana (生け花), the art of traditional Japanese flower arrangement, at the Kadou-enshu school under the headmaster Ken Ichiju Ashida. I primarily created works under the moribana style, learning how to prune and shape plant materials, ikebana’s components (shin, hikae, gyo, do, and tome), and some of ikebana’s philosophical bases. 

I had been interested in ikebana before coming to KCJS, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to train under an ikebana master in Kyoto—let alone in private lessons in his home. My typical lesson consisted of 1.5 hours (that always sped by) of learning what each flower/plant he had for the day was, considering where everything should go, and placing the materials in the kenzan. The most invaluable component was the advice the headmaster gave me at the end of each session—he would carefully sit in front of my arrangement, make subtle changes while describing why he did them, and transform my amateur work into something beautiful. 

I advise all incoming students doing private lessons to acknowledge how kind most instructors are. I was scared to accidentally offend my headmaster by speaking up when I wanted to do something different than his arrangement chart he made for each lesson, but the whole time he encouraged me to do as I aesthetically saw fit! You will have so much more fun and grow closer with your CIP instructor if you aren’t afraid to be your (polite) self.

Nikolas Martin: Weaving

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 I did my CIP with Kawasaki-sensei, a renowned fiber artist in Kyoto, where he taught us how to weave in his studio. From scarves to mats, Kawasaki-sensei and his wife Yuri-sensei, taught us everything from the basics to more advanced techniques for weaving.

I spent ~5 hours a week with them learning how to weave and it was defintiely one of my highlights of being in Japan. Kawasaki-sensei and Yuri-sensei are probably two of the nicest people I have ever met; always showering us with compliments and spoiling us with snacks every time we went (they were indeed delicious!).

For anyone interested in weaving, textile, or fashion-related, DO THIS CIP!!! It taught me so much related to my field of interest while also being in a very supportive and comfortable environment. However, I do recommend anyone going into this CIP to do a little research into weaving related vocabulary in Japanese, as it makes those first few times easier and makes communication with the senseis smoother if they can understand what you are referring to or asking about. As I said, please do this CIP! And if you do, tell my senseis I said hi!

Bella Besuud: Koto

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For my CIP, I took koto lessons with Iwasaki Sensei. Since I’ve played the piano, violin and have had brief stints with some other instruments, I wanted to learn another instrument. I’m always looking for the opportunity to learn how to play more instruments because I love music! It’s been rewarding and interesting to learn how to play the koto. It’s unlike any instrument I’ve played before, including the way the score is written

Larissa Barth: 茶道 (tea ceremony)

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Through my CIP, I had the wonderful opportunity to learn the art of 茶道 (tea ceremony) from Fujimura-sensei, who taught us not only the complex movements of the ceremony but also the spiritual and cultural background behind them, such as wabi-sabi, Shinto and Zen, Shu-Ha-Ri, and yin/yang. Through the ritualistic sequence of the tea ceremony, we learn to let go of our thoughts and pay attention to our senses, and ultimately to approach daily life with a similar attitude of care and mindfulness.

In addition to our regular practice at the beautiful 茶室, Fujimura-sensei was also so kind to take us on various cultural excursions, such as a plum blossom night light-up at Kitano Tenman-gu, seeing the sunrise at Ise Jingu, morning and night meditations, and attending an お茶会 at Heian Jingu while wearing kimono.

 

Through this CIP, I gained a much deeper understanding of Japanese life and culture and made so many wonderful memories. I am very grateful that I have been able to learn from Fujimura-sensei and really don’t think I could’ve chosen a better CIP! I would recommend it to anyone, particularly if you are interested in traditional arts and philosophy. The only consideration is that because there’s a lot of difficult vocab, it’ll be helpful if you’re fairly proficient in Japanese, especially listening-wise.

Max Luband: Shakuhachi

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For my CIP, I took Shakuhachi lessons at a Shakuhachi players house. I met once a week for two hours, learned a few basic songs and performed at the Otsu traditional performing arts center with my sensei as the culminating event.

The shakuhachi is a difficult instrument and you will most likely need to practice at least a little bit out of lessons. However many of the things that makes the shakuhachi difficult are what make a unique and interesting instrument. For example, the position of your head or how much you are covering a hole will change the pitch of a note, which both allows you to go between pitches seamlessly and demands a greater level of precision on your part to play specific pitches.

 

My biggest worry going into this was that pursuing an instrument in one-on-one setting means I won’t get to learn and experience Japanese culture as I would interacting with a larger group of people via volunteering, but that wasn’t the case. I learned a lot not just about Japanese music concepts , but also about Japanese ways of teaching and learning. The relationship between me and my sensei was much more personal and extended out of lessons in a way that was different from any music tutors I had learned before. I was very much blown away by his kindness

picture Sensei took of me when we visited a temple