November 25, 2000: Community's Cultural Festival |
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This year, we have rather warmer days keeping winter at bay. The ginkgo trees in the community turned yellow at last in the end of November, however. |
| On a warm clear day like this, I visited a culture festival opened in our Fujimigaoka community hall. |  |
  Beautiful chrysanthemum flowers welcomed me at the entrance. |
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Some female members of Fujimigaoka residents' association serve the visitors hot Amasake, or sweet drink made from fermented rice. The aroma of the drink reminded me of dear old taste in my childhood. |
| Flower baskets woven of Akebi vine are sold on the spot. |  |
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| I looked around the exhibition together with my Haiku friends. Mrs. Nagaoka (left) is a knit lover and Mrs. Toyoko Inao (right) is a teacher of a knitting class. We enjoyed chatting. | Sweaters with the same design and different colors make great difference like those. I love knitting as well and had long been enjoying it. The sweaters made me resume knitting. |
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| Ms. Mayumi Kusami, a teacher of patch working class, explained us the detail of her great works. | The samples are called Hawaiian Quilt. The patterns around the edges represent the wave of Hawaiian sea, she said. |
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Lovely antique dolls are the works by Ms. Mieko Kawasaki. |
| Here are the exhibition of "picture letter." One of my friends recently started to learn it. Brave and flowing lines are just about to neglect the of the canvas edge. |  |
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Our Haiku group "Moe", or "Sprouting" exhibits some strips of fancy paper.
The second stripe from right is my Haiku, "My husband said he loved the whiteness of camellia flowers." |
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| Walking lovers visit the hall in twos and threes. They are looking around the works enthusiastically. | Actual flowers were pressed and arranged like this to create the work by Nobu Satou. |
 "A sparrow, the year of 2000" by Michiko Nakashima attracted me the most. |
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| M. Nobuto Sato, the chairman of Fujimigaoka community, displays his works of Kagura Dance Masks. He started to make those masks in order to preserve the traditional Kagura Dance in the area. | Terrible looking mask of demon, beautiful lady, and Hyottoko (a clown) are the keys to hand down the local culture. I was deeply moved. |
| Mishou-style flower arrangement features its free flowing lines. |  |
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The flower wreath is calling Christmas.
I was delighted to learn that many wonderful people live in my community. I have had a wonderful autumnal day today. |