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Shodoo (from left) : 'hana'-(flower), 'tsuki'-(moon), 'yuki'-(snow)

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Shodoo (from left) : 'hana'-(flower), 'tsuki'-(moon), 'yuki'-(snow)

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Subarashii shodoo desu ne. Hana to yuki no keijoo miemasuka. Hontoni kireii deshita ne.

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Juu-gatsu san juu-ichi nichi
30/10/2017
3.00 gozen kara 6.45 made shodoo o mi ni ikimashita.
Ransetsu Ozawa-san Calligraphy Demonstration.

Sono hi wa sensee to watashi tachi (Iskandaru-san Ahmado-san to Allen-san to Grace-san to watashi) Shodoo ni ikimashita in Japanese Ambassador's Residence. Sensee no kuruma ni norimashita.

Among all of the experience, one of the most significant moment was the time when we entered the loft space where people are sitting and waiting Ransetsu Ozawa-san to demonstrate her calligraphy. The hall was so quiet that we could listen to the rain dripping onto the pool outside the hall. This just shows how Japanese people are very disciplined and polite. It was a live evidence of what other people has been talking about the Japanese attitude and behavior. Sugokatta desu. It s a contagious act as we also whispered to each other to talk. The experience didn't stop at that point, we also heard that almost all of the audience were talking in Japanese making us felt awkward to speak even English.
The sight of calligraphy demonstration was the best as I always read in manga how beautiful the art of calligraphy. Seeing it with my own eyes was exhilarating and satisfying. Ozawa-san's stroke seemed like it was just randomly doodling on paper, but the end result was totemo kireii deshita. For instance, the calligraphy of 'hana'-(flower) exhibited in the hall resembles very much so to the shape of a flower with a branch and a small bud. As for the 'yuki'-(snow), the characters done was as if the characters were written in the way a snow would fall. It was so nice and beautiful to look at the aesthetic part of the calligraphy.
Having Allen-san to sit beside me and as he learned Chinese characters before, made me felt the experience more fulfilling. At least, I know what characters bring what kind of meaning both in Japanese and Chinese.
The refreshment provided wa oishii deshita. Watashi tachi wa shashin o torimashita with Mr. Kubota Simon-san. It was after that high tea that we managed to get our own name to be written down by Ozawa-san using her very own calligraphy art. Totemo ureshikatta desu.

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2017/10/30: Shodo o mi ni ikimashita. Ozawa-san kakimashita. Tanoshikatta desu! 6.45 p.m.

Trip to Japanese Ambassador's Residence --> introduction of Ozawa-san --> first time witnessing Japanese calligraphy demonstration --> high tea and meeting with Simon-san --> personal calligraphy written by Ozawa-san!

Ohaiyou gozaimasu minasan!

For my experiential learning project, i began my journey to the Japanese Ambassador's Residence in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Alongside my comrades, we went for our ryokou (trip) by carpooling with Ang-sensei no kuruma (car). Despite the traffic jam caused by the ooame (heavy rain), we managed to arrive on time. Pictures above are the details regarding the event. The cultural experience gained from the journey is trying to converse in nihongo with our sensei by remembering all the lectures given.

I was excited as soon as i entered the hall and witnessed a few masterpieces exhibited as shown in the picture above. There was an aura of the Japanese people in the hall thus, encourages me to speak in nihongo only. Later, Ozawa-san came to the front and introduced herself.  She mentioned that her name bears the meaning of snow (ran) and flower (setsu) which explains why she wore a bright sky blue coloured kimono! I was amazed when she told about her history. She started calligraphy since the age of 5! She also cracked a joke about her friends saying that she was born while holding a brush on her left hand and a pair of hashi (chopstick) on the other hand. The demonstration and workshop started as early as 3.35 p.m. She began writing kanji of the word kokoro (heart) and displayed how the words were transformed into hiragana. In my opinion, it is very difficult to read kanji and i rather read hiragana and katakana. It is quite similar with the Chinese characters. However, in Islam, we also have our own calligraphy in Arabic which is also known as Khat.

It has now reached the peak of the event which is drawing a huge calligraphy on a canvas. She cannot afford any mistakes as the brush meets the canvas, nothing is irreversible. She called the audience to come closer for a better view of her demonstration of calligraphy. With full confidence, she drew using a big brush. The result is another masterpiece and personally, i think that was one of the best moment in my life as a nihongo no gakusei (Japanese language student).

Later on, we were invited to join the high tea. Our faces turned bright when it comes to tabemono (foods). I noticed the cultural difference here where the tables are prepared without chairs. It is usual for the nihon-jin to eat while standing as they have to rush for other matters. We had our meal served in buffet style. I enjoyed my hot koocha (milk tea) especially because the weather was cold. Other than that, we also managed to meet Simon-san and have a little chat with him. Then, we took pictures together.

Furthermore, we even managed to meet Ozawa-san personally and it was an exclusive experience for me that may happens once in a lifetime. On top of that, she even offered to write our names using her calligraphy style. As sensei have mentioned, she is truly a kindhearted person with a very lovely personality and slightly humorous. I learnt that the hiragana written was not about perfection but its about embracing the aesthetic value of the calligraphy. It was a valuable item for me and i am thankful for being the chosen few to be involved with this event. Overall, i enjoyed the cultural learning experience and decided to learn more about the Japanese calligraphy!

https://sites.google.com/s/0B8QoUZSpvMb6TVVZNXM4bU5lRDA/p/1wuHtNbqoqEM_jKEse1izzPX_KEwSIlog/preview

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Please share the pictures or other files together etc here but insert your separate reflection individually