Tea Ceremonies and Taiko Drums: A Cultural Day to Remember!

On Wednesday 18 October, the Year 8 cohort gathered for a Japanese Cultural Day to consolidate learning from the Humanities Shogunate Japan history unit and set the foundation for the Term 4 Japanese unit – 'Festivals and Celebrations'. The rotational sessions included a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony provided by Sachiyo Sensei, where students sampled Japanese tea and fine Japanese sugar sweets. A calligraphy rotation was provided by Tami Sensei where students were able to use traditional ink brushes to discover the symbols commonly used in Japanese calligraphy such as Kanji. Students were also treated to a sushi making session led by Mrs. Carseldine. They used sushi mats and seaweed nori sheets to roll a vegetarian sushi feast and then enjoyed eating the final result. A popular rotation proved to be the Karate session.  It was demonstrated by GKR Karate’s senior instructor Sensei David, assisted by Sensei Geno and Sensei Dan. Students had fun learning some discipline character-building positions and self-defense moves. The finale of the day was provided by Junko Sensei and the Kizuna Taiko Japanese drumming team, where students watched an exhilarating live drumming performance. Some students were selected to practice the drumming techniques on stage in the workshops. A sincere thank-you to the many staff who contributed to making this exciting cultural experience a reality with additional special mentions for Mrs. Pamiloza, Mrs. Carson, Mrs. Dippel, and Ms. Winter. It was a fantastic day for all involved. 

Mrs. Wegner
Head of Humanities and Business