熊本伝統工芸館

The trip to the local art museum in Kumamoto was an interesting experience as we got to see a lot of the locally, hand made products which are available in Kumamoto all in one place. There were things such as cups, plates, tea sets and more. Everything had a unique beauty and you could see the time and effort which had gone into each piece and reflected a part of each creator personality. 

We were also shown the way in which people hand made parts for Kimono`s and other traditional clothing within the museum. I found this particularly interesting and quite relaxing to sit and make.

After the museum we all moved to the local park in which we learned a little about the famous people of Kumamoto and a little history. Which was followed by a visit to the local temple to read our fortunes and make wishes for our future.

菊池渓谷

Visiting Kikuchi Gorge was one of my favorite trips during this class as I love nature and it was a beautiful place to see. We all went as a big group and walked the whole way around the course of the gorge.

It was a tiring but great day, we all took lots of photos and had the chance to relax and play besides the water.  The day we went was a very warm day and so it was a great relief to be besides the water as the air was much cooler near the gorge.

弓道

For my final event in this lesson we all went to Kyudo, the Japanese traditional style of Archery. I found it very interesting learning and watching the performance in Kyudo as I have an interest in learning martial arts and traditional Japanese practices. 

After the performance we were given the chance to practice ourselves whilst they helped us to get the right hold and force to try and hit the targets. I tried my best but only managed to get close to the target. I would like to try again in the future as it was a lot of fun learning to aim.