Katerina Chalkiadaki
Graduate School of Human Sciences
I have always been fascinated by flowers. I don’t know if it was the smell or the different colours or even the various shapes they come in. Meanwhile, having an interest in Japanese literature made me want to explore the culture more. Then I came across the art of ikebana before coming to Japan and I developed an interest in arranging flowers.
While I was living in Greece, I did not have a chance to take ikebana lessons and practice the art myself. It was a very pleasant surprise to me that the ICC had planned such an activity for Waseda students. I could not miss the opportunity of participating in the event.
I went to the event, and it surpassed my expectations. Not only we were introduced to the concept by a sensei, who explained the rules of ikebana thoroughly, but the best part was that we got to practice it ourselves while sitting and chatting with lovely people that shared the same passion. We had a lovely time choosing the flowers that were available for us from the ICC during the event, and we shared our opinions on each other’s arrangements and our pride for our “flower achievements” at the end. The sensei gave us feedback and encouraged our efforts.
I recommend to everyone to attend the same activity.
I want to thank the ICC again for organizing the event and giving the opportunity to people from around the world to meet and create together.
photo by ICC
