Japanese Workshop

On Friday, the 9th of August, Japanese language students participated in a Japanese calligraphy (書道) workshop, and on Thursday, the 15th of August, a group of Unit 1/2 and 3/4 Japanese students took part in a Japanese flower arrangement (生け花) workshop. 

VCE students who participated in the calligraphy workshop were taught to write the kanji 料理, which together can mean ‘cooking’. Year 9 and 10 students learned the kanji 定食, which means ‘set meal’, and the ten best examples from each category were chosen for a competition run by the Japanese Language Teachers Association of Victoria (JLTAV). They also learned about the meaning of each individual kanji and their use in different Japanese words. Additionally, they learnt about the techniques used in calligraphy when writing with ink and gained insight into the difficulty of producing good calligraphy work. 

Students who took part in the ikebana workshop learnt a lot about the history and significance of ikebana in Japanese culture and how it originated. They were also lucky enough to create their own ikebana pieces with beautiful flowers and branches.  

Overall, both workshops allowed us, Japanese students, to develop a deeper understanding into Japanese culture which aids us in our learning of the Japanese language. 

Mahasri Chapalamadugu 

Year 11