Cultural Reception delights visitors

February 2012

Students displaying their calligraphy work.Hello everyone!

My name is Naoki Wakamatsu from Hosei University in Japan, and I would like to share stories with you from our recent Japanese cultural exhibition which occurred on 18 January at the Monash College City campus.

At the cultural reception, students presented various Japanese traditions for others to experience and learn.

Our presentations included calligraphy, origami, yoyos and traditional foods.

Calligraphy is the art of handwriting Japanese characters using a traditional brush and ink. Origami is another type of Japanese cultural art which is popular among little children. We can amaze by simply folding a piece of paper!

Also, everyone probably knows what a yoyo is and what it can do, but our yoyos are different from what you would imagine. Ours is a water balloon and you have to scoop it from a pool with a small hook tied to a paper cord. It is a special attraction during summer in Japan.

Our foods were also a big hit amongst visitors, and we were glad to share them.

We would like to thank everyone involved in creating such a great and successful day, and we hope everyone enjoyed their experiences with our culture.

Written by Naoki Wakamatsu from Hosei University in Japan.