September 21-24 is Japan Weekend in Halifax. Lots of events happening, sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal. More good news: ALL EVENTS ARE FREE!
The tea ceremony demonstration will be led by Alexandre Avdulov Sensei and John McGee Sensei of St. Mary's University. Experience a bit of open air tea at the Grand Parade. If the weather does not permit it, the demonstration will be held inside City Hall.
Rakugo is like Japanese stand-up comedy except that the comedian is sitting down! In reality, the world of Rakugo is quite strict and rigid. It takes many years of apprenticeship before one is allowed to perform to the public. Into this centuries old tradition entered Katsura Sunshine, the only non-Japanese AND Canadian Rakugo artist! "Katsura" is a very old and famous name in Rakugo and Sunshine was "adopted" by the Katsura Rakugo family. Listen to him explain how he got to where he is now.
In the washoku (Japanese cuisine) presentation, "Consul General Tatsuo Arai dives deep into the traditional customs and history of Japanese gastronomy by first exploring the incredible diversity of flavours and elegant arrangement of various dishes, and later by examining how food continues to influence daily life, popular culture, and Japanese society as a whole." [quoted from the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal information package.]
Of course, we all look forward to the food-tasting afterwards too! :-)
(Note: Image photo by the ikebana shop. We don't exactly know what kind of food will be presented by Consul Arai!)
More information on the Consulate General of Japan at Montreal website.
We hope to see you at all of the events. Everything is authentic and not normally easy to experience in Halifax!