Calligraphy and Japanese cuisine lunch!

<<Greg's Experience Report!!>>

The combination of the traditional Japanese calligraphy (書道 shodō) with the traditional seven course Japanese meal was a fantastic and uniquely Japanese experience! 

We were welcomed into our host, Junko Iba’s, beautiful restaurant to begin our session. There, we met our calligraphy sensei, a fantastic artist and teacher. She had a limited knowledge of English, but, luckily for us, Junko, was also an excellent interpreter. We were taught to write our names in the two Japanese alphabets along with Chinese Kanji and how to use the brush properly to create lines of varying thickness as well as stops and checks. Learning to write your name in all three alphabets was difficult at first but became more fluid as time progressed. The sensei was helpful at describing writing techniques and providing assistance when we needed it. In the end, each student had a number of self-made personalized prints to choose from to take back home, AND, to top it all off, we were given some beautifully stylized, original hiragana haiku that the sensei had written. 

After the calligraphy portion came lunch. Our traditional Japanese meal was served in the Tea Room and consisted of seven courses alongside sake, and a wonderful burnt leaf green tea. Chiba’s famous fish and seasonal vegetables were featured prominently in the meal along with a variety of traditionally prepared items. Tempura, oyster stew and sashimi were all included in the lunch and Junko took our individual dietary needs into consideration and provided replacement dishes when necessary. She also provided us with details about the dishes and ingredients and the custom behind some of them. The presentation of all the plates was beautiful and the food was delicious! 

If you would like to have this experience, you can reserve through Calligraphy and Japanese cuisine lunch