I sincerely apologize for not being able to continue this blog,
Nippon○Rennaissance, in its present condition. Originally when I started this blog, I had hoped to bring news from many events around the Netherlands that showed the influence of Japan.
Sadly, my personal situation does not permit me to travel and attend these evens as I would have liked, and I have little time to devote to this blog.
I am currently in the process of "rebooting" my outlook on life, expectations and what I want to achieve with this blog. When I have done so, my posting will continue in a new format, and I will post the link here.
Until then, I apologize for my hiatus in posting.
日本○ルネッサンス、このブログを継続していないために私を深くお詫び申し上げます。
私は別の時にこのブログを続けていきます。
13:19 |
Category: |
(Note: Large videos are embedded, please allow some time to load)After arriving at the Von Sieboldhuis, we were ushered into the main exhibition hall, where Maki-san and Souken Danj-san sang a song together in praise of Von Siebold, for the advances in medicine he brought to Japan, and how this helped in saving the weakest members of Japanese society.
After the song, all gathered proceeded towards the Von Sieboldgarden in the Hortus Botanicus, to witness the planting of the Seed of Peace by the Japanese Ambassador. This story dates back to Hiroshima of 60 years ago, where a woman with the intent to commit suicide decided to live on after seeing how a tree, also a victim of the nuclear bomb, sprouted new leaves. Deciding that if the tree would live, so would she, the plans were made to spread the seeds of this tree, the "tree of peace" throughout the world.
The first of these seeds was planted in Italy, the second in France, and the third at the Hortus in Leiden, the Netherlands.
Sadly, the video is not the most clear, due to the amount of press active at such an event; I did the best I could but when you have to spend 20 minutes on the tips of your toes, arms stretched to allow the camera some view, you start to appreciate the sacrifices you have to make for your hobby. The press people truly took away the first-hand experience of 40 people in the back, in order to provide a watered-down, selected, second-hand reliving of the event for hundreds of others. For good money, of course. Sad, but it happens.
The same saturday that found me at the Sake tasting was a hot and sweltering day in Leiden. Having dressed up for the occasion (a suit nonetheless) I was particularly punished by the sun's recent tendency to microwave the Netherlands. Even so, I trudged on, taking many wrong turns and asking the way many times, before ending up at the Expansionist Art Empire Gallery.
Despite the grandeur of its name, this gallery seems to be a full 25 square meters, if that. Its walls are white and its interior empty. All the better to draw the visitor's eye to the work on display here.
In this case, the exposition "No more Hiroshima, no more Nagasaki, no more War", a collection of Sumi-e and painted artworks by Seizan Azuma, and photographs made by Leiden's photographer Fred Rohde of the memorial events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
When I entered, I was greeted by Fred himself, and it became obvious very quickly that he has great heart for his work, and that he wants to miss not a moment's time in greeting visitors and guiding them past the artworks, explaining what it all represents. While this seems in a bit of contradiction of the classical "walk past art and form an opinion" style of visiting, it seems fitting in this context; all the more because the man who made the pictures is there himself to show the way.
We talked for some time, regarding his work, the philisophy behind it, and eventually about me and my blog. I was given some very useful advice, which I intend to take to heart. The pictures in this blog are but a snippet of what was on display, and the best thing to do is go and visit the
Expansionist Art Empire Gallery.
10:57 |
Category:
Art,
Netherlands
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Last saturday I went to the sake tasting workshop, which was organized by Dutch Sake importers Yoigokochi. Although they are rather new, they already have extensive contacts, a professional way of conducting business, and a general enthusiasm coming from their love for Sake.
While we as the audience were enjoying our first taste we were given a rundown of the history of Sake, the circumstances of its use, and how it is fabricated. Apparently, the rice that will used in Sake is actually polished in large machines; it becomes more rounded, and more white. The further down it is polished, the higher quality it is. Sake we buy in the store is generally around 10-20% polished, while the higher-quality Sake imported by Yoigokochi falls in the 50-60% average.
After this, a fungus called Koji is added, to create a mash. In three stages, water, yeast and Koji rice are added together, until it can be left to ferment. Once the master brewer determines it is done, the rice mash is squashed, and the liquid Sake drips out of the container.
Several kinds of Sake exist, depending on whether after this process they are heated (pasteurized) or not, and whether or not water has been added to dilute it.
Of the Sake I've had the pleasure to taste, the two that most struck me were Ine Mankai, the red rice Sake, brewed under the supervision of a female brewmaster. As this is the Sake my girlfriend likes best, and I have heard many women say the same, I'd say that Ine Mankai is a Sake by women, for women.
Second was the Nabeshima Chouko, a traditional, elderly Sake aged in earthenware earns. This particular one had been aged for 7 years, I have been told, and the taste is very round, its scent slightly sweet, and the aftertaste lasts rather long; as it was the last Sake I had drunk (I unfortunately had to leave early due to time constraints), I could still taste the Chouko on my tongue as I was on the train back home.
For more information on Sake, how to get your hands on premium Sake, or if you'd like to know when a Sake tasting workshop is held near where you live, check out their website at
http://www.yoigokochi.eu/.
