Balance in Bloom: Our First Kyoto Ikebana Class, Autumn Traditions, and Everyday Discoveries
See HanaYou’s first ikebana class in Kyoto. Then discover a Japanese autumn festival, wildlife surprises, and lessons on balance in floral art.
Hello flower lovers,
There's a lot to share in this newsletter:
- HanaYou's very first ikebana class in Kyoto
- Kyoto wildlife ate our daughter's shoe!
- How to think about building your own living plant in a vase
- What’s Happening in Kyoto Now: Autumnal Equinox celebration
- This week's theme: Balance
As always, I hope these notes bring you a little calm and inspiration. Let’s begin.
HanaYou Kyoto's first studio session
After years of teaching ikebana in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, it was the first time I taught ikebana in a space with tatami floors and traditional shoji doors. For me, it was such a meaningful moment. These details may seem simple, but they instantly transformed the atmosphere of the class, making it feel like a true Japanese cultural experience.
Of course, our studio isn’t perfect yet. The interior is still a work in progress, but our dream is to create a space that feels comfortable, warm, and welcoming for everyone. Even without the final touches, I felt the spirit of ikebana come alive in this setting, and I hope my first students in Kyoto felt that, too.
(Wild) Life in Kyoto
Life in Kyoto keeps surprising us in funny and unexpected ways. Since our apartment is close to the river, we often encounter wild animals: fish, herons, geckos, turtles.
Last night, we left our daughter's sneakers outside to dry. This morning, my husband asked our daughter why there was only one shoe outside. To our shock, one shoe had completely disappeared! At first, I thought someone must have taken them.
But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a brown animal dash down the street. It was a raccoon. Now we know: we really shouldn’t leave anything outside! For me, it turned into a funny story to tell, but for our daughter, it was not funny at all.
Moments like this remind me that we’re still discovering new sides of Kyoto every single day, from the bustling city to the quiet beauty of nature to the mischievous wildlife.
