There is a new elaborate arrangement in the tea room every week.
The tatami mats are used in traditional Japanese style rooms. The mats are typically made of rice straw, covered by woven soft rush.
Category Archives: Flowers
Hanami 花見 – again
Every year we welcome spring with anticipation with sakura さくら and hanami 花見 being the grand finale. Seasonal themes and traditions go way back as you might see from these woodblock prints from the Edo period (1600-1868).
Kitao Shigemasa (1739–1820). Yayoi or Sangatsu, Asukayama Hanami (Third Lunar Month, Blossom Viewing at Asuka Hill), from the series Jūnikagetsu (Twelve Months), between 1772 and 1776. Color woodblock print. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (019.00.00)
Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815). Hanami-zuki (Cherry Blossom Viewing Month), from the series Shin-Yoshiwara jukkei (Ten Views of Shin-Yoshiwara), between 1785 and 1789. Color woodblock print. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (039.00.00)
Most of the cherry blossoms are now gone, but a few are still brightening up the trees.
Have a great weekend everyone!
woodblock prints: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/cherry-blossoms/cherry-blossoms-in-japanese-cultural-history.html
Happy Easter!
This beautiful Easter arrangement, decorated with hand-painted porcelain eggs from Royal Copenhagen, is on display at the Nicolai Bergmann Flagship Store in Aoyama, Tokyo.
Happy Easter!
Nicolai Bergmann DAC Denmark Art and Culture
Time for a glimpse of spring colours. These beautiful flower decorations were part of Danish flower artist Nicolai Bergmann´s venue DAC Denmark Art and Culture Reception Party in early April. Invited were Danish contemporary artist Christina Malbek, who trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. Malbek paints with airbrush technique, using pressurized spray cans, the same technique as graffiti. Colour wise we notice Nordic romantic landscape art. Themes she often returns to are “life´s lack of logic and a wish to give meaning to what one sees.” Sometimes she also combines sections of digital photos.
Chefs Victor Wagman and Sam Nutter from Danish restaurant BROR, famous for their unique menu, were in charge of the kitchen.
Saturday morning
Not quite the weekend weather we are all so longing for, but at least it´s not raining – yet…
Have a great weekend everyone!
Sakura 桜
Cherry blossoms aren´t just beautiful to admire, they also symbolize clouds with their mass. The cherry blossom is also associated with the ephemeral nature of life, the transience of the blossoms, the beauty and death – it reminds us of mortality. Tokyo is now in full bloom and we´re getting ready for hanami 花見 then it´s associated with spring and party time. Enjoy!
Cut and trim, and trim again…
Still, there is time to trim the garden and garden days or weeks have been announced for some time and are almost over. For those of you familiar with the art of ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) you know that trimming is an essential skill. Ma or space is crucial to the arrangement, so even in the garden. Negative space (the space around and between the subjects of an image) is particularly appealing if it forms an interesting shape, which might be incorporated in the arrangement as an artistic effect. Ma is a key element when it comes to artistic composition. 
There are similarities, right? Pruning in Japan is just as artistic and mostly revolves around controlling and shaping. It involves the selective removal of for instance branches, buds or roots. You do it to remove dead wood, shaping by controlling or directing growths and maintaining the health of the tree, to mention but a few of the reasons. Western style would typically be to use a saw or chainsaw, but here arborists and orchardists tend to use hand pruners, loppers and/or a smaller hand saw.
Rather brutal trim, don´t you think? Have a great weekend! 
Shiitake
Shiitake mushrooms
The shiitake mushroom is native to East Asia and have been cultivated for over 1000 years. These I got from an acquaintance of mine whose husband grows them as a hobby in their backyard. They typically grow on dead logs from the shii tree (Castanopsis cuspidata). These beauties can be used not only as food but also in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a medicinal remedy taken to prevent all kinds of ailments such as upper respiratory diseases, poor blood circulation, exhaustion, liver trouble and to boost qi. Best of all, it is believed to prevent premature aging. Sorry Chanel, but the recently purchased Hydra Beauty Crème Riche, hydration protection éclat – hydration protection radiance, will have to rest, at least for a trial period.
As for whipping up a delicious dish, in Japan the mushrooms are often served in miso soups while in China we used to sauté them in vegetarian dishes, preferably with a sprinkle of garlic. In Thailand, the mushrooms were simply fried wok style. 
Today comes with beautiful weather – hope your weekend is great too! 
Hanami – flower viewing
The hanami or ‘flower viewing’ season here in Japan is short, too short if you ask most people. Often the splendour only last for about a week. This year, the winter has been a bit colder than usual, which causes the cherry buds to start growing at an earlier point, no matter how contradictory. You´d better plan this year´s fiesta somewhere between April 5 to 14, which is the estimated best viewing dates, with an estimated bud opening on March 29.
Today we had 20 degrees and it looked like this:
Two weekends ago it looked like this, however it didn´t stay for long.
The snow inspired me to make this arrangement:
Have a great weekend everyone!
Blue skies
Days have come to feel considerably longer as we have had quite a few lovely days with blue skies and sunshine. Shop windows are already adorned with pastels and you get the feeling that spring is on its way. Inspired by the various pastel colours, I created this freestyle ikebana arrangement with just an orchid and carnations. Simple and effective, don´t you think?
Enjoy the tunes of Ella Fitzgerald:
Every-Other-Day By Anne 