Ikenobo exhibition and the Japanese festival

The recent Ikenobo Chapter exhibition at the St Kilda Town Hall

provided a beautiful framework for the cultural activities which marked the twentieth anniversary of the association between the City of Port Phillip in Melbourne and the city of Obu in Japan. Despite Melbourne's rain there was a lively crowd trying out calligraphy, manga art, ikebana, origami and a traditional tea ceremony.

Learning about manga

More ikenobo arrangements by students and teachers

The centrepiece, a magnificent Rikka arrangement -

The Ikenobo Chapter, as a group, arranged a small landscape which featured bamboo and traditional fans, to symbolise the long friendship and goodwill between Obu and the City of Port Phillip.

For those participating in the tea ceremony, something sweet to complement the slight bitterness of the tea....