mmblog

Kanshasai Omedetou – Happy Thanksgiving!

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While Thanksgiving is a distinctly American holiday,there’s no reason you can’t add a little Japanese flair to your feast! We’ve gathered a few recipes that combine Thanksgiving staples with Japanese fall flavors on our Pinterest board Kanshasai Omedetou  – this phrase is about as close to Happy Thanksgiving as you’ll get in Japanese since there’s no such thing as Turkey Day in Japan :). If you’re looking to shake things up at the table this year, we highly recommend checking them out! We also wanted to wish you all a very Happy …

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From the Speaker: David Jackson on His Japanese Cabinetry Lecture

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If you haven’t had the chance to check out our current exhibit Japanese Design for the Senses, or if you have and you want to learn more, may we suggest making a night of it? Next week, Morikami will host David Jackson, Japanese furniture craftsmen and expert in tansu, for the first lecture of our 2014-2015 Speaker Series. Jackson has spent years studying, writing about and creating Japanese tansu (or storage chests) and Morikami is proud to bring you his lecture on the history, craftsmanship and influence of Japanese furniture …

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New Year’s Series Part 4 – Omikuji & Hanetsuki

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UPDATE 1/10/14: Due to extreme flooding Oshogatsu has been postponed until Sunday, January 19, 2014. If you have already purchased tickets you will receive an email with details about your purchase. Otherwise, you may still purchase tickets online until Friday, January 17th at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to see you all there next Sunday!   This week we’re discussing some of the activities we just couldn’t do without at Oshogatsu: omikuji, or New Year’s fortune telling, and hanetsuki, which is similar to badminton. Read on to find out why these …

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Our First Ever Social Media Lantern

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With Bon Festival just under four (!) weeks away, we’re highlighting what’s new this year, beginning with our favorite addition to the Obon repertoire – our Social Media Lantern. Each year at Bon Festival, Morikami staff handcrafts close to 1,000 paper lanterns, inscribed with messages from our visitors to loved ones who have passed away.  At the end of the night, each lantern, lit by a single candle, is released into Morikami Lake as part of tōrō nagashi: literally, lantern floating.   These lanterns are meant to guide visiting spirits, who …

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Two Zen Masters Come from Japan for Zenmi – A Taste of Zen Exhibit

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The Morikami’s staff curated the exhibition Zenmi –A Taste of Zen: Paintings, Calligraphy and Ceramics from the Collection of Riva Lee Asbell, which opens October 18th.  Curator of Collections, Veljko Dujin, collector Riva Asbell and I began to plan and research educational programs to accompany the exhibit one year ago. We will welcome two Zen masters to Morikami who have agreed to come from Japan.  Shōdō Harada Rōshi is a highly-respected Zen teacher and well-known calligrapher. He will travel from Sogen-ji Zen Monastery in Okayama, Japan where he is the …

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