Jusan-ya(十三夜): The Beauty of the “Non-Full” Moon
As we prepare for our moon-viewing party on October 19th (click here for the ticket), I’d like to share a bit about a special moon tradition in Japan called Jusan-ya—the “Thirteenth Night.” While many cultures celebrate the full moon, Japan is unique in also appreciating a “non-full” moon, and I
Behind the Scenes of Mrs. Kishida’s Visit: A Bomb Detection Dog in Socks!
Last Saturday, Shofuso welcomed a very special visitor—Mrs. Yuko Kishida, wife of Japan’s Prime Minister. While the spotlight was on her, the behind-the-scenes work was just as captivating, including an unexpected star: a police bomb detection dog… in socks! Yes, you read that right. Because Shofuso is a traditional Japanese
Discovering the Beauty of Otsukimi: Moon Viewing in September and October
As the seasons transition from summer’s warmth to autumn’s cool embrace, the skies offer a special opportunity to connect with nature through an ancient tradition—Otsukimi, or moon viewing. Rooted in centuries of Japanese culture, Otsukimi is a way to appreciate the beauty of the moon, particularly during two important nights:
JASGP’s Philadelphia Museum of Art Visit: Tour of “Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle”
The Philadelphia Museum of Art extended an invitation to the JASGP for a tour of “Yoshitoshi: Spirit and Spectacle.” JASGP had the privilege of being lead through the exhibition by curator Shelley Langdale. The exhibition, which draws on the PMA’s collection of Japanese art, features 60 works by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Japanese Films and Filmmakers at the 2018 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
The Philadephia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) returns to Philadelphia from November 8 – 18. This year marks PAAFF’s 11th season of showcasing Asian American film contributions, and includes fifty film screenings and live events in Center City and University City. Included this year are four feature-length films that focus
Know Before You Go: Philadelphia Obon Festival
The sixth annual Philadelphia Obon Festival comes to Shofuso this Saturday from 11 am – 5 pm. At the forefront are Bon folk dances led by IchiFuji-kai dance students, taiko drumming by Kyo Daiko, tea ceremony demonstrations by Urasenke Philadelphia, traditional games, kimono dressing, and arts & crafts, all of which are
Etiquette In Japan
To the Japanese, manners are extremely important. This week at Shofuso, we are topping off camp with learning about more delicious Japanese food. However, we can’t learn about food without learning about how to properly eat it at the table! When visiting Japan, or any other country that is not
Haiku
Here are haiku performed by campers during Ghibli Week! They did such an excellent job capturing the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of haikus. A haiku is a Japanese poem made up of 17 syllables in three lines of five, seven, five. Traditionally haiku capture images of the natural world, however,
Yokai
Here this week at Camp Shofuso we are focusing on yokai, which loosely translates into the words monster, spirit, demon or goblin. They are Japanese folklore creatures. The word Yokai is usually a catch-all word for a lot of different and unusual phenomena such as spirit possessions, bakemono (spirits who
Ghibli Week Interviews
Come and meet our Ghibli Campers!! We would like to thank them for sparing some time for an interview. We’d also like to thank Isaiah for asking the interview questions so Destiny could focus more on recording.
