"Tea"

I went to a little tea party

and held a fashion show in the garden.

O, Blessed Wind,

take my heartfelt song to the Isles of Britannia!

The tea set.

It's polite to leave a little bit of tea in the bowl.

I think it's the same when dining in France...?

{True, Jeanie?}

Though I didn't drink any of the tea,

it was wonderful to watch my host <--{the same woman who took me to Himeji} make it.

So much culture, just in one little ceremony!

After tea, we made lunch.

Okonomiyaki!

Rawr, I'm a carnivore.

Scrum-dilly-umptious!

After lunch, came the calligraphy lesson.

{Don't judge my handwriting.}

This is my name in kanji:

愛 = love {a}

珠 = pearl {shu}

麗 = beauty {rei}

波 = wave {ha}

紋 = pattern/ripple {mon}

{PS: I made the ink! YAYAH!}

After calligraphy,

we went to the Onaka village

where the houses of ancient peoples

were rebuilt.

I felt like I was in Totoro's world.

:)

Beautiful ume flowers

were blossoming all around the Onaka village.

After the village came the museum.

And another opportunity to play dress up.

YAR!

Your soul smells good.

{That one's for you, Jeanie!}

What an attractive young woman I've come to be.

{Music credit to Michael Dowdle}