Lets Make Origami

Fairy model by Isamu Asahi from みんなたのしい折ってあそぶおりがみ
Folded, installed & photographed by Yuki

Every summer since 2006 at Willowbrook Arts Camp I teach the campers to fold 1,000 paper cranes as prayers for world peace.  Since we have hundreds of campers every day, it has never been that big of a challenge to finish folding 1,000 paper cranes, but it's a good opportunity for me to promote peace, which is one of our missions of Willowbrook.  In the past I have had some of the campers or staff members deliver the cranes to Hiroshima Peace Memorial, but this year I was able to travel to Hiroshima to do that myself for the first time.  

In case you are not familiar about the story of 1,000 paper cranes, I'll tell you now in short.  There was a Japanese girl called Sadako who got exposed to the Hiroshima atomic bomb at the age of two and developed leukemia ten years later.  After hearing of a Japanese legend that promises anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish, Sadako started folding paper cranes at the hospital so she could have a wish to survive.  She eventually died, but her classmates built a monument for her and other Hiroshima children who died from the atomic bomb.  This story inspired people from all over the world, including us at Willowbrook, to contribute 1,000 in prayers for world peace.

There I was, at Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.  There are glass stalls behind Sadako's monument where people hung paper cranes.

Our paper cranes are made of magazine paper. Not as bright as some others but recycled material.

Here are some of other paper cranes that I saw in the stalls at the park.

Wherever I went out and about in Japan, I noticed that origami was folded into people's everyday lives, literally.  And whenever I found origami decorations in public, I took photos.  Here are some of the photos I took.

At Narita Station Welcome to Japan poster made with origami

At a hotspring resort. Halloween decorations that guests participated to make.

At a bookstore. Featured books were decorated with origami.

In front of a flower shop. A sign for tulip bulbs makes you want to buy them.

On a street. I found a ninja star someone had left behind.

In a display case at Hiroshima Castle. Origami samurai hats were made by children in Hiroshima.

A poster in front of a souvenir shop in Hiroshima. Hello Kitty riding a paper crane, cuuuute!

Last but not least, at a fruit stand. It's a tangerine orange stand that my parents have. Of course I'm the one who made the decorations.

Recently I had a trip to my home country, Japan.  Aside from visiting my family and friends, my mission was to get inspirations for my origami work, as well as to stack up on paper materials.

My first stop, Origami Kaikan in Ochanomizu, Tokyo was just the right place for what I was looking to do.  Absolutely the lovely place it was.  I wish I lived closer!  I will definitely go back and visit there again.

Store front of Origami Kaikan

Since its first establishment in 1858 as a Japanese paper (washi) dyeing factory, Origami Kaikan has developed into a mecca for origami crafters.  The facility houses everything from origami exhibit space to paper shop, classrooms and washi dyeing factory.  Displayed artworks have emphasis on renzuru (multiple paper cranes made out of one sheet of paper) and flowers.  Some of them are renzuru made to look like flowers.

Christmas tree display at their store front

Garlands of paper cranes made to look like wisteria

Renzuru in a shadow box frame

They offer a wide variety of origami classes, though I didn't have time to take one at this time.  Maybe next time.  The photos below are samples from the classes that they offer.

2013 animal zodiac (snake) workshop

Washi bonsai workshop

Christmas tree workshop

As for the origami shop, they have the largest selection of origami paper I have ever seen!  They had a wide variety of not only origami packs, but also single sheets of chiyogami and washi in different sizes, tools, kits, and origami instruction books.  I wish I had more specific origami projects that I am working on; this place would have everything that I would need.

This is just one section of the store where they have large paper

They sell many complete kits such as this chrysanthemum making kit

I visited another floor of Origami Kaikan where they dye paper and visitors can watch it.  Not only I got to see the paper being dyed, I got to meet the chairman of Origami Kaikan and a renown origami artist, Mr. Kazuo Kobayashi.  I regret that I didn't take a photo of him, though.

Brushes used to dye paper

Huge stack of washi

Origami Kaikan's website can be found here.  Most of it is in Japanese, but you can read the general info in English from here.  All the photos are taken and uploaded to my blog with a permission from Origami Kaikan.

Last weekend I had a trip to Oceanside with my family and a couple of our good friends. Not to be confused with Oceanside, California, Oceanside, Oregon is a tiny coastal town near Tillamook, about 1.5 hours drive from Portland. The town is filled with vacation homes and rentals, and we stayed at one of them. The house was comfortable, dog-friendly, and had ocean view. Highly recommended, if you love to relax in laid-back, quiet beaches. (The house is this one, in case you are wondering.)

Under the beautiful weather we enjoyed strolling down to the beach at low tide for tide pooling, watching paragliders, eating lots of good food and hanging out on the deck.

My dog LOVES running on beach, as you can see. The woman who is hunching back like a grandma is me, beach combing.

There happened to be a paragliding event going on.

My friend found a plastic bottle on the beach. From the bottle cap (AQUARIUS) I identified that it's from Japan.

Barnicles on a rock wall look like reptile skin. It grosses me out. I'm not sure why because I'm not afraid of reptiles.

I painted a sand dollar with pearlescent watercolors. The mussel on the left is unpainted. Have you ever thought that there is a face on a crab shell? I've always thought that. So when I found this crab shell, I enhanced his face with a permanent marker.

A tiny clam shell that I folded out of a silver foil origami paper. The model diagram is from here.

I just made an origami diorama for a friend's anniversary, per request. When I was asked to make something inside of this beautiful black gift box, I thought, why don't I make a pair of parrots. It is most appropriate for anniversary.

Out of all kinds of parrots, I decided to make Scarlet Macaws, out of red sheets of paper. I feel very special about Scarlet Macaws, ever since I saw them in Costa Rica. I had to travel far into jungles to see these birds in wild, but it was well worth the troubles. They are the most beautiful birds I have ever seen. They are always in pairs and spend their entire lives together.

There will be a romantic message to go on the right of the box (rid).

Parrots: model creator not listed. The instructions came in an origami package (written in Japanese).
Tree: from Genuine Origami: 43 Mathematically-Based Models, From Simple to Complex, by Jun Maekawa

Despite the rainy/snowy cold weather, I was busy having an origami Hina doll making workshop at the Japanese Garden last Saturday.  And thanks to my helper it went pretty smoothly.  Making dolls and flowers with pretty colors of paper make me feel girlie.  It was fun!

Here is what my Hina doll diorama looked like...

Lolipop heads and bead eyes... but everything else made of paper.

My booth.  My lovely assistant in the background.

In the pavilion where I had the workshop, they also had displays of beautiful seven-tiered Hina dolls, as well as some artworks (watercolor paintings and ikebana flower arrangements).

Photo by Jonathan Levy, borrowed from the Japanese Garden website (because my photos didn't come out well)

Ohara style ikebana  & Painting by Stephen Futscher

I got to enjoy exploring the garden after the workshop.  No matter what time of year I visit there it is always so beautiful.  I love that it always looks different reflecting each season.

Very "mossy" this time of year.

I love the curly branches of this tree.

Beautiful detailing of the woodwork...

The geometric pattern of this stone lantern's window reminds me of chiyogami.  Perhaps I am workaholic...