Week 4: Geographically challenged do Japan! - SBB Digital Scrapbooking Forums | Scrapbook-Bytes

zinzilah · #1 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

This week's inspiration is the land that is misterious and beautiful, the country of the rising sun! Have you guessed it yet?
Yes, it is Japan. I will not provide a visual stimulus, please, turn on your imagination, and come up with a LO inspired by...
one or more of the following elements -
Poetry (haiku)
calligraphy
ikebana (florals of any kind would do unless you DO want to dig deep)

There is no colour defined either, I would like to see the colours of the silken kimonos, and they do come in a variety of colours!

These are a few facts about Japan, that take my fancy...

Poetry has been a major Japanese influence on the literature of many countries. In the early waka and later haiku forms, poets strove for the utmost conciseness and vividness; always linking emotions or ideas to natural objects. The gem-like brilliance of these extremely restricted forms has attracted many modern Western poets. The following poems are from two classic collections of Japanese verse, the Manyoshu and the Kokinoshu.

Haiku is one of the most important form of traditional japanese poetry. Haiku is, today, a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. This form of poetry was to be written, read and understood as an independent poem, complete in itself, rather than part of a longer chain.
Strictly speaking, then, the history of haiku begins only in the last years of the 19th century. The famous verses of such Edo-period (1600-1868) masters as Basho, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa are properly referred to as hokku and must be placed in the perspective of the history of haikai even though they are now generally read as independent haiku. In HAIKU for PEOPLE, both terms will be treated equally! The distinction between hokku and haiku can be handled
by using the terms Classical Haiku and Modern Haiku.

Modern Haiku.
The history of the modern haiku dates from Masaoka Shiki's reform, begun in 1892, which established haiku as a new independent poetic form. Shiki's reform did not change two traditional elements of haiku: the division of 17 syllables into three groups of 5, 7, and 5 syllables and the inclusion of a seasonal theme.
Kawahigashi Hekigoto carried Shiki's reform further with two proposals:

1. Haiku would be truer to reality if there were no center of interest in it.
2. The importance of the poet's first impression, just as it was, of subjects taken
from daily life, and of local colour to create freshness.
(taken from http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/#howtowritehaiku)

The haiku is a very structured poetry form. Initially introduced by the Japanese, they are three-lined poems containing five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. Containing just seventeen syllables, the haiku cannot capture a "big picture." One depicts in them tiny images of incredible beauty, something glorious that might be missed if the writer had not taken the time to point it out. In a haiku one may depict a drop of water on a leaf reflecting early morning light, the smell of the evening dew, the answer of one bird to another's call, the persistence of a flower pushing its way through the cracks in the pavement to touch the sky. A haiku is about serenity and peace. It is getting in touch with nature; it feels like a walk in the woods.
(taken from http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr052.shtml)

When to climb? Fuji
Official Climbing Season
July and August are the official climbing season. During the two months, the mountain is usually free of snow, the weather is relatively mild, access by public transportation is easy and the mountain huts are open. Everybody without much hiking experience is strongly advised to tackle the mountain during the official climbing season.

I would like to dedicate this challenge to LindaU, who mentioned in her LO of Kelly that she used to teach creative writing to the fourth graders, and they loved haiku, so I would like to say, when I was starting at SBB over a year ago, I had days when I thought I am doing something I know nothing about, and she kept me going and was a real friend, I hope she wouldn't mind and give us all a tip or two for writing haikus, just on the side of the challenge! I would really appreciate it, when I read her poem here (http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/galle...00&ppuser=5736) I thought I would do Japan as our next destination, so here it is dedicated to Lovely Linda!

simplyred · #2 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

I guess this should be a new layout? I did one for an earlier challenge that perfectly fits the thoughts above!!! I'll give a link to it ( http://tinyurl.com/gjnob ) but will try to come up with another one. I love ANYTHING Asian so it will be no hardship at all to spend time on another Japanese layout.

AngelaUK · #3 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

What fun! and my children bought me a book on Japanese paper crafts for my birthday a few weeks ago - I'm going a hunting for inspiration.

McMartian · #4 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

when's the deadline for this? wonder if i can find the time to scan. my grandfather took leave in japan at the end of wwII.

he's got some great momentos & while it may not be politically correct, his notecards with phonetic sayings like "Jesus C, no more rice" crack me up! hmm come to think of it, asian is about the only think I don't remember ever seing him eat. lol

lindaU · #5 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

Thank you so much, Olga for all your kind words. The Haiku is so much fun to do, because it's fairly easy. One thing to remember is that it does not rhyme. It coveys a single thought in a few words. 3 lines
line one--5 syllables
line two--7 syllables
line three--5 syllables
Here are a couple of examples. I wrote this one when I was helping the 4th graders:

Trees are like brooms
Sweeping the clouds in the sky
All that's left is blue

Here is one that one of my students wrote:
As the clouds run by
They leave skid marks in the sky
Then they disappear

The fun thing about Haiku is that you can say so much in such a few words. Poetry paints a picture with words. The Haiku is a wonderful paint brush for your canvas. I can't wait to see what you all come up with.
Good luck
LindaU

zinzilah · #6 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

Anybody had problems with freebies?! It seems to work, when I checked! Anyway thank you Linda for the suggestions and your time, I am sure to give it a try! McMartian, the deadline (I forgot) is in two weeks time from now - 21st of August, and the new country to be announced Tuesday 22nd.

mizamigo · #7 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

Am I the first with a layout? I loved Japan-beautiful, exotic, and totally wonderful! Thanks, Olga, for another great challenge! I did a collage of photos that I took while I was there, "Japan 1989" http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/galle...3384&cat=11839

zinzilah · #8 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006

Earnie, It is beautiful! I think it should be counted as entry, but I am sure if you wanted you could do more and add a second page maybe

Becki, love it! I hope you tried again, and it miraculously got opened?! Anyone who had luck opening the freebie files yet?!

Victoria, this is so special!

Keep them coming!