77th Afternoon Tea
~What I learned from Turkey and my 40 years of living in Istanbul~
Date and time: Sunday, November 12, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Venue: Conference room 5, Aoba Ward Resident Exchange Center
Guest speaker: Shoshi Mariko Erdoğan
National Boasiti University's first Japanese lecturer, 40 years living in Türkiye
The many stories rooted in daily life by Mariko Erdogan, who has lived in Turkey for 40 years, are very interesting, and the explanations that show tea utensils, accessories, perfumes, amulets, etc. that are used in real life have a sense of realism. The 33 participants (including staff) listened intently.
At the Q&A corner after the lecture, a large number of questions were asked in quick succession, demonstrating her high level of interest, and Ms. Shoshi answered each question carefully, one by one. The lecture was very popular, with most attendees saying it was ``very good'' in a survey.
73rd Afternoon Tea
“Ms. Mariangela’s Italian Technique to Happiness”
Date: 5 March 2022 (Sat), 12:30～2:00PM (Doors open at 12:15)
Location: Aoba Community and Cross-Cultural Center, Rooms 2 and 3
Hosted by Yokohama Aoba International LoungeGuest Speaker: Ms. Mariangela Rago
Born in Brescia in Northern Italy, Ms. Mariangela is a graduate of the department of biology at the University of Milan. She married pianist Mr. Takahiro Seki and came to Japan. She is currently a lecturer at the Tokyo College of Music. She taught on NHK’s “Italian Language Course” (2009). She was awarded the title of honorary citizen by the city of Finale Ligure in Italy for spreading Italian culture (2014). She is currently expanding her Italian-themed courses all over Japan.
On Saturday, March 5th, we welcomed Ms. Mariangela, who talked about the “Italian Technique to Happiness”. Ms. Mariangela grew up in a home where both parents and her grandfather were educators, and so she talked about the essence of the education they cultivated.
72nd Afternoon Tea
Welcome to Indonesia! The Land of Everlasting Summer
Date: ３０ October ２０２１ (Sat), １２:３０～２:00PM
Format: Zoom
Hosted by: Yokohama Aoba International LoungeGuest Speaker: Ms. Shady Cecilia
Ms. Shady came to Japan in ２０１９and is currently enrolled in the doctoral course in environmental studies at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Her hobbies include swimming, music, and reading. She particularly likes listening to others and hearing their opinions. She loves Japanese breakfast foods such as rice, kinpira gobo (braised burdock root), miso soup, and grilled mackerel. She is taking Japanese language classes at Aoba International Lounge.
The７２nd Afternoon Tea event, “Welcome to Indonesia! The Land of Everlasting Summer”, was held on October 31st (Sat). This Afternoon Tea was the first to be held online as a web event. Since it was the first of its kind, the preparation was challenging for the staff, but we are feeling relieved that it was conducted without an issue. There were １６ participants and１２ staff present.
Using pictures and maps of Indonesia, Ms. Shady was able to speak—in fluent Japanese—about １１ different categories such as geography, the history of the country, culture, food, clothing, and shelter, Indonesia’s relationship with Japan, and more. The materials she used were designed in a way that was easy to understand, and her explanations were easy to follow. It was a chance to learn a lot about Indonesia as a country, including the diversity found in its different cultures and ethnic groups. It was also very interesting to see that the Japanese and Indonesian languages share some similarities. Among the participants, there were individuals who visited Indonesia for business and for leisure. There were also those who gained a deeper interest in Indonesia and felt that they would like to visit someday. We are happy if the participants were able to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Indonesia. We would like to thank all the participants who attended. We hope that the next Afternoon Tea event can be held in person.
71st Afternoon Tea
“My Hometown Tula, Russia〜A place linked to Tolstoy〜”
Date: 17 July 2021 (Sat), 12:30-2:00pm (doors open at 12:15)
Location: Aoba Community and Cross-Cultural Center, Room 5 (about 1 min. from Tana station on the Denentoshi Line)
Guest Speaker: Sanya (Real name: Mr. Kuznetcov Aleksandr)
Capacity: 15 participants (please make sure to wear a mask)
Application: starting 11 June 2021 (Fri) by telephone/e-mail (first come, first served)
Fee: 500 yen
Host: Yokohama Aoba International Lounge
※If coronavirus infections worsen around July, there is a possibility that the event may be postponed. We ask for your understanding.
Tula, located outside of Moscow, is famous for producing samovar (a Russian container used to boil water) and pryanik (a type of Russian gingerbread).
70th Afternoon Tea
“The Charm of Beijing Opera and Mysterious Art of ‘Face-changing’”
Date: 26 October 2019 (Sat), 2–4PM
Location: Aoba Community and Cross-Cultural Center, Room 5
Hosted by Yokohama Aoba International Lounge
The 70th afternoon tea event was held on October 26th (Sat) with special guest Ryuuken.
The event, titled “The Charm of Beijing Opera and Mysterious Art of ‘Face-changing’”, featured a lecture and performance. Ryuuken showed participants just how much one can change by applying the stage makeup, and also talked about the history of Beijing Opera, the roles taken, the nature of acting, the props used, and more in great detail. She also performed in the role of Yang Guifei.
Participants had the chance to take a commemorative photo with Ryuuken, who was dressed in the gorgeous costume of Yang Guifei.
“Face-changing”is a kind of traditional culture in China, and the methods behind it are said to be top secret. There was great applause and reactions from the participants when they witnessed it through the performance.
The event finished with rave reviews from participants, who left comments in the event survey such as“it was wonderful!””I forgot about the time!””I would love to see Beijing Opera!”
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