Ikebana
Ikebana (生け花) is a Japanese term for the zen art of
flower arrangement.
The main feature of Japanese Ikebana, is that the purposes of the flower arrangement are not limited to a pure aesthetic factor.
Unlike the common habits, according to which you make or buy a bunch of flowers aiming to do it as beautiful as possible, the Ikebana is an art that goes beyond, and that starts with the process of creating the composition as a moment of research and self-expression in the "work" that is being created.
The origins of Ikebana can be traced back to the sixth-seventh century AD, when Buddhism began to spread in Japan from China.
Initially they were simply floral votive offerings.
The first school ever was founded by the Buddhist monk
Ikenobo Senkei in the fifteenth century, and corresponds to what is now called
Rikka Shofutai style, a very stiff and formal style, rich in symbolism, rarely practiced today.
Today in Japan there are about 3,000 schools of Ikebana, and many thousands more are scattered throughout the world.
Guided tours, activities and other things to do
If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use
Govoyagin.
How to use Govoyagin
Govoyagin is a very useful website to
enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Govoyagin you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique
guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Govoyagin you can also
buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can
reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.
Some examples
