Date and Time: Saturday, March 8 10:00 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Participants: 47 (18 students and 5 family members, 14 volunteer teachers, 8 students from the course “How To Teach Japanese” and 2 AIRA staff)
Origami Instructor: Mr. Higashi Katsukawa
(No. 24-23)

On the last day of FY 2024, the Saturday Class held “Otanoshimikai,” a fun gathering.

Mr. Katsukawa from Kashiwa City is an Origami instructor who teaches the beauty, profoundness, and potential of Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.

Mr. Saeki, a teacher from the Saturday class, introduced the instructor and facilitated the workshop.
The instructor showed how to fold paper step by step using an overhead projector. The participants made a bamboo and a panda looking at the screen.

After that, the instructor demonstrated how to make a crane in the air using a large square piece of paper. He then unfolded it, and then, using the folded lines, he transformed the crane into a meticulously folded dragon.

He also showed how to make angles of 30, 60, and 90 degrees and demonstrated making an equilateral triangle and a regular hexagon. All the participants followed his instructions and folded paper. They were delighted to see the triangles and hexagons that they created. It was like magic.

Finally, the emcee closed the event by saying, “Origami is a precious folk craft through which we appreciate peace.”

(Translated by Chizu Yamaguchi)