The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam will proudly organize workshops and an exhibition on Furoshiki, Wrapping Cloth in Japanese Style. Two Japanese experts, Ms. HANDA Hiroki and Ms. YAMAMOTO Yoko, members of the Furoshiki Study Group, will introduce one of Japanese unique culture on daily use through the workshops on 2nd & 3rd March, 2011 at the Viet Duc High School and the Hanoi University in Hanoi. They will go on for a series of workshops in Hue, Hoi An, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City until 14 March to let Vietnamese audiences to learn the variety of wrapping styles with furoshiki.

Exhibition on Furoshiki will be also open from 3 thruogh 10 March, 2011 at the Japan Foundation Center, at 27 Quang Trung, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội to show furoshiki samples and objects , maily from Japan but some from Vietnamese designs which was awarded in the recent international contest in Japanso that you can enjoy the variety of design and practical use of furoshiki.

Furoshiki is a square piece of cloth used for various purposes such as wrapping and carrying items of different shapes. Dyed in various colors and patterns, these days it is also used for wrapping gifts, as well as for table coverings or interior decoration. The etymology of furoshiki goes back to the Edo Period (1603-1868), when public bathhouses became widely accessible. The tradition was then handed down as an indispensable aspect of Japanese lifestyle through the generations.

Although the custom and culture of furoshiki faded away with the changes of the times since the late 1970s, public campaigns (3R) in recent years to protect the global environment and reevaluate Japanese culture caused people to rediscover furoshiki, resulting in new ideas for its use, involving a lot of creativity not limited to their traditional usage.The advantage of furoshiki is that it can be reused. By using furoshiki, people can reduce the use of disposable plastic bags and wrappings and thereby save resources and the environment at large.

We do hope you will visit our exhibition and join the workshops to enjoy the variety of designs and exclusive wrapping styles of furoshiki. By using furoshiki, we can create a surprising gift from the heart bottom to our love, family and friends. Let’s join us to learn the variety of Japanese wrapping styles with furoshiki!

Admission is free at each venue. For workshops, please make advanced registration (maximum to 100 people). Students are advised to contact to teachers.
In Japanese / Vietnamese interpretation

For general inquiries, please contact to:
Ms.Trang / Ms.Ado
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi TEL 04-3944-7419/20 www.jpf.org.vn

■ About Japanese Furoshiki Intructors

Hiroko HANDA

Member of Furoshiki Study Group and ceremony writer. She served as a primary school teacher, an industrial counselor, and a magazine contributor. She has been actively engaged in an educational campaign on Furoshiki since 1998 and successfully conducted her first tour overseas to Jakarta, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in March 2010.

Yoko YAMAMOTO

She began to work as a volunteer for environmental conservation in her hometown, Kitakyusyu in 2000 and entered to the Furoshiki Study Group in 2001. Conbined furoshiki and eco activity, she has contributed various Furoshiki workshops for children, public and handicapped people. She was also on Japanese TV program for introducing Furoshiki.

■ Information of Workshop and Exhibition on Furoshiki

* Workshop – Learn the variety of wrapping styles with Furoshiki
02.03.2011 Viet Duc High School (47 Lý Thường Kiêt, Hoàn Kiếm)
14:00 ~15:00 For students of the Viet Duc High School
16:00 ~17:00 For other high school students
Contact: Ms. Quỳnh (0912-294-303)

03.03.2011 Hanoi University (km9 Nguyễn Trãi, Thanh Xuân)
14:00 ~15:00 For students of the Hanoi University
16:00 ~17:00 For general public
Contact: Ms. Lan Anh (email: happinessa3@gmail.com)

Advanced registration is required.

*Exhibition – Enjoy the Variety of Designs and Practical Use of Furoshiki
03.03.2011 – 10.03.2011
At the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam

[Opening] 10:00 03.03.2011
* The press conference on the 2nd International Furoshiki Design Contest for students will be held during the opening. 4 Vietnamese students are awarded including the top prize. The awarded Furoshiki designs will be also on display in this exhibition.

Organizers:
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
Furoshiki Study Group

Co-organizers:
Department of Education and Training in Hanoi
Hanoi University
Viet Duc High School