We have completed our review of all the T-shirt design submissions. Thank you everyone for your wonderful designs! These designs have been chosen as our finalists. We’d love to hear what you think. Vote for your favorite one and let us know why you like it. We’ll be making a final decision soon. Happy holidays everyone, and thank you for your comments!
T-shirt design finalists
December 22, 2009 by kcpjapanese
What is wabi sabi?
November 30, 2009 by kcpjapaneseWabi sabi (侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. It is sometimes described as authentic beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.”
Andrew Juniper claims, “If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi.”
Wabi connotes rustic simplicity, freshness, or quietness. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age—the life of impermanence of the object are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.
Wabi sabi is a kind of training. The student of wabi sabi learns to find the most simple objects—say, fading autumn leaves—interesting, fascinating, and beautiful. Wabi sabi can change our perception of our world: a chip or crack in a vase makes it more interesting, giving the object greater meditative value. Similarly materials that age such as bare wood, paper, and fabric become more interesting as they change over time.
For more, see the Wikipedia entry on wabi sabi. Consider reading some of the books listed, especially Wabi Sabi for Artists, Poets, and Philosophers, by Loenard Koren. It’s a profound consolation in this world of instant fashion, meaningless communication, and planned obsolescence.
T-Shirt Contest—Upping the Ante
November 16, 2009 by kcpjapaneseWe know it’s getting close to finals time and you’ve got a long list . . . but please do send something in to the KCP T-Shirt Contest! As an enticement, we’ve tripled the value of the prizes.
We’re not getting the numbers of submissions we’d like, and we want your input! We hope you alumni will be energized to enter the contest.
Here’s the writeup again, revised. Think of us on Thanksgiving weekend!
Thanks, Casie.
Be the one to design the first-ever KCP T-shirt! Just come up with some good art and/or a good slogan and send it to us by midnight, November 28. The winner receives a $300 gift card to Best Buy and two finished T-shirts. (Yeah!) Second and third place receive a $100 Best Buy gift card and one finished T-shirt. (Yeah!!)
Ground Rules
- Use the KCP logo and words KCP somewhere on the design.
- Three colors maximum. Black counts as a color. We will silk screen to a light color shirt.
- The shirt should be something that someone would want to wear—in other words, aesthetically pleasing.
- Your design is for the front only of the shirt.
- Your design and/or slogan must be wholly original. By submitting a design you are guaranteeing that you hold rights to everything in it, and that it does not contain any copyright material. This is really important.
- If we receive two or more similar designs, we will accept only the first one submitted for judging.
Specs
- Send a PDF to kcpjapanese@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name.
- Your design must fit within a 12-in. by 12-in. area.
- The PDF file you send should be no larger than 5MB. If you win we may ask you for the high resolution files (if available).
Agreement
- You must be 18 years or older to submit. If you’re younger you can still make a design, but it must be submitted on your behalf by a parent or guardian.
- Any submitted design becomes the property of KCP. KCP will have all rights to the winning design. By submitting you agree that if your design wins, it can be used by KCP on a T-shirt and other promotional items.
- We reserve the right to make adjustments to the winning design.
- You must submit your design (or slogan) by midnight Saturday, November 28.
- Entries will be judged by staff of KCP.
- By submitting you are agreeing to all contest rules.
A Glimpse at Homestay | Brandi Potts
November 16, 2009 by kcpjapaneseI had a marvelous time at KCP, and a lot of it was due to the family I stayed with. I learned so much from them, and I felt so welcome!
My view out the plane window on the way there–even the clouds look different.
A typical storefront in my neighborhood. You can see that the word SALE is in English!
My host “sister” adored me, and I adored that. Here we are at dinner, along with steaming kettles of food.
We kids are just home from a shopping trip.
A family outing. We did a lot of these, and it was great travelling in this group that I knew so well.
We’re on the bridge in the park. This is quite close to where we lived, so it was a frequent favorite.
The view at the train station towards downtown Tokyo. My commute was about 35 minutes–a good time to study and people-watch.
Me, with my host sisters and some of their friends. Kids are the best for learning Japanese! They don’t judge you and they know the latest expressions. And learning by playing is a blast! Note–everything in the house is white. How does that work, with all these kids?
A village we visited on one of our longer family trips. Such a nice contrast to the city.
My host sister took a photo of the lunch she made me one day, when I came home late after a school excursion. She was so proud.
a look into the Japanese tea ceremony
November 3, 2009 by kcpjapaneseEvery KCP student enjoys the sa do, or traditional tea ceremony. It is also known as “the Way of Tea,” and it is the result of centuries of meditative, ritualized interaction among host and guests. For the Way of Tea, the year is divided into two main seasons: the sunken hearth (ro) season (the colder months, November to April), and the brazier (furo) season (the warmer months, May to October).
Guests remove footwear and wait in the tea room’s entryway until summoned by the host. Guests then ritually purify themselves, one by one, washing hands and rinsing mouths with water from a small stone basin. Guests enter the tea house and are seated on the tatami in order of prestige.
In cold weather, the ro (fireplace) built into the floor of the tea room is opened to heat the tea kettle. The many rituals for purifying oneself, greeting each other, scrupulously washing the tea utensils, and serving the tea with exquisite care are, well, steeped in traditions a thousand years old.
The host and the guest receiving the tea exchange bows. The guest then bows to the next guest and raises the bowl in respect to the host. The guest rotates the bowl to avoid drinking from its front, takes a sip, and compliments the host on the tea. If it is thin tea, the guest drinks all the tea and returns the bowl to the host, who prepares tea for the next guest after washing the bowl. If it is koicha, the guest takes two more sips before wiping the rim, rotating the bowl to its original position, and passing it to the next guest with a bow. This continues until all guests have taken tea from the same bowl, and the bowl is returned to the host.
Two kinds of tea may be served. Koicha is a thick blend of powdered tea and hot water, involving a sort of kneading to blend the large amount of powdered tea (matcha) with relatively little water. Usucha is a thin tea. To prepare it, matcha and hot water are whipped using the tea whisk. Along with tea, guests may receive sweets, a light meal, a full meal, or some combination. Here, guests enjoy sweets.
Many of the movements and facets of tea ceremony evolved from the wearing of kimono. For example, certain movements are designed with long kimono sleeves in mind; certain motions are intended to move sleeves out of the way or to prevent them from becoming dirtied in the process of making, serving, or partaking of tea.
Normally, the host cleans the tea utensils afterwards. These guests were only too happy to take a more active part.
Free Stuff in Tokyo
November 3, 2009 by kcpjapaneseFree places to soak up atmosphere–
• For a good view of the city skyline go to the promenade that runs along the front of the Decks Shopping Mall in Odaiba.
• For a good view of the city skyline go to the promenade that runs along the front of the Decks Shopping Mall in Odaiba.
• To see more people than you’ve ever seen in one place, try walking through Shinjuku Station at rush hour (just after 5 pm), standing at the Ginza Sukiyabashi crossing, or crossing the road next to the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station.
• For the eccentric and bizarre side of life, go to Harajuku on a Sunday.
• To feel bang up-to-date with the latest technology, go to Akihabara.
Bird’s-eye view of Tokyo–
The 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku has two free observation galleries with views of Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, and Yokohama.
Shrines, temples, pagodas, palaces–
• Meiji Jingu Shrine
• Yasukuni Shrine
• Sensoju Temple
• Zojoji Temple
• Imperial Palace
Gardens and parks–
• Higashi-Gyoen, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (art gallery inside).
• Yoyogi Park has street entertainment on Sundays–great entertainment for no yen!
• Ueno Park.
Free Internet–a must!
In the T-Next Toshiba showroom in Shinjuku, get up to one hour of free ’net!
Sumo Wrestling Museum near the JR Ryogoku Station.
Sony Building in Ginza–
try out the latest electronic toys, gadgets, organizers.
Toyota Mega Web in Palette Town–
in the Odaiba car showroom, view cars of the future.
Hundred-¥ Shops–
Miss the dollar store? Short on cash but must shop? Try the 100-¥ stores in nearly every district. The one in Shibuya near the Tokyo Station has 5 floors!
Food–
Free samples galore in the basement floor of the Nakamise Shopping Arcade.
Tokyo by Tony Okobi
October 31, 2009 by kcpjapaneseI spent the summer in Tokyo . . .
I'm the only one left standing after a 12-hour climb to the top of Mt. Fuji.
We had a kimono party at Kat's host family's home. You are looking at over $10,000 worth of clothing!
My first exposure to karaoke occurred in a small Japanese karaoke bar, surrounded by tone-deaf American students from KCP.
A Sumo beya ("stable"). I got to see the ex-Grand Champion Sumo wrestler and the current Grand Champion Sumo wrestler practice. Current champ is squatting, while his portrait hangs on the wall, above right.
Here are most of the American students who attended KCP when I did. We were at a cultural excursion to Tokyo's Asakusa festival.
The landmark of Asakusa--the Kaminarimon with its giant cochin, or lantern.
My Thoughts on Summer Short-Term
October 29, 2009 by kcpjapaneseTomorrow officially marks two months since I returned from Japan. The experience was so remarkably surreal that I wonder if my stay in Tokyo the past two months was all just a fantastic dream. The eight photo albums overflowing with pictures, however, suggest that I really was there.
The KCP summer short-term language program in Tokyo is of excellent caliber; here are three reasons why.
First: conversation opportunity. There is no more appropriate place to study Japanese than at a place where you are immersed in it, day and night, in and out of class; so, what better location than Japan’s capital itself? KCP classes are all conducted in Japanese; this is necessary because most of its students actually come from non-English speaking countries like South Korea and China. Tests, textbooks, grammatical explanations, and even school announcements are given in Japanese every day. These normal classroom activities are supplemented by ample conversation practice during class hours.
I stayed with a Japanese host family, so I was able to develop my conversational skills both at school and at home. The family spoke almost nothing but Japanese to me and helped me with any impromptu questions in a very friendly, informative way. Opportunities like this are quite rare in America, so it was a definite advantage to have to speak Japanese so much. Even if students choose the dormitory option, the need to speak Japanese around town still provides plenty of practice.
The second reason I highly recommend KCP is the dedication of its staff and faculty. The student program coordinators in the main office are efficient, friendly, and competent people who are always ready to help. As for the teachers (of which each class has three), never in my life have I received more personal concern about my progress and difficulties in class than at KCP. The teachers are extremely organized, knowledgeable, and dedicated people who are always available for questions. I really appreciated knowing that my learning was truly important to the teachers.
The third reason I believe KCP is an excellent school is that I was able to skip Japanese 2 at the University of Florida and enter Japanese 3 this fall with little trouble. I attended KCP this summer, so in May I will be able to graduate with a degree in East Asian Languages and Literature. Although I have only been attending Japanese 3 for about a week now, I have noticed my kanji and vocabulary are almost equal to those who studied Japanese 2 in the past year. In addition, since at KCP we were forced to speak only Japanese, the same rule in our Japanese 3 class here is easy to follow.
I have no negative reactions other than the program being too short (which is obviously not a fault of the program, rightfully entitled the summer short-term program). I wanted to improve my Japanese beyond the beginning level I have stayed at for so many years, and KCP has the resources to allow students like me to do just that. I am very happy with my progress, and I recommend KCP to anyone serious about reaching a higher level of proficiency in Japanese.
—Brandi Potts, University of Florida
T-Shirt Design Contest
October 29, 2009 by kcpjapanese
Be the one to design the first-ever KCP T-shirt! Just come up with some good art and/or a good slogan and send it to us by midnight, November 28. The winner receives a $100 gift card to Best Buy and two finished T-shirts. (Yeah!) Second and third place receive a $25 Best Buy gift card and one finished T-shirt. (Yeah!!)
Ground Rules
- Use the KCP logo and words KCP somewhere on the design.
- Three colors maximum. Black counts as a color. We will silk screen to a light color shirt.
- The shirt should be something that someone would want to wear—in other words, aesthetically pleasing.
- Your design is for the front only of the shirt.
- Your design and/or slogan must be wholly original. By submitting a design you are guaranteeing that you hold rights to everything in it, and that it does not contain any copyright material. This is really important.
- If we receive two or more similar designs, we will accept only the first one submitted for judging.
Specs
- Send a PDF to kcpjapanese@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name.
- Your design must fit within a 12-in. by 12-in. area.
- The PDF file you send should be no larger than 5MB. If you win we may ask you for the high resolution files (if available).
Agreement
- You must be 18 years or older to submit. If you’re younger you can still make a design, but it must be submitted on your behalf by a parent or guardian.
- Any submitted design becomes the property of KCP. KCP will have all rights to the winning design. By submitting you agree that if your design wins, it can be used by KCP on a T-shirt and other promotional items.
- We reserve the right to make adjustments to the winning design.
- You must submit your design (or slogan) by midnight Saturday, November 28.
- Entries will be judged by staff of KCP.
- By submitting you are agreeing to all contest rules.
Rigor–Giving as Good as You Get
October 29, 2009 by kcpjapaneseThe KCP program is intensive and rigorous . . . so it’s a huge opportunity for growth. There’s nothing like pushing yourself to find out just how strong you are. Here is some help for you.
From our students
“Come with at least a semester of Japanese language.”—Lenamarie, 2008
“The Kanji textbook we get plus my own flash cards. I liked looking at the word in hiragana separately from kanji so I could test my own memory.”—Kaylyn, 2008
“I studied kanji on the long train ride to school. Writing them in my head (without moving my hand) really made me think.”—Cybelle, 2008
“2 resources—Kodansha’s Kanji Learner’s Electronic Dictionary and Kanji renshucho, which brought up idioms and colloquialisms that only the teachers could explain.”—Diane, 2009
From our website
Practice sheets–printable tracing sheets of common hiragana and katakana. They show the order and direction of each symbol.
Travel resources—a lot of good survival info, as well as some helpful books.
Academic credit—you can earn a lot of credit at KCP.
If you have further questions about the levels of learning and how your style fits into that, visit kcpinternational.com and send us a message.
