Practice.

Kiyomi, Mamehana, Sooki, Chisaki and Akahana Okaahan

This week was all about practicing for ozashiki and our dancing. Momoka-neehan was kind enough to teach us dances and Okaahan told us how to kneel, serve sake, bow and all that fun ozashiki stuff!

My homework for this week? Create a 5 minute dance! @_@ Moreover, I learned something most interesting during the ozashiki class. In different hanamachi, there are as many differences as how to pour sake! In my old Okiya, in Miyagawacho, we would have poured sake cupping the bottle with our palms facing down. At Mitshana in Gion Higashi, there is a very different approach! If the patron we are serving is sitting to our right, we would lift the bottle with our left hand and use our right hand like a seesaw to balance the narrow neck of the sake as we tilt the bottle with our right hand. How interesting is that!? The sake bottle has more function than simply looking cute!

My Oneehan, Chisaki and I got to visit three different Okiyas the other day. ^^ One was very rude... The second, which I went to alone was absolutely lovely! And the third was just as nice! Unfortunately, we had to run off for our dance lessons. I am so happy to learn about other Hanamachi~ There is a lot you can learn from what is unspoken.