© 2013 Boston Children’s Museum1

KYO NO MACHIYAACTIVITIESKYO NO MACHIYAACTIVITIES

TIME: 20 minutes

MATERIALS:•Sakurabyobu activity

sheet

•Colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc.

•Scissors

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:

Sakura: Sah-coo-rah

Hanami: Hah-nah-me

Byobu: Byoh-boo

Learn about Sakura ThecherryblossomisconsideredtobeJapan’sunofficialnational

flower.IfyougotoJapaninspring,youwillbeastonishedbythebreath-takingviewsofcherryblossoms.ThebloomingofthecherrytreesissoimportantinJapanthatradioandtelevisionstationsoftengivedailyreportsonlocaltrees.Whiletheflowersarebeautiful,peoplealsoenjoyhanami—apartyunderthecherryblossoms—bothatnightandduringtheday.Theybringmatstositonandhavepicnics.Friendsandfamilygettogether,singsongs,sharepoetry,andplaygames.

Cherryblossomsarealsoasymbolofthechangingoftheseasons. TheseasonsareapopularsubjectforJapaneseart,soartwithcherryblossoms is very common. One unique form of Japanese art is the byobu. Byobuarefoldingscreensmadeofseveralwoodenpanelscoveredwithpaperandjoinedalongtheedges,andthendecorated.Byobu are not onlyartpieces—they’realsousedasfurniture,doors,stagebackgrounds,and more. You can see byobuatartmuseumsaroundtheworldandintemples in Japan.

Make a Sakura-viewing Screen 桜

LearnabouttheJapanesespringtraditionofhanami(flower-viewing)andsakura(cherryblossoms)andcreateabyobupaperscreen.

1.

© 2013 Boston Children’s Museum2

Make Your Own Byobu 1. Decorate and color the byobuscreenwithsomeimagesofspring.

2. Cut out the byobuscreen.

3. Folditlikeanaccordionandstandituprightonaflatsurface.

2.

© 2013 Boston Children’s Museum3

Things to Talk about • Cherryblossomsarealsoapopularsubjectforhaiku.Trywritingahaiku

aboutcherryblossomsandthespring.

• In1912,Japangave3,020cherryblossomtreesasagifttotheUnitedStates inhonorofthetwonations’growingfriendship.Thetreeswereplantedin WashingtonD.C.alongtheTidalBasin,andalsoinNewYorkCityandBoston. Are there any cherry trees near you?

• Ifyou’dlike,youcanwritesomeJapanesewordsonyourbyobu,too.Somewordsare provided on the activity sheet.

• Ifyouwanttolearnmoreaboutcherrytrees,hereisastoryyoumightlike! —The Old Man Who Made Trees Blossom (HanasakaJiisan)

3.

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© 2013 Boston Children’s Museum

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