Queen Elizabeth Court residents celebrate diversity with a Japanese culture day

To celebrate culture and diversity within the Welsh community, residents at Queen Elizabeth Court in Llandudno have enjoyed a Japanese culture day.

Residents were delighted to participate in a calligraphy lesson, where they learned how to write their names in Japanese. They also enjoyed watching how origami figures are made, and had a chance in making their own colourful origami birds.

Taking part in the activities, resident Janette says:

This is something new. I have never tried these activities before and it is good for people to have their world view widened.

Additionally, everyone was fascinated to learn how a traditional kimono is worn and how, culturally, femininity is captured in the garment. They were surprised to learn how expensive kimonos are, often costing roughly around thousands of pounds. Wearing a kimono for the first time, resident Ruth says:

I had no idea how complicated the kimono was to wear, but it is very beautiful!

The day was organised by one of Queen Elizabeth Court’s Activities Coordinators, Richard, who brought his wife Noriko in. Richard mentions:

I wanted to do an activity to challenge and stimulate our residents. Many residents are of an age where they lived through WWII as children, and meeting foreign nationals, who their parents saw as enemies, can be a life changing experience.

Noriko was welcomed warmly and eagerly by the residents, and many asked if she could come again and more regularly. The activity gave them new information and new experiences about different cultures, and I believe the personal touch of meeting foreign nationals builds bridges in our community.

Noriko is from Kanagawa, in Japan, and has lived in the UK since 2000. She is also a fluent Welsh speaker and recently travelled with Channel 4 to Japan to make a TV programme about Japanese gardens. Commenting on the day, Noriko says:

I was happy to meet the residents, and was touched by how eager they were to learn about Japanese culture.

[Summary: Residents at Queen Elizabeth Court in Llandudno have enjoyed a Japanese culture day to celebrate culture and diversity within the Welsh community.]