Japan Ikebana (or flower arrangement) Exhibition 2010

This Sunday we went to an ikebana (or Japanese flower arrangement) exhibition in Nagoya, which we got two tickets from our tea master. 180 of arrangement were displayed there. What most impressed me was that each arrangement was so creative and unique. Ikebana sound traditional to me, so I had thought it would have been more conservative. But, it actually was pretty liberal. There were various sizes of arrangement from regular ones to huge ones, which was bigger than a person. Not only traditional Japanese flowers were used, but also variety materials were used in the arrangements, such as wood trunks and barks, western flowers, bamboos, or gravel stones. There were also arrangements that embraced the water or an interesting vase effectively. What I can say to all arrangements was that people who did the arrangements know how to keep the flowers flesh. Every arrangement was very green and full of life. Ikebana we saw was very different from the arrangement of tea flower, but it was quite appealing!