Welwyn Anglo-French Twinning – Past Events
Japan Illustrated Talk
Welwyn Twinning had a well-prepared talk at the end of February by Joy Hall assisted by her husband, Barry. They had recently been on a two-week tour of the country and had returned with an excellent and varied collection of pictures, just a few of which are shown here.
It is difficult to separate out the sights which tourists expect to see, such as this picture of Geishas, and the view of a modern, vibrant Japan with schoolgirls looking very like ours.
I am sure the same thing happens with tourists coming to England. Schoolchildren seem to be the same the world over but not all countries have symbols to the side of their toilet basins giving instructions on their various modes of use. Woe betide you if you press the wrong button.
But I found the views of Japanese gardens magnificent. I well remember trying to construct a Japanese garden here after my husband returned from a trip .... and failing miserably. How do the Japanese do it?
Of course, there was a discussion during the evening on the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, which was visited by Joy and Barry, and it was good to have short family reminiscences of life under Japanese occupation given by two members of the audience. We finished the evening with some delicious decorated rice cakes and wasabi balls.
Judith Watson