A Simple Touch of Welcome

Elephant origami from Haneda Airport’s tourist information center

Over my last couple of visits to Japan, I’ve started to notice and appreciate more of these  little welcome gifts in the form of origami. I got them when checking in on hotels, or even just dropping by tourist information centers, or entering museums.

Elephant origami from Haneda Airport’s tourist information center
Elephant origami from Haneda Airport’s tourist information center

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. I remember doing this in a summer camp ages ago, but I didn’t get it back then as to what the fuss was about. Now that I’ve rekindled my interest in art and embraced simpler things in life, I am amazed at how colorful papers are tucked together to form these heartwarming souvenirs. Origami is a great productive activity for workshops – applicable for audiences of all ages. I had a smile on myself as I watched some of the ladies at the reception of Matsumoto Museum happily folding away – all the while focused in perfecting their craft. I’d like to think origami is not just an art in itself, but a good way to meditate and focus.

Fan origami that I got from the Matsumoto museum
Fan origami that I got from the Matsumoto museum

Because of rediscovering the beauty of origami, I excitedly bought origami papers of various colors from Daiso, and looked up tutorials in the net. Here’s a helpful website that I came across that provides step by step procedures on origami folding.

Crane origami on our kimono, a welcome gift from our hotel in Nagoya
Crane origami on our kimono, a welcome gift from our hotel in Nagoya

Have you tried origami? If you were to demonstrate origami right now, what project can you do from memory? I have yet to find mine – I will start with flowers.

Origami I got as a token from the Matsumoto Timepiece Museum
Origami I got as a token from the Matsumoto Timepiece Museum

 

Responses

  1. Safe Travels! – Living Free and Making a Difference Avatar

    […] got this souvenir from the AirBnB we stayed at in Hirayu Onsen in Japan. I like these sweet mementos we get from various places like hotels, museums, Tourist Information Centers – it adds a […]

    Like

  2. Overnight Layover at Haneda – Living Free and Making a Difference Avatar

    […] went to the Information kiosk to confirm the best way to get to our hotel. It was good to see the origami pieces once again. We were advised by Information that aside from taxi, there was also an option to take […]

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  3. Ju-Lyn Avatar

    This is a lovely token and souvenir! What fun!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. MrsWayfarer Avatar

      Thank you for reading. The token was a indeed a heartwarming gesture.

      Liked by 1 person

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