Manar Elbaz

DUBAI: UAE’s Ohara School of Ikebana held its annual Sakura Ikebana workshop paired with a Japanese-themed Iftar on Monday in Dubai, blending Japanese culture with the Islamic tradition. 

“This is the first try to have the Iftar and the workshop combined,” Ikebana professor Harue Oki, who conducted the workshop, told Arab News Japan. “This year the cherry blossom season coincidentally falls into Ramadan.” 

The workshop showcased the basics of Ikebana using cherry blossoms imported from Japan. Participants also enjoyed a Japanese Iftar prepared by Yamanote Atelier with koto musician Mai playing in the background.  

The session was met with massive success, as many participants did not know the importance of Ikebana in Japanese culture. “There are people here who tried it for the first time. For example, one of the participants had been to Japan before but she didn’t go during the spring, so it was her first time to do it. She said she felt very calm and meditative,” Oki said. 

Among the attendees was the Consul-General of Japan in Dubai, IMANISHI Jun, who has been practicing Ikebana for years. “I believe that Ikebana is self-expression,” he said. “The heart of a person who arranges Ikebana is directly in that work and Ikebana becomes that person.” 

“Different people have different ways of arranging flowers, even when using the same floral materials. This is why Ikebana is so profound and enjoyable,” he added. 

The event was held at Dubai’s co-working Centrum Spaces, whose owner has found solace in Japanese culture for the last 18 years. 

“I love the culture of Japan,” Sultan Al Falahi, founder of Centrum Spaces, told Arab News Japan. “We try to bring the culture to the people here. It’s a rare event because usually Ramadan doesn’t merge with the Sakura time so we decided to merge them together.”