Tanteidan 10

Tanteidan 10.
Japanese Academic Origami Society Convention and Tour
August 25-29 2004


Pre Convention.
I was at Origami house for about 2 weeks prior to the convention, just to see how they managed to do it all. Here are a few highlights, I didnt take many photos, just memories.

Convention.
The convention was a grand affair, starting on Friday with speeches by Master Akira Yoshizawa, Eric Joisel, Tom Hull, and a panel of esteemed guests discussed the state of origami in the world.


Master Akira Yoshizawa

Saturday began with the exhibition opening, featuring a whole swag of amazing works on display, including the Yokai competition finalists, and a massive range of classic and new models, from talented artists.


Yoda using the force in front of a Chris Palmer Tesselation.

Saturday & Sunday were full of a range or classes.


A penguin class with Mr Jun Maekawa


A cheesy class with David Brill


Matt & Tomoko Fuse


Saturday Night Banquet & Party Mr Yamaguchi and his team certainly know how to stage a banquet and show. The spread was incredible, sushi, sashimi, seafood, delicate meats, cakes, beer, whiskey, wine, and sake, and a lot more. Everyone had a plate and was in gastronomic heaven. To keep us all amused for the evening, June Sakamoto and Jonathan Baxter donned their finest outfits and senses of humour to entertain us with a range of acts, jokes, and tests of origami prowess.

The finest instant test of creative origami skill: who can fold the best model of this!


June & Jonathan pointed up to reveal...


... the roof pattern, a circular crease pattern waiting to be folded.



A Japanese boy taking up the challenge, close by, Tomoko Fuse & Chris Palmer nutting it out.



A few of the finest young Origami minds in Tokyo working together, David Brill solving it solo style.

The winners received a token of the New Zealand origami commitee, a small toy sheep (subtle hint to origami groups out there, dont let your committee be sheep - be shepherds!). I even won a sheep for my efforts, I drew a smiling face on my model after I realised that my origami efforts were being hampered by beers.

Post Convention Tour.

Possibly the most fun to have in Japan, is to take a tour with the origami crew, on a bus full of paper, ideas and japanese sightseeing adventures to have. Here are a couple of photographed highlights. The real highlights - the fantastic hot spring baths, could not be photographed without impinging on fellow bathers privacy.


Chris Palmer, Matt Gardiner, Makoto Yamaguchi & My Trinh Ha at Dragon's head waterfall.



Japanese Bus ladies on buslady training



A sample of the food - every breakfast and dinner looked like this.

Overall Tanteidan is a wonderful event, carefully planned from start to finish, I hope that Folding Australia will one day be as successful.
Matt Gardiner.