On Saturday, I presented my cultural paper to an audience in the Little Yoshiwara Pavillion. Aynnie, Matthew and Marty attended as well as my Onesan, Suzuko-san and several sisters from the okiya. There were other patrons including several samurai. It was a much larger crowd than I had expected, so I was much more nervous. Below is a photo I took of me all alone on stage with my display board. I wore black because I felt like this was a more formal occassion.

First, the Dry Landscape or Karesansui Garden style
 (photo from Bowdoin College).

The second style is the Tea Garden or “Chaniwa Garden”
 (photo from Bowdoin College).

And the last style is the Tsukiyama Garden
 (photo from Wikipedia).

My Onesan told me that my presentation went well and that meant a lot to me. Also, after the presentation, I invited the patrons to visit my garden and about six people followed me over. I believe my tea house was a big hit and I pointed out several of the details that are needed to perform the tea ceremony.

This past weekend I felt better than I’ve felt in months. I think the work I did in changing my lifestyle, or more correctly, my stock trading activities, has paid off. I’ve been weakened by stress before in my life and I usually don’t recognize the signs until I get sick. Hehe. Note to self: In the future, look for signs of stress. Hehe.