A taste of the Orient comes to Orkney Library

Tomorrow, Saturday, a taste of the Orient is coming to the library in Kirkwall as Orkney prepares to celebrate the Japanese tradition of Children’s Day.

Between 10am and 4pm folk are welcome to come along and try their hand at a host of activities, from origami to calligraphy, with face painting and Japanese dress also part of the programme.

Highlights of the day will be Hibiki Shamisen — a performance by shamisen master Hibiki Ichikawa, together with folk song and blues singer Akari Mochizuki — from 11am to 12pm.

They will tell the story of how the shamisen — a three-stringed instrument — came to Japan over 300 years ago, and play some songs especially for Children’s Day with everyone able to join in.

Orkney’s own champions will also be taking part too as members of Japan Karate Association Orkney will be giving a demonstration of their skills.

The demonstration — between 1pm and 2pm — will feature kihon (basic techniques), kumite (sparring), and kata (set forms) from the club’s beginners, all the way through to fourth dan black belts.