Our Planet

Yanokono ’s Tanabata is unique, in which children collect rainwater from drops on leaves, make ink with the water and draw with it. We consider the series of actions as prayers. Asako-san, Yuki-san, and Tomoko-san looked back on this year ’s Tanabata.

Text : Tomoko Nagao

The most interesting part of the dialogue was Asako-san ’s comment, ”I wanted to do Tanabata again this year because intuitively, I felt that Tanabata was something that was connected to and confirmed the Yamanoko ’s child care goals,” which triggered a conversation about Tanabata and the Yamanoko ’s childcare goals.

Asako: When I thought about what I wanted to emphasize during the Tanabata at Yamanoko, I thought it was not the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi, or the culture of decorating bamboo branches with wishes, or the origin of the festival, but rather connecting with nature and thinking about something invisible.”
In the 1-2 year old class, I-chan, Y-kun, and N-kun were absorbed in applying sumi from the suzuri to their faces, arms, legs, and other parts of their bodies. They had no concept of writing on paper with a brush and were enjoying the slimy feeling. Watching them, I felt that it was sacred to be in such a state of openness to the senses. It ’s like being in a state close to nature. I also felt that the fact that children are happy now is in itself a prayer and a way to connect with nature. I felt like I was able to connect with both the Yamanoko ’s childcare goal of ”living happily in the present ” and ”sensitivity to the fact that we are living on the earth.”

Tomoko: In 2019, when I was thinking about the origin of Tanabata, collecting the night dew on the leaves, making ink with it, and drawing with it as a prayer, I was also thinking about connecting with nature and prayer. I couldn ’t put it into words at the time, but I thought it would be interesting to think about ”the sensitivity of living on the earth” and Tanabata from the current story.
I have an image of ”the sensitivity of living on the earth” as ”a state where you feel connected to living things, plants, and the earth, and you feel that you are part of nature,” or ”communicating with nature.” The rainwater, sumi, and washi used in Tanabata were all made of natural materials, and I just thought that the sensation of noticing every drop of water when collecting the dew, the sensitivity of noticing the shade of the sumi and how it bleeds onto washi, and the sensitivity of looking closely at small details and noticing the changes in them, are all ways in which the body is communicating with nature. I think the children must have been communicating with their own bodies when they smeared sumi all over their bodies, with the two-way sensation of touching and being touched happening at the same time. I think the various ”states of communicating with nature” that were happening at Tanabata are connected to the ”sensitivity of living on the earth.

Yuki: I felt that I was able to deepen the ”sensitivity of living on the earth” through collecting raindrops during Tanabata with the 3-5 year olds. In fact, I wanted to deepen my exploration of not only water but also sumi, for example, by comparing sumi and charcoal made from a bonfire. I think the exploration of natural objects and materials is the exploration of the earth.
The perspective and sensitivity to a single drop of water that the children felt through a drop of rainwater. The children seemed to feel the scarcity and finite nature of materials. I think that carefully observing natural objects and materials in this way, and seeing how the children feel about them, is a way of exploring the earth, and in this way, they will develop a sensitivity to living on the earth.

How one seasonal event, Tanabata, connected to the Yamanoko goals was a fruitful dialogue in which I strongly felt that exchanging multiple perspectives through reflection is a way of nurturing Yamanoko ’s childcare.