GOKAN – Explore Your Five Senses

Come and explore your five senses the Japanese way!

JACCU is happy to announce its upcoming event 五感 Gokan, which will take place in the centre of Utrecht on Saturday June 4th.

 JACCU’s main mission is to foster, spread and promote Japanese art, culture, and traditions in the Netherlands. We planned a series of performances, demonstrations and initiatives that will enrich and stimulate the perception of your sense in many ways that will make you discover more about Japan and its fascinating art forms and traditions.

五感 Gokan means “five senses” in Japanese, and the meaning correlates to our day long event, because it aims to trigger our audience’s five senses with authentic Japanese traditions, yet with a modern twist:

From the fragrant smell of flowers to the touch of beautifully handmade ceramic vases, from the delicate flavour of Japanese tea and treats to the viewing and listening of a great storytelling performance. Even more, from the stimulation of creativity through our expressive theatre performance for children to the captivating sound of Japanese rock music for adults.

De Schuur in Ledig Erf

五感 Gokan will take place at De Schuur, right in the heart of Museumkwartier, the cultural district in the centre of Utrecht, near Ledig Erf. This multifunctional space is often used for special events with a cultural or social purpose, to enrich the cultural landscape of Utrecht. With a mission similar to JACCU, we are very happy we fing a perfect place for a full day of artistic initiatives.

Practical Info

Event: 五感 Gokan – Explore your five senses

Location: De Schuur, Wijde Doelen 8, 3512 XN Utrecht

Time: Saturday June 4, 2022 – 10.30 – 21.30

Price: Different fees apply. €5/10 per single event, €30 for the full day

五感 Gokan Programme

Here below is the program for the entire day. The events can be attended altogether for a price of €30, however it is also possible to attend the events separately, each with its own fee. Some side initiatives with a commercial purpose are free of charge, so they are included in the price of the event people decide to attend.

Klein Wonderland
Makiko Ito & Wonderland Collectief

Stimulate your children’s sight, hearing and emotions development with Klein Wonderland, a unique music and dance improvisation performance by Japanese artist and dancer Makiko Ito and her international crew of musicians and dancers!

Children sit comfortably on some fluffy cushions on the floor and Makiko will transport them into a wonderful, magical world made of colours, sounds and movement that will trigger their interaction, fantasy and imagination.

Wonderland Collectief – Klein Wonderland
10.30 – 11.30
€10 per child
Free for one accompanying parent/caretaker
Recommended for 1 to 6 year-old; language no problem

Ikebana Demonstration
Ohara Chapter Nederland

Now it is time to awaken our smell and sight senses with the sweet scent and the harmonious colour combinations of flowers, beautifully arranged according to the ancient Ikebana tradition, a typical Japanese art that has been practised for over six centuries.

In Ikebana, flowers and plants are brought into a harmonious composition with great attention to their characteristic lines, shapes and colours. Conny van Dongen, director of Ohara Chapter Nederland, one of the most popular ikebana schools in the world, says “Ikebana is a way of life. It teaches you how to open your eyes to the things around you and incorporate them into your life.”

Ms van Dongen herself will make an intriguing demonstration to show the arrangements typically taught at Ohara school, from traditional arrangements to modern forms. The demo will be suitable for beginners to advanced ikebana lovers. The purpose is to show the beauty of nature in this art form, solicit people’s interest in Ikebana, inviting them to be creative and do the same at home.

JACCU and Ohara’s common purpose is to stimulate ikebana lovers in Utrecht to form a group to join Ohara school. In order to do so, JACCU has planned another ikebana event that will happen exactly one week after the demo at 五感 Gokan. For more info, please read our article Ohara Ikebana in Utrecht.

Ikebana Demonstration
12.00 – 13.30
€5 per person
Language: English unless all participants speak Dutch

Creative Storytelling Lab
“Standing on The Miraculous Field”
by Terra Norihiro Terazawa

At 3.30 PM the audience will be invited to listen and be enchanted by Terra’s upcoming storytelling performance Standing on The Miraculous Field, which was presented in Canada at Toronto Fringe Festival in 2021.

Terra Norihiro Terazawa will inaugurate the first of a series of “Storytelling Creative Laboratory” sessions, where the artist will share his ongoing developing piece, discussing his work with the audience after the show. This is a preparatory try-out for the theatre performance of “Standing on The Miraculous Field” which will premiere in Mezrab, a renowned storytelling centre in Amsterdam in autumn.

Standing on The Miraculous Field is about Natural Farming, or “do nothing” farming and Terra’s unique journey into acquiring organic farming skills and his adoption of a “laissez-faire” approach. The artist’s aims are to have his audience reflect on what it is to live with nature and the earth in harmony, and even to invite people to get muddy and grow their own fresh produce.

Storytelling Performance
15.30 – 17.00
€10 per person
Language: English

Rock Concert
I Feel – Yutaro Ogida

It is now time to stimulate our audience’s hearing senses with some rock music! For the closing event of the day JACCU has planned a unique Japanese rock performance, and invited the amazing singer-songwriter Yutaro Ogida directly from Japan who will delight the audience with a solo acoustic performance. 

 Yutaro Ogida is a guitarist, vocalist and composer. Born in Tokyo in 1970, Yutaro also lived and studied in New York and in London. Living and studying abroad subsequently led him to learn and play the guitar. When he moved back to Japan in the 1990’s, he joined different bands and played with several artists. He is also a co-founder of Genshishinbo, the well-known Pink Floyd tribute project in Japan.

After many events, live performances, concerts and EP launches, Yutaro released his first full album “I Feel”. JACCU invited Yutaro to promote his new album in the Netherlands.

The final evening concert at 五感Gokan is one of the many performances and jamsessions we have planned for his stay in Utrecht. He will play with many other singer-songwriters of Utrecht in Moira Open-mic, Café Averechts, Festival Trek in Griftpark and renowned ‘t Oude Pothuys throughout the week. But the solo concert in De Schuur is the longest performance he will give for JACCU audience.

Yutaro Ogida Concert
20.00 – 21.30
€10 per person

Available throughout the day

Japanese tea

Throughout the day, JACCU team members will serve some delicious, traditional Japanese tea for our audience to be immersed even more in an authentic Japanese way and to stimulate their sense of taste and refine their palate with something refreshing.

Anne Sey Ceramics for sale

Anne Sey’s unique ceramic work, very suitable for ikebana practice, will be on display and for sale during the day at the location. Take your time to pick out your favourite vase or kenzan bowl.

It is work that you like to take in your hands, to feel the shape and texture and admire the different nuances of colour, so that your sense of touch will be fully stimulated. Anne makes her ceramics on a traditional potter’s wheel and is inspired by Japanese design.

Maan Limburg’s “The Lost World” Photo book for sale

Dutch photographer Maan Limburg is intrigued by Japanese abandoned locations and vacant places such as houses and office buildings especially located in the rural areas. Her latest work is the result of this research project and it consists of a collection of evocative photographs of this Japanese phenomenon, gathered together in a beautiful book called “The Lost World”, which will be for sale all day.

Practical Info

Event: 五感 Gokan – Explore your five senses

Location: De Schuur, Wijde Doelen 8, 3512 XN Utrecht

Time: Saturday June 4, 2022 – 10.30 – 21.30

Price: Different fees apply. €5/10 per single event, €30 for the full day

Tickets are available through Eventbrite or Ik ben aanwezig!