My Neofinetia story, with a hokage in flower

[Red Orchid]

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

You are going to love those two plants: Hisui 翡翠 "Jade" and the Nishidemiyako 西出都 "West Gate of Kyoto". I have been working on getting all three languages involved in the discussion--Romanji, Kanji, and English. The English is sometimes cumbersome.

Matt you are really doing your research....fantastic! I just struggle trying to pronounce the Japanese names.

[MattWoelfsen]

Originally Posted by Red Orchid

Matt you are really doing your research....fantastic! I just struggle trying to pronounce the -Japanese names.

Thanks Ginger. Rather than spending time on eBay or elsewhere trying to figure out how I can spend money on another Neofinetia, I have been reading up on the Romanji and Kanji translations. In fact, I'm going to take a class on beginning Japanese in September at the local college here in Fort Wayne.

Regarding how to say Japanese words...if you are familiar with Spanish, Romanji uses similar rules. For example, "Higashidemiyako" is pronounced hee-gah-shee-deh-me-yah-ko. Every vowel is pronounced, usually stressing the third syllable. If you see two vowels together, use the rule "when two vowels go walking, the last one does the talking".

Probably more than you wanted to know--my coffee just kicked in! and now it is time to go to church! TTFN

[Red Orchid]

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

Thanks Ginger. Rather than spending time on eBay or elsewhere trying to figure out how I can spend money on another Neofinetia, I have been reading up on the Romanji and Kanji translations. In fact, I'm going to take a class on beginning Japanese in September at the local college here in Fort Wayne.
TTFN

Oh wow taking the Japanese class is so smart you will soon be able to understand the Neo web sites from Japan. I continue to be impressed with you & your passion for this hobby. Enjoy!

[rangiku]

Nishidemiyako 西出都 also means west side of the capitol (Kyoto) back when Kyoto, not Tokyo, was the capitol. Higishidemiyako 東出都 means east side of the capitol (Kyoto).

Vowels in Japanese are pronounced exactly as they are in Romance languages such as French and Spanish. Typically, each syllable is equally stressed in a word; however if there are two of the same vowels in a row, then that syllable is stressed. For example, with onee-chan, the stress is on the nee. This non-stressing of syllables is tough for those of us who speak American English.

[dries666]

I must say I love my japanese classes, but I haven't had any difficulties pronouncing it up until now. I'm going to start my third year of evening classes of japanese next september and I already know the hiragana, katakana and 50 kanji signs, but I doubt I'll ever be able to understand the japanese websites... somethimes it's not so much a question if u can read it, because that still doesn't make u understand what it says.... only when u know a lot of kanji u start to see patterns in the more complex combined kanji and then u might be able to deduct the meaning of the symbol from what u already know. But hey give it a try, it's fun and u learn lots of stuff with the culture incorporated in some of the classes... or that's the way they do it here.

Oh and my home made pots from fimo clay seem to be breaking! I don't know why but one has a vertical split through and through all of a sudden and another one is showing cracks in its design (from the holes in the sides, the weakest points) I think it might be a matter of temperature where the sun makes the material grow or shrink and that combined with the force of the moss expanding when wet might be the cause of this. I'm kind of sad though, I have put some effort in making those pots .

[GardenTheater]

Very nice collection. Thanks for showing them here.

[Red Orchid]

Originally Posted by dries666

I must say I love my japanese classes, but I haven't had any difficulties pronouncing it up until now. I'm going to start my third year of evening classes of japanese next september and I already know the hiragana, katakana and 50 kanji signs, but I doubt I'll ever be able to understand the japanese websites... somethimes it's not so much a question if u can read it, because that still doesn't make u understand what it says.... only when u know a lot of kanji u start to see patterns in the more complex combined kanji and then u might be able to deduct the meaning of the symbol from what u already know. But hey give it a try, it's fun and u learn lots of stuff with the culture incorporated in some of the classes... or that's the way they do it here.

Oh and my home made pots from fimo clay seem to be breaking! I don't know why but one has a vertical split through and through all of a sudden and another one is showing cracks in its design (from the holes in the sides, the weakest points) I think it might be a matter of temperature where the sun makes the material grow or shrink and that combined with the force of the moss expanding when wet might be the cause of this. I'm kind of sad though, I have put some effort in making those pots .

Congrats on the 3 years of study of Japanese.... Really sorry about the pots breaking. I haven't had any of that so far but you are the second person to mention it. I remember reading somewhere that you have to really prepare the clay or it will break. Don't know if this is the problem am just so sorry as you do put a lot of work into those pots.

[MattWoelfsen]

Hello Driees, too bad about your pots. They look really good in your photos. I am not a pot expert, Ginger is one of our potters, and she has blessed me with a very lovey pot. I keep my Higashidemiyako 東出都 "East Side of Kyoto" in it. The other potter, I think you referred to him in a previous thread, he goes by Pilot. He has a thread discussing pottery for Neofinetia.

The pot that Ginger (Red Orchid) gave me, the walls of the pot is about an eighth of an inch think (sorry I don't have metric equivalent). The pot has a very large hole at the bottom and only six holes along the sides--two sets of three holes opposite. Here is a picture of this pot. I am a Baseball Cubby Fan, my Higashidemiyako 東出都 "East Side of Kyoto" really fits this pot.

[MattWoelfsen]

Here is the pot without the plant. (Plant looks naked outside of its pot!!)

[dries666]

Thanks everyone! And I will be posting a picture of the broken pots maybe one of the next days. And the pot ginger made for u looks very well made ! I think mine is a bit thinner but since I didn't have a pasta roller I had some trouble kneading it well. But I kept kneading it until it was kind of smooth and warm but it was still a challenge of making a disc out of it to form the outer pot, but I made it a bit on the thin side because it made it easier to work with. But the band around the pot is made of quite thick ropes and they broke as well.

I don't really know what happened, but it might be the end of my fimoclay story because I hate putting so much effort into making the pots as good as I can and then seeiing them crack! I already broke my last pot for my hokage with getting it from the shape and I had to completely remake it (it has the kanji for hokage carved into it..... ) and that one is showing the cracks now, so it's pretty devastating .

But hey, I'll try to look for an alternative that still looks nice and the most important thing is that the plants will grow nicely!!

btw Matt, that's a nice Higashidemiyako as well! I loved the fact that de Nishidemiyako is quite unstable and that it loves to mutate... that way u get a varying whole of growths and that appeals to me more then a completely equally variegated plant (with some exceptions ofcourse).

friendly greetings,
Dries