Head to Dove Cottage for Haiku, origami and more

A chance to learn Japanese, try your hand at making an origami animal, master calligraphy and compose haiku poems is on offer if you head to the Lake District on August 30 and 31, when Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum is holding a ‘Weekend of Japanese Culture.’

The Grasmere-based cultural attraction is offering the Japanese activities free of charge, on a drop-in basis, to complement the Japanese theme of The Wordsworth Museum’s ‘Wordsworth and Basho: Walking Poets’ exhibition.

Entrance to the Museum to view the exhibition is included within admission to Dove Cottage, the former home of Wordsworth. Tickets cost £7.75 for an adult and £4.50 for a child, with family tickets available for £17.20.

The Japanese theme to the exhibition is highly evident the moment exhibits are viewed, with Japanese clothing, haiku poems and Japanese scrolls on display the moment the visitor enters the exhibition space.

The exhibition focuses on the poetry, manuscripts and notebooks of William and Dorothy Wordsworth and the scrolls of Japanese poet, Basho and then new pieces by eighteen acclaimed contemporary artists, musicians and poets. These British and Japanese artists have responded to the historical written words to create stunning, fresh and radical works of poetry, glass, calligraphy, sculpture, painting, design, ceramics

By using artistic responses to words written centuries ago, poetry is brought to life for both adults and children, in a most dynamic and thought-provoking way. Breathtaking exhibits encourage visitors to explore the poetry that inspired a particular artist.

Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum will be open between 9.30am and 5pm during the Weekend of Japanese Culture. Drop-in activities are available from 10am to 4pm and last admission is at 4.30pm. Although free, please book for the Japanese activities at wordsworth.org.uk so that enough materials are available.