Every morning we wait on the train platform for our daughter’s best friend. Quick morning greeetings are exchanged once she arrives. Then the morning origami exchange begins. Both girls carry ziplock bags full of origami paper in a wide variety of sizes and patterns. Selections are made and the skilled hands of seven year old girls beging folding.
The train arrives. We crowd in. The folding continues. Even on a 7a.m. train that circles Tokyo it is rare to find an open seat. There are of course handles to hold onto but the vast majority stand, feet shoulder-width apart, facing the side and surf through twists, turns and bumps as the train rolls around and around Tokyo. The girls continue to fold their origame as they surf. I can make a neat little origami crane; but not while sufring in a train!
The grand art of origami continues. The girls not only fold well known shapes, but teach each other their most recently learned or discovered sequence. There is a deligence and devotion akin to the effort put into learning new kanji. Teachers frequently encourage their students to “be the brush” when they practice their kanji. This supposedly takes their writing to calligraphy level heights with Edo-style skill – doing things with no wasted motion. The same principle applies to origmai, where “being the paper” seems to magically ease the folds.
It is no suprise then, I suppose, that there are expert origamist. Any expert looks for the ultimate challenge in their field. Origami experts in Japan have gotten their wish. They have been working with Japanese scientist and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to create the best design for a paper airplane that will safely fly to the moon.
This of course sounds perposterous. Right up until you consider they have already tested their design and gotten money to continue their folding. Of course, those guys at NASA were pretty crazy thinking they could build a moon lander out of aluminum foil.
Personally, I am not interested in booking a flight. But I am wondering if they need to pay some skilled seven year old girls in picking out the prettiest paper.