Origami Crafters in Berlin

For quite a while I had been playing with the idea of learning origami, but as many things in this hectic Zeitgeist of ours, it never really happened until an unexpected turn of event in early August 2024: a Japanese Couchsurfer whom I hosted in autumn 2019 re-visited me here together with his girlfriend. They gave me an origami lesson in the evening before their departure, where I folded my very first origami crane (P/S: according to 🇯🇵 legend, gods will grant a wish to whoever having made 1000 of them! Not too much to ask for I would say! 😜) and also witnessed some extremely impressive craftsmanship e.g. double cranes made out of half the standard origami paper (15*15cm)!!!

Ever since then, I have been practicing and learning new patterns online on a regular basis. It’s been a surprisingly enjoyable journey for me personally, and now I would love to explore Meetup’s potential in bringing locals with similar interests together and sharing our origami journey 😋 All levels are welcome, and feel free to reach out should you have any questions at any point!

Bonus links for those with further interest on origami:

• general origin and history
• Akira Yoshizawa, an inspiring figure from Japan who is considered to be the grandmaster of origami. Two notable facts about him:
  • In 1937, he left factory work to pursue origami full-time. During the next 20 years, he lived in total poverty, earning his living by door-to-door selling of tsukudani (a Japanese preserved condiment that is usually made of seaweed).
  • Yoshizawa lent many of his own origami models to other exhibitions around the world. He would never sell his origami figures, but rather gave them away as gifts to people, and let other groups and organizations borrow them for exhibiting.