Harumi Hayakawa

Harumi’s working life has always flowed out of her love of Japanese culture and her creative practice, which spans Japanese traditional arts such as Origami, Ikebana, Calligraphy and Japanese cooking and writing. She has taught Japanese culture and language for 20 years in the community, school and tertiary sectors with students ranging in age from primary school to adults. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and skills with people from different cultures.

In Japan, Harumi worked as an art and culture journalist at a major newspaper. This helped her deepen her appreciation of Japanese culture and her understanding of Japanese society.

Having a curious mind, Harumi enjoys seeing new origami pieces and figuring out how to recreate them herself. She loves origami because it is a chance to be creative and practise mindfulness. She enjoys the process of turning a simple piece of paper into a three-dimensional sculpture.

In her spare time, Harumi spends time in her garden, cooks, and makes flower arrangements using homegrown produce.