I arrived at work with a handful of flowers wrapped in a soggy paper towel and asked a colleague if I could borrow a vase ... the art of ikebana, or Japanese flower arranging.

But those disturbances also halted porcelain exports from China. The Dutch traders who monopolized Asian trade in those days turned to Japan instead and shipped the Japanese porcelain to the world.

At first glance, the delicate patterns on Eiko Maeda's porcelain bowls and plates look hand-painted, with each flower or shape ... is an extraordinary Japanese technique called "nerikomi." ...

A narrow celadon vase topped by swirling leaves and ... helps Alma Davis-Carlin with her flower arrangement class at the Japanese Culture Center in Roslyn Heights. Credit: Newsday / Alejandra ...