11:18pm セミナーハウス
天気：雪
Today was absolutely wonderful. Not only did I get to see Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway musical, but I also got to wander around Kyoto in the snow… I got up at about 9, and readied myself for the musical; I decided to dress nice, but practical. Katie on the other hand, decided to get dressed up in her kimono, and when she came down at 10:30, she went straight to Okaasan to make sure she had everything okay. 15 minutes later, and we were ready to go. Katie told me Okaasan re-did the whole thing, every though she’d done it fine to begin with; still, a good learning experience. So yeah, I don’t know who was colder walking to Makino. Probably me, just because I’m not used to it; it was freezing. When we got to Kuzuha, it was snowing finely. Unfortunately, the ground was too warm still, so it melted as soon as it landed. We bought a snack at Tambabashi, and then continued to Kyoto station, getting there with ample time.
It was snowing heavier in Kyoto; it entered liberally into the open station. We made our way straight to the theatre, and after a few photos, and a look in the souvenir shop, from which I bought an Astro Boy pin, and Kimba the White Lion Badge, we made our way to our seats. We were a little off centre, but I couldn’t complain about the leg room; we were in the aisle. Since we had about 20 minutes before it started, we went out (separately) to have a look at the merchandise. Katie came back with a very shiny program, and I settled for another pin; so cool. And then… it started. What can I say; it was absolutely spectacular. The singing, the sets, the costumes… everything was so well done. The fact that it was all in Japanese didn’t complicate things at all. I know the story well enough, and I could understand much of what they were saying anyway. When they were singing it was a bit harder admittedly, but it did have an oddly restful effect; I didn’t have to focus on the words, just feel it I guess.
My first time seeing a professional stage show, and I was absolutely blown away. There were many new songs that didn’t feature in the movie, which made sense since it is a Broadway musical. I loved watching the set changes; they were seamless. And some of the effects; wow!!! Right at the beginning, when the old hag transforms into the beautiful witch after the Prince turns her away; that was incredible. She literally flew up into the air and this huge dress came cascading down from her as she cast the spell on the Prince; it looked like a firework was coming out of her wand. And the transformation scene at the end was perfect; just like the movie. Somehow (I’m guessin some sort of harness), he was drawn up in the air and spun around and somehow went from the Beast back to the Prince. Far out I don’t know how they made it look so good. So yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and came out feeling awestruck.
It was still snowing quite steadily, and I decided that I’d do some
exploring around Kyoto. Katie opted out, which was completely understandable considering her attire. So I set off, making my way to the subway before coming to the conclusion that the bus would be better; I wanted to go to Kiyomizu. So, I went up to ground level again, and was soon on a bus. Getting off at the bus stop, I noticed there was something temple-looking nearby, called 大谷本廟 (Ootani Honbyou). Since the complex was closing shortly, I had a quick browse, and made my way out another gate, and soon found myself in a huge cemetery. It was eerily beautiful, walking among the silent gravestones with the snow falling softly and the sun setting over Kyoto tower, soon to be blocked by the impending grey clouds. Out of the cemetery, I found myself at the bottom of Kiyomizu-dera. I decided against going into the main section, since it was getting dark, and my batteries were dying; they did die while I was there.
Instead, I just walked around the skirting buildings, and then made my way back down the h
ill, going past all the shops. The snow was falling heavier, and I eventually took refuge in a Studio Ghibli shop I spied; didn’t buy anything though. I continued on, and found myself in familiar territory once more; I had stumbled upon Kodaiji. I willed my camera to work, and got a few more photos of the heavy snowfall. Unfortunately, the ground was still too warm; it did settle on the plants and rooves though. I continued down the hill, and bought some batteries at Lawsons, before taking a final few pictures of Yasaka shrine. I called it a day when it got too dark, and made my way back to Gion station. I caught the limited express to Makino, and after a quick stop at Life (for more groceries), I made my way home in the freezing cold; it was snowing a little. You can imagine how happy I was when I got back inside; and warm. I made dinner soon after returning (yakisoba), and caught up with Katie. We watched an interesting quiz show on tv for a while; it had us quite absorbed actually.
Finally I went back downstairs, to find Rachael and Sarah in the lounge watching Blazing Saddles. It was quite funny, and completely daft; it’s directed by Mel Brooks so what more do I need to say. That finished at around 10, by which point I was very tired. I had a shower then got settled in bed. Tomorrow’s going to be very interesting I think. We’re going to a fertility festival in Nara. And when I say we, I don’t know who exactly yet. I’ve convinced Hugo to come, and he’s asked his speaking partner to join also. I also persuaded Rachael to come. She didn’t want to at first because of the nature of the event; being British means she’s a prude, or so she tells me. But she finally came around, and supplied me with a very useful piece of paper, with all the travel information on it; her professor had supplied this to the class. So, armed with this information, we should be able to get there no problem. The festival starts at 2, so we’re going to leave at around 11. I hope it’s snowing…
天気：雪
Today was absolutely wonderful. Not only did I get to see Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway musical, but I also got to wander around Kyoto in the snow… I got up at about 9, and readied myself for the musical; I decided to dress nice, but practical. Katie on the other hand, decided to get dressed up in her kimono, and when she came down at 10:30, she went straight to Okaasan to make sure she had everything okay. 15 minutes later, and we were ready to go. Katie told me Okaasan re-did the whole thing, every though she’d done it fine to begin with; still, a good learning experience. So yeah, I don’t know who was colder walking to Makino. Probably me, just because I’m not used to it; it was freezing. When we got to Kuzuha, it was snowing finely. Unfortunately, the ground was too warm still, so it melted as soon as it landed. We bought a snack at Tambabashi, and then continued to Kyoto station, getting there with ample time.
It was snowing heavier in Kyoto; it entered liberally into the open station. We made our way straight to the theatre, and after a few photos, and a look in the souvenir shop, from which I bought an Astro Boy pin, and Kimba the White Lion Badge, we made our way to our seats. We were a little off centre, but I couldn’t complain about the leg room; we were in the aisle. Since we had about 20 minutes before it started, we went out (separately) to have a look at the merchandise. Katie came back with a very shiny program, and I settled for another pin; so cool. And then… it started. What can I say; it was absolutely spectacular. The singing, the sets, the costumes… everything was so well done. The fact that it was all in Japanese didn’t complicate things at all. I know the story well enough, and I could understand much of what they were saying anyway. When they were singing it was a bit harder admittedly, but it did have an oddly restful effect; I didn’t have to focus on the words, just feel it I guess.My first time seeing a professional stage show, and I was absolutely blown away. There were many new songs that didn’t feature in the movie, which made sense since it is a Broadway musical. I loved watching the set changes; they were seamless. And some of the effects; wow!!! Right at the beginning, when the old hag transforms into the beautiful witch after the Prince turns her away; that was incredible. She literally flew up into the air and this huge dress came cascading down from her as she cast the spell on the Prince; it looked like a firework was coming out of her wand. And the transformation scene at the end was perfect; just like the movie. Somehow (I’m guessin some sort of harness), he was drawn up in the air and spun around and somehow went from the Beast back to the Prince. Far out I don’t know how they made it look so good. So yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and came out feeling awestruck.
It was still snowing quite steadily, and I decided that I’d do some
exploring around Kyoto. Katie opted out, which was completely understandable considering her attire. So I set off, making my way to the subway before coming to the conclusion that the bus would be better; I wanted to go to Kiyomizu. So, I went up to ground level again, and was soon on a bus. Getting off at the bus stop, I noticed there was something temple-looking nearby, called 大谷本廟 (Ootani Honbyou). Since the complex was closing shortly, I had a quick browse, and made my way out another gate, and soon found myself in a huge cemetery. It was eerily beautiful, walking among the silent gravestones with the snow falling softly and the sun setting over Kyoto tower, soon to be blocked by the impending grey clouds. Out of the cemetery, I found myself at the bottom of Kiyomizu-dera. I decided against going into the main section, since it was getting dark, and my batteries were dying; they did die while I was there.Instead, I just walked around the skirting buildings, and then made my way back down the h
ill, going past all the shops. The snow was falling heavier, and I eventually took refuge in a Studio Ghibli shop I spied; didn’t buy anything though. I continued on, and found myself in familiar territory once more; I had stumbled upon Kodaiji. I willed my camera to work, and got a few more photos of the heavy snowfall. Unfortunately, the ground was still too warm; it did settle on the plants and rooves though. I continued down the hill, and bought some batteries at Lawsons, before taking a final few pictures of Yasaka shrine. I called it a day when it got too dark, and made my way back to Gion station. I caught the limited express to Makino, and after a quick stop at Life (for more groceries), I made my way home in the freezing cold; it was snowing a little. You can imagine how happy I was when I got back inside; and warm. I made dinner soon after returning (yakisoba), and caught up with Katie. We watched an interesting quiz show on tv for a while; it had us quite absorbed actually.Finally I went back downstairs, to find Rachael and Sarah in the lounge watching Blazing Saddles. It was quite funny, and completely daft; it’s directed by Mel Brooks so what more do I need to say. That finished at around 10, by which point I was very tired. I had a shower then got settled in bed. Tomorrow’s going to be very interesting I think. We’re going to a fertility festival in Nara. And when I say we, I don’t know who exactly yet. I’ve convinced Hugo to come, and he’s asked his speaking partner to join also. I also persuaded Rachael to come. She didn’t want to at first because of the nature of the event; being British means she’s a prude, or so she tells me. But she finally came around, and supplied me with a very useful piece of paper, with all the travel information on it; her professor had supplied this to the class. So, armed with this information, we should be able to get there no problem. The festival starts at 2, so we’re going to leave at around 11. I hope it’s snowing…
No comments:
Post a Comment