Day 160 - 6th of February

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 hill, 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…

Day 83 - 21st of November

5:18pm　特急電車
天気：寒い

Carly and I are on the limited express train to Kyoto. We're going to see the Kiyomizu-dera and maybe Kodaiji "light up"; it's going to be beautiful. Diego and Jessica are already there. They went to the Todaiji flea market today. Carly and I on the other hand had INFES commitments. I got to uni at about 10 to 10 and found the koto room in building 2, 1st floor. The changing room was on the third floor. Mark and Justin were already half dressed and I was to promptly to follow. Sean showed up a bit later, but Niky was still a no show. With everyone else ready we all walked around to get some lunch. So many food booths; many selling the same thing (especially takoyaki). Some of the salespeople were very pushy, advertising their stalls. I felt a little uncomfortable in my kimono; unfortunately it's too short and my hairy legs show, lol. The tabi and zori fit well though, but they're scary to walk down the stairs in. It's freezing today, especially in the wind. I was pretty warm though in my kimono. We were to play for four sessions every hour; 1, 2, 3, and 4. I was scheduled to play at 1 and 4, but I explained that I would be singing at 2:30, so they changed mine, and Niky's (who would be singing also) times to 1 and 2.

5:37pm　七条

We're in Shichijo now, and have to switch to another train to go one stop down to Kiyomizu-gojo ~ the 条 (-jo) on the end can be loosely translated to mean street, so gojo is 5th street, as shichijo is 7th street. In Kyoto, many of the train stations are on these streets. Continuing... Niky showed up at about 12. She had a bit of a scare this morning, not knowing exactly when to get here. Luckily the kimono sensei were still around and she was dressed no problem. She did forget her tsume and music but that was easily fixed; she borrowed Justin's. So, the performances: we played in groups of three and Niky, Brittney, and I were first up. Since it's just Sakura, sakura it was over pretty fast. After that, the Japanese girls played three pieces while we beckoned in customers and served them tea. Each session took about 25 minutes. I decided not to record today, so I would have battery for tonight. I love the songs they play though; well except for the one really long, boring one, 六段の調べ (rokudan no shirabe).

5:45pm　普通電車

On the train... In the break, Niky and I had a quick look at the art exhibition and some ikebana before playing for a second time, accompanied by Mark this time... We're here; according to Diego the line to Kiyomizu-dera is really long.

6:17pm　清水寺

We're in the line to Kiyomizu-dera and it's incredibly long!!! But, it's moving at a relatively fast pace. We haven't found Diego and Jess yet, we're guessing they're at the other entrance. Wow, we can see the pagoda from here, all lit up. There's also a huge spotlight shooting light into the sky; it's amazing. Half-way there...

10:38pm　特急電車

We're on our way back home now. Tonight was great. We never did meet up with Diego and Jessica, which was a shame; it was too hard to find them in the masses. Kiyomizu-dera was stunning. We must have spent about an hour there; it was well worth it. Unfortunately, silly me forgot to lock the switch on the video camera and it must have came on in my bag, because when I pulled it out, it had less than 20 minutes of battery left. I did take a lot of photos though; that made up for it. After walking around the grounds, we did a little bit of shopping and then went back down into the city to find a place to eat. We almost immediately stumbled upon an okonomiyaki place; I was so there. We were seated straight away, and while our order took a while, it was so good. We shared a special okonomiyaki with everything in it; pork, beef, octopus, squid, prawns, and onions and cheese on top. And for dessert, ice cream; Carly had banana, and I got black sesame seed. Seriously, it is really yummy.

We walked to Gion Shijo (4th street) station, passing a few temples along the way, and a supermarket bearing the IGA brand name; I wonder if it's affiliated with the Australian one? Carly was shivering from the ice cream. We fooled around a bit in a small park, and made a quick stop at a grocery stall so Carly could get some cereal for tomorrow. To tired to do anything else, we got on the train. It's nice to be able to sit down, especially on an express train, which are almost always completely packed. Okay, now back to today... after playing for the second time, Niky and I got ready for singing. She decided to stay in her kimono, while I opted to change. As I said, it was freezing and we were singing in the outside auditorium; "circle stage". I was really nervous, and of course last, so I had to endure. Niky was second, and I thought she did really well. Finally, it was my turn...

10:56pm　淀駅

Whoops! The express train only got as far as Yodo, so we had to change over. Now we're on a local. Anyway... yeah, it was my turn. I did... okay. I forgot a lot of the lyrics; I was really disappointed about that. At least I got the last verse out perfectly. Carly was there recording it. Maybe I'll watch it one day; doubt it. Well, I wasn't the best, but I wasn't the worst either, so I can take comfort in that. Afterwards, I went over with Carly to her booth (Food booth 2) and bought one of her 和 パフェ (Wa Pafe - "peace parfait"), and donated to an orphanage in Germany (which was what the INFES was raising money for). The parfait was really good even in the cold weather. Since we were going to Kyoto, Carly got out early, on the pretense that she would help out extra hard tomorrow; same for me! I got all my stuff together and then we walked back home.

Getting back, we had a quick snack (I reheated the chicken from last night, otherwise it would have gone to waste). We printed off a map showing Kodaiji; we had anticipated going to three temples tonight but that didn't happen. I'm kinda glad we didn't; it would have been too much. We're going to try again on Thursday. Anyway, that's my day; we're in Makino now. Walk home, then collapse. Gotta be at uni again at 8:30 tomorrow; singing first and then kimono and koto!!!

Day 6 - 4th of September

8:32am　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Shoot, only got half an hour to get ready to go to uni. Gotta go... Yay for Kyoto trip today!!!

9:10am　セミナーハウス
Lolz, I don't have to leave til 10:00 so I still got a little while. Hopefully tonight I can get my blog up to date. I've been writing this all in the notebook I bought at the airport. Also been writing out all my expenses, so I can start creating a budget and weekly shopping list. Diego is talking to his Mum in Portuguese on Skype now. It's really cool, better go...

3:12pm　普通電車
We're on the train toward 祗園四条駅 (Gion Shijou station). I'm with Diego, Jessica, Jacinthe, Georg and Diana, and four Japanese guides. We're only two stops away from Kyoto now. Earlier today Jacinthe and I went to get our Alien Registration done. It was easy enough, and we got in straight away cause it was quiet. We bought some lunch, which was a little expensive. It was tuna (raw) and salad. *One stop away*. Then we tried to make our way back from Hirakata station to the uni. We had to ask a bus driver for help. He was very kind. *Here*...

3:19pm　丹波橋駅
Lol, okay so we have to change trains first. We're at 丹波橋駅 (Tambabashi station), waiting to get on the express train. It's a blue train. We are now three stops away from Gion Shijou... So yeah it was all good. We got on the bus and made out way back in time for the Kyoto tour. I was amazed at how many people had signed up; pretty much everyone. We had a 15 minute walk to 御殿山駅 (Gotenyama station). It was so hot...

3:34pm　京都
We're in Kyoto now. I remember being here before...

6:54pm　京都
Here we are in Kyoto, in the rain, listening to some beautiful singing from some Indian Buddhists. We've just emerged from a huge shopping arcade. it's raining pretty lightly; nice. Our guides are trying to find us a place to eat for dinner. We've been walking for about 30 minutes I think. They are using the GPS on their phones and asking for directions. We must be almost there.

7:15pm　花たぬき
We're in a restaurant called "Hanatanuki". I ordered hetayaki, Hiroshima style with pork and udon noodles. We've all ordered different things so hopefully I get to try a bit of everything. I'm sitting with Georg and Jacinthe. The four Japanese guides are across from us, and Diana, Diego, and Jessica are behind us. *That water looks soooooo good!!!*

8:14pm　花たぬき
I am so happy and full. We split each of our meals in three, so now we're just trying to get the payment sorted. Lolz, Diego and Diana ordered jumbo sized okonomiyaki; it was huge!!! Unfortunately they couldn't finish and I guess I can't blame them. *Note to self, don't order jumbo sizes*.

Today was great. We ended up going to 清水寺 (Kiyomizu temple). Took heaps of photos and saw so many nice shops. Even though I'd been before, this time was a completely different experience. This time I got to drink from the 音羽の滝 (otowa waterfall). ~Three channels of water fall into a pond. Visitors can catch and drink the waters, which is believed to have therapeutic properties. Drinking the water of the three streams is said to confer wisdom, health, and longevity~


8:29pm　花たぬき

お腹が一杯

8:51pm　急行電車
We're on the express train home; I feel a bit more confident navigating the train system of Japan. These trains go so fast. It's so cool. I will time how long it takes to get from Kyoto to Hirakata. Since this is an express, we don't have to change trains. I realised that the first train we got on today from Gotenyama was a local train, so it doesn't go all the way to Kyoto. We had to change to the express train. Anyway... Gosh, I don't have anything to do tomorrow.; at uni anyway. So I will hopefully wash all my dirty clothes. I'll be able to upload my photos as well. Yay for lazy day tomorrow...
~9:23pm - so it takes about 30 mins from Hirakata to Kyoto by train, awesome.~

12:19pm　セミナーハウス
My bottom is hurting for sitting down so long. Georg is moving out tomorrow at 10am, so he's packing now. I'd better get some sleep
お休みなさい。。。