Day 260 - 17th of May

11:12pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Two courses down, two to go; so happy!!! Well, I’ll be even happier come Wednesday evening, after I’ve handed in my Gender and Sexuality essay. After that, all I’ll have to worry about is getting home in one piece; so much less stressful. Anyway, today was another beautiful warm day, but we’re expecting rain soon…I woke up at 8, and after a quick breakfast and shower, I did a bit more study for Reading and Writing, before going to face the inevitable. It actually turned out to be not that bad at all. I read a letter from Nanny just before starting, and that gave me the extra bit of encouragement I needed. I got out of their feeling good, and shortly made my way back home. After lunch, I took a nap. I had intended to only stay in bed for half an hour, but ended up hitting the snooze button about three times, and didn’t get up until about 1:30. After that though I felt better, and got stuck into researching for my Gender and Sexuality; this consisted of me scouring my reading package for anything that related to my topic. I’m talking about marriage in Japan, and how it has changed, and continues to change; should be good.

Carly came round a bit after 2:30 and I continued my research until almost 6; she brought chocolate, chips and cookies to keep me motivated. At the request of Mori Sempai, I went into uni to play Miyabi with her and Maarika one last time; we played in front of some of the students from other clubs. We ended on a high, but it’s still sad to think that’s the last time; I’ll definitely have to pick it up again one day. Hopefully Mori, and Midori can come to our graduation on Saturday; I’d really like to see them one last time. After that, we made our way back home, and I made cup noodles for Carly, and pizza for myself; I love easy meals. After eating in the lounge, I sat with everyone in the kitchen for about half an hour, talking about anything; I don’t have many more opportunities to have these kinds of interactions so I’m making the most of what’s left. After getting back downstairs at about 8:45, I spent the next hour and a half revising for tomorrow’s Reading exam; I’m not looking forward to it at all. Unlike the exam today, which focused on 3 chapters, the exam tomorrow will be on the entire textbook; 10 chapters!!! I think I’ll be okay; I know most of the grammar and vocab. It’s just a matter of being able to get everything done in an hour and 20 minutes. Well, I’d better get some sleep now; get one more course out of the way tomorrow…

Day 250 - 7th of May

10:12pm　カラオケ　－　牧野

天気：雨天

I’m at karaoke now. Ash, Rachel and I were bummed out about the fact that there was no free time the other day, so we decided to come again tonight! However, I haven’t been here as long as they have. I just came from 王将 (Osho – “King”), a gyoza place right next to Midori; there’s one near Hirakata station too, but we opted for this one since it is closer by bike…

10:21pm　カラオケ　

Just sang; Yay, I feel good… So yeah, I went with Chelsea, Rebecca, Brett, Liz and Julie to Osho and it was amazing. Since it is a gyoza place, of course I had to get some and it was delicious ~ 餃子 (gyoza) is basically a Chinese dumpling that consists of a meat and/or vegetable filling that is wrapped in thin dough; it resembles ravioli. I also tried the チャーハン (chahan), Chinese fried rice, which was equally yummy. We got there at about a quarter to 9, so spent a good hour sitting and talking, which was great. Also great, was how cheap my meal was; I got to finish off Liz’s and Julie’s meals as well. As for the rest of my day, well… It was raining quite heavily up until about 5 or so this evening; not fun. In Reading and Writing today, we read part of the story in chapter 6, called むかし夕日の公園で (Mukashi yuuhi no koen de – “Once upon a time at the park of the setting sun”). It’s really well written, full of description, so it actually feels like we’re reading a real Japanese story.

It’s actually turning out to be really scary. This kid, who’s in a park surrounded by tall buildings at sunset (so it’s quite dark already) all alone, is thrusting his arm deep into to sandpit in the corner of the park, trying to gauge how deep it is. He’s arm is submerged up to his shoulder, and his fingers have just hit something. He can’t quite grab onto it, but what feels like women’s hair is starting to twine around his fingers… and that’s as far as we’ve gotten; so much suspense right now!!! After that, I went to my speaking class and dived straight into my presentation, and that went pretty well, although I did go overtime; we all did. And this time we really knew about it because Saigo Sensei brought in a time, and it beeped rather obnoxiously after 5 minutes; he was on the ball though, and was quick to silence it. That done, I went over to the club room and practiced Miyabi with Maarika and Mori Sempai until about 1, when I had to get to class; I ate some onigiri in the lounge before-hand.

In Gender and Sexuality, most of the lesson was taken up watching “Shinjuku Boys”, which was a documentary about Onabe, working in a club in Shijuku. Onabe are women who identify more strongly as men, and display hetero-normative masculine behaviour; the male equivalent is Okama. You could say they are transgender, and a few were taking hormone treatments; gender re-assignment surgery was illegal in Japan at the time. The doco cented around three “women”, who worked at this particular club where Onabe dress up as men (and act like men) and serve women; presumably straight women. It get’s stranger… two of them were in a relationship, one with a girl who identifies herself as straight and sees “him” as a guy, just with a penis, and the other one is with a drag queen who had had his genitals removed; that was a very interesting case. The third was more of a play “boy” (it serious didn’t take me long to refer to this person as a he), who reminded me of the guys in the host club in the other doco we watched; basically playing on women. I found the whole think fascinating. We also got our review sheet for the quiz next week, and the final take home exam criteria sheet; that was just depressing. Somehow, I’m going to squeeze everything in.

After class, I went to the club room once more, and after a bit more practice, we got set up in the club hall on the first floor, in preparation for the all the culture club presentations. This went from 5 till 6:30, and there were some great performances; I wish I had brought my video camera. Before we performed, two guys played an amazing piece on acoustic guitar and after us was the chorus club. They sang Angela Aki’s “Tegami”, which made me mega happy; it’s one of my favourite songs to sing at karaoke. It made me miss high school choir a lot though. It was nice to see that there were two international students in the club (both guys), which was great considering there were only two other guys. I would have been right there to support them, had I not joined the koto club. But then I think, “been there, done that”, and I’m glad I’m trying something new. Our performance went quite well, and I think that’s the biggest crowd I’ve performed in front of; at least 30 people. I’m really happy with the progress I’m made, and when I look back, I really have come far from my humble beginnings playing Sakura sakura. Maybe, I’ll be able to pick up the koto again someday. The event ended with the dance club, and we got to see ballroom, tango, salsa and contemporary; the cotemporary performance was definitely the best. By that time, it was 6:30 and after packing up, I had to rush home in order to make it in time for the meeting at 7; well, I didn’t have to rush that much.

I had time enough to get back to my room, and talk to Hugo about the night bus. He recommended a site to me that was really comprehensive, and we found a bus from Hirakatashi to Tokyo, which is wonderful. I’m going to have a lot of luggage, and I’m not going to want to lug it too far. So, I have to book that very soon. The meeting, our last meeting, was over in about half an hour, and afterwards Yuji approached me about the farewell party a.k.a. “Academic Party” (I love Yuji so much, xD), and asked if I would make my Milo biscuits for everyone again; I guess they really were a hit. Since I would receive money to pay for the ingredients, I was more than happy to oblige. Also, I get to play the koto for it; that’ll definitely be my last time. I’m going to try and play Miyabi; I’ll have to fust the first and second koto parts so it doesn’t sound too empty. So, that’s something else to look forward to. After that, we were pretty much off, as so as everyone was ready. Since Julie didn’t have a bike, she rode on the back of mine; I was a bit wobbly at first, but soon got used to it. Suddenly, I’m feeling very tired. I’m going to have a good sleep in tomorrow, and the get my sakubun done; hopefully…

Day 221 - 8th of April

11:28pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Well the weather turned again, and while it wasn’t as warm as Tuesday, at least it was nice and sunny… I woke up a bit after 9, and took a while to get ready; I wanted to look good for the koto performance. I ended up wearing my new shirt, with a vest over the top; I was really happy with the look. It also kept m warm enough that I didn’t have to bother with a jumper. I got to uni at about 10:30, and after dropping my bag off in the performance room (Midori and Mori Sempai were already playing), I had a bit of a walk, and took photos of the events going on, including the cheerleading, and rock band performance. I got back to the room for 11, and soon enough, it was our turn to perform in front of a small group of freshman; potential entrants to our club. Our first time through Sandan went okay, but Kyoningyo no yume was actually pretty terrible to be completely honest; my pages were out of order so I completely lost it at one point. After Maarika and I had played, Midori and Mori Sempai again took up playing, Mori offering my some glue to stick the Kyoningyo no yume sheet music together; good plan.

During this time, Rose and another guy (I’ve regrettably forgotten his name) came in, and were promptly served tea by the tea ceremony club, all garbed in kimono; and very beautiful kimono at that. Just as Midori and Mori Sempai had finished playing, a girl in the audience dropped her tea bowl; since it was ceramic it smashed. In a way, it was a fitting end to an intense piece like Kagaribi. Then we were up again, and this time we did a lot better at both pieces although, Kyoningyo no yume still wasn’t as good as Sandan; and it’s supposed to be the easier piece! Oh well, we have practiced sandan longer after all. Natalie had arrived by this time, so she played hanagoromo, and Maarika and I helped her; it turned out… okay. As soon as we finished, I had to rush off to class; it was a bit of a shame I couldn’t stay and support everyone. I ended up being a little late, but Saigo Sensei understood; he always does. The class was in the middle of watching a video about origami, but I caught the majority of it; it was quite funny actually. After that, we got into the serious stuff; as serious as Saigo Sensei’s classes can be that is.

In the break between classes, I got my homework done, and read a little more of the interview write-ups. In religion, we went on to discuss them all; some in more detail than others. Mine, which showed a pretty “typical” (the professor liked to put that word in quotation marks) representation of a Japanese person’s religious beliefs, was only glossed over, which was understandable; I didn’t have anything to add. Overall, it was really interesting listening to every ones ideas and input on other’s write-ups, and this is further helping to shape my perceptions of Japanese society. After class, I went down to check my mail, and there was another letter from Nanny and Poppy. Then I made my way back home, as I was extremely hungry. However many distractions lay in my path and it was a battle to get through them. First of all, the marching band and colour guard were performing out on the basket ball courts, so I had to watch that; it was so good. Actually, the band performed the theme from Mario Bros, which was so cool; I got it on video! After that, I saw Rebecca in the crowd and went over to talk to her; she was helping to recruit new members to her circle. I talked with her and a few Japanese people for a little while, and then finally had to excuse myself; I escaped.

I noticed Katie as I was heading towards the bike parking, but thankfully our interchange was relatively short; she had to go to Fresco for groceries. Riding home, I took a few photos of the Sakura across from Komatsu. Of course when I got back, I practically raced to my room to dump my stuff, and then went up to the kitchen to eat; so satisfying. After lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Alex. She wants to go on one last holiday together over Golden Week, so we were looking for a good place and accommodation; we’re thinking 彦根 (Hikone) at the moment. I also talked with Dad for a while, which was really nice; we don’t often get to talk for very long. 6:30 rolled around, and after getting in my laundry, I went upstairs for dinner; yay for leftover yakisoba. I stayed up there and chatted, and watched TV (lucky TV personalities going around Disneyland and eating all the food), until just after 8:30. Then I came back down here, and got my Reading and Writing homework done; that was a bit of a mission. The rest of the night was pretty chill though…

Day 215 - 2nd of April

5:32pm　特急

天気：晴れ

Hugo and I didn’t end up going to sentou last night since Yuji had to talk with Otousan. By the time they had finished it was almost 11 o’clock, so we decided it would be best if we didn’t go; we’re going to go on Monday instead. Oh well, it just meant that I had some more time to study, and read Reborn; I’m getting close to finishing. Katie, Sarah and I are on our way to see the light up at Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Although it was raining this morning, the weather has cleared up now, so it’s going to be great. Today was the orientation day for the incoming Japanese students to Kansai Gaidai, so there were masses of people in black business suits; men and women alike. At Tambabashi now…

6:11pm　地下鉄

On the subway to Karasuma-oike, to change over for Nijo; it’s almost dark now, and it’s not overly cold. Anyway, today… I woke up just before 8, and got to uni a little early. In Reading and Writing, we spent most of the lesson covering the grammar points in the textbook, most of which we’ve come across before; always a good thing. Then it was on to Speaking, and Saigo sensei played us another song by Moriyama Naotorou called 涙 (Namida- tears). We watched the music video, and again it was very simple; he sat there naked for most of it! Well, he certainly knows how to make low-budget videos; I was quite effective actually. After that, Saigo sensei showed us a really cool onomatopoeia animation; very cute. Then we got into the grammar; we’re revising passive, causative, and causative-passive. After class, I got a snack from the convenience store, and then made my way over to the club building. Within, I found Maarika and Kirianna waiting for Mori Sempai. Kirianna is in my Religion class, and I had not realised she had joined koto club; I haven’t been to the practices for a while. Maarika received a text from Mori Sempai saying she wouldn’t be coming until 1, so we decided to just go to the club room to practice.

I practiced sandan for a while, and then wanted to practice the new piece, 京人形の夢 (Kyoningyo no yume – Dreams of a Kyoto Doll). So, not having a copy of my own, I took Marrika’s to the convenience store to copy. I got back just before Maarika had to leave for class, so at least I could get her copy back to her. Then it was just Kirianna and me; she was practicing Sakura sakura. Soon after 12, we got interrupted by two Japanese girls; they opened the door, looked in, and then closed it again. I guessed they were looking for Mori Sempai, so I went out and met them in the hall. One of the girls “maybe” wanted to join the club. We talked for a while, and then I let her know that Mori Sempai would be back at 1; they left shortly after. With that, I got back to practice, and gave Kirianna some pointers. When Mori Sempai did arrive, she talked to us about next week’s concert, and then asked if Kirianna had been practicing hanagoromo; she hadn’t even received the music. Upon hearing this, Mori Sempai apologised and immediately provided her with the music; she’s got a week to get it down! I help her with the first page, and then had to leave for class.

As soon as I got there, I noticed a number of my classmates staring down at the grounds; they were “checking out the freshies”. I couldn’t help but to join them, and continued to watch until the professor came in. Today, we talked about Japan’s population crisis, motherhood, and watched an interesting segment for a documentary describing two foreign women’s lives in Japan married to farmers in Hokkaido. After class, I went back to the club building, and got a bit more practice on koto; Maarika and I were able to play Kyoningyo no yume together. At about 4 we packed up, and then I did a quick shop at Fresco, before riding home; it was sunny by this point. As soon as I got back, I went to the kitchen, unpacked my groceries, and then had an early dinner; last night’s pasta bake on toast. Katie soon joined me, confirming that we would be leaving for Nijo castle at 5. So, after eating, I got rugged up, and then met then in the lounge. We took the bus down to Hirakatashi, and caught the train from there. We’ve just arrived at Karasuma-oike now…

8:14pm　二条城

I’m sitting here waiting watching a koto performance in one of the halls in Nijo Castle. They’re playing very un-Japanese sounding pieces, which is actually pretty cool; a nice way to finish off the walk around the grounds. Well, we’re going to go get something to eat now…

9:08pm　スター・バックス

We’re in Starbucks, and I’m about to enjoy a caramel steamer; they aren’t selling the sakura steamer anymore. Oh well, give this a go…

9:41pm　特急

Now we’re on the train back to Hirakatashi. Tonight was really great… after getting to Nijo castle, we made our way around the designated route, laterns lighting our path. We soon come upon a grove of sakura, spotlights illuminating their flowers. A lot of the trees weren’t in full bloom, which was a little disappointing, but this was the best opportunity I had to come, so I took it. Throughout the night, I kept switching between my video camera and photo camera; at one point, I had one in each hand. We continued on from the first grove, past the inner moat, which was lit up creating interesting patterns on the castle walls; the carp were also surfacing in the lit up areas. There were some really cool works of art on display, each one using light as a medium; a tree, lotus, “paper crane”, and some sort of abstract statue. Getting to the eastern side of the grounds, we walked past the tea house, and garden with bamboo all lit up green. Sarah’s batteries had died so, since we have the same camera, I let her borrow mine. Unfortunately, for some reason, they died after 5 minutes; I’m thinking the lower voltage here in Japan isn’t charging the batteries as well. So that was a bit of a shame; luckily my first set lasted. Anyway, we’re almost at the station, so I’ll continue later…

11:06pm

I just got home and had a shower; feels great to lie down!!! Anyway, to wrap up tonight’s adventures… We soon came upon another large grove of sakura, and this one was much more promising than the first. Some of the trees were so big they spanned the pathway, and most were at full bloom, except for the weeping varieties. After marvelling at them for a while, we rounded a corner to find ourselves surrounded by stores selling foodstuffs and traditional craftwork. I wasn’t really interested in any of that, but the sound of music drew me to the hall where the koto performances were taking place; there were three set up in front of a huge ikebana display. We had to wait until 8:20 for the next performance, but it was definitely worth it; I was able to record the entirety of the first piece before the batteries run out. The performers (all female and dressed in kimono), played 3 pieces, and as I said they didn’t sound very traditional; I seriously thought I recognised one of the pieces, but just couldn’t pick it.

After that we made our way over to the souvenir shop, taking a few photos of our shadows on the wall en route. I, of course had to get some more pins for my bag. Katie on the other hand, got a really nice tapestry depicting a scene in Kyoto. Satisfied, we made our way back to the subway, and took it to Sanjo. Once there, we walked over to the Starbucks on the other side of the river, and each indulged in some warm beverages while soaking in the view of the river. Finally, we made our way back to Hirakatashi on the Keihan line, sitting in the upstairs compartment of the train carriage. As soon as we exited the station, we noticed the bus for home had already pulled in, and quickly rushed over to board it. We really didn’t have to though, because it was another 5 minutes before it actually left, and by that time it was absolutely packed… I’ve just uploaded my photos from tonight now, and most of them are really blurry, but oh well; I don’t expect much from my camera at night. Tomorrow’s trip to Nara will be perfect though. I should be meeting Julie in the lounge at 9, so I’d better get some sleep now, and pray for good weather…

Day 210 - 28th of March

10:11pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Even though I spent the entire day inside, it was far from unproductive; a fitting end to the spring break… I got up at around 10, and after getting ready for the day, I tried to get in touch with the family over skype; I had to get set up in the lounge since Hugo was still sleeping. 30 minutes later, and they still hadn’t picked up; I rung them several times throughout the day, with no luck. So I ended up not talking with them at all, which is a bit of a bummer. Anyway, getting to my room, I worked on my blog until lunchtime; still had a bit to go. I sat and ate with Rachel and Ash, and we talked for a while. When I came back downstairs, I was able to talk with Carly, and we started to plan Tokyo, so I’m going to book the hostel very soon. We talked until almost 2:30, and then it was time for me to get ready for the music party. The koto was already in the lounge, but I also had to retrieve the makura and music stand; okaasan calls it a 立 (tate) which means “to stand”. She also brought out the stand for the koto (same as the ones we used during INFES), which was great cause I meant I could sit on a chair; much better than sitting in seiza on a tiled floor.

Shortly after 5, the performances started, kicking off with Tristan on guitar, which was really amazing; he used so many difficult-looking techniques. I recognised the melody he was playing, and later when I was talking to him about it, he revealed that it was an arrangement from one of Ryuichi Sakimoto’s pieces; I have some of his music. So yeah, I really enjoyed that. Then, it was my turn, and I ended up just playing Hanagoromo, and Sakara sakura at Okaasan’s request; I think everyone enjoyed it. After that, Biancha and Yuji did there Manzai skit, which was absolutely hilarious; they had obviously put a lot of time into it. The skit actually explained what manzai was in a mock classroom setting, so it was not only very funny, but educational too. Manzai is basically stand-up comedy that involves two performers – the tsukkomi and the boke. The boke is basically the idiot, who misinterprets things, forgets, and slips up a lot, and it’s the tsukkomi’s job to correct the boke, and this usually involves physical and verbal abuse. I thought Biancha and Yuji portrayed the roles really well. Biancha was looking for volunteers from the “class”, and every time it was inevitably Yuji. He was supposed to demonstrate how a tsukkomi is supposed to act, but every single time, he ended up becoming the boke; so clever.

So I thoroughly enjoyed that. Then it was time for Otousan to sing, accompanied by Tristan on guitar. He sang sukiyaki, which many of us know, and he did a really good job of it; Otousan’s so awesome. Then it was Brett’s turn on saxophone, and he played some cool jazz. Finally, it was everyone’s turn. After a bit of stuffing around, we ended up getting everyone to sing, John Denver’s “Take me home, Country Roads”. Of course, Yuji made me take the microphone, not that I minded too much; it was kinda fun. That done we had a big group photo around the koto, and then everyone began to slowly disperse. Getting back to my room, I finally got my blog completely up-to-date, and uploaded some more photos to facebook. Soon enough it was time for dinner and I made spaghetti Bolognese, using the taco sauce; turned out tasting really good. I was joined by Ash, Sarah, Rachel, and Katie, while I enjoyed a word game show on TV; I could actually understand some of the questions. Eventually it was just Ash, Rachel, and I, watching the international figure skating competition hosted in Italy; as usual, Rachel was in her happy place. We cheered for the Japanese girls, who were doing really well.

At around 9, I decided it was time to retire for the night, but ended up bumping into Rachael. She was looking for Sarah, but couldn’t find her anyway; a lot of Firefly references ensued. I came up to her room, and she told me that she had looked in Ash and Katie’s room for her, but couldn’t find her. I was then lucky enough to get two CDs off her to burn; the Yoshida Brothers’ “Prism”, and the music from Sengoku Basara, an anime. I’m listening to it now, and it’s really epic. I then went to check in Ash and Katie’s room, and found Sarah casually sitting on Katie’s futon; she told me she had hidden out on the balcony. I had come in here to collect the purikura photos from last Saturday; I got mine, and also went back down to the kitchen to give Rachel hers. Getting back to my room, I found a note and a cookie taped to the door handle; it was a little thank you from the RAs. I had a shower and washed my hair; which still really needs to be cut. Simon got his cut today, and I must say it looks very… interesting; I don’t think I’ll be getting it cut like that. Anyway, maybe I’ll get it done this week. Hugo soon returned, finding a cookie and note on the handle for him too; for lending his cords to Yuji for the music party. He was soon out the door again, leaving me alone for the second time today; he had gone out to Kyoto to watch a movie with a friend. He had also found yatsuhashi, the wonders of which I had introduced to him last week; he’s hooked, just like Diego was. Ah, classes start again tomorrow; I guess I’m looking forward to it. My time here is rapidly expiring, but I still got a lot to do…

Day 208 - 26th of March

11:15pm　セミナーハウス

天気：　晴れ

Today was another exhausting day spent in Kyoto; at least the weather had improved, although it was still very cold… I woke up at 8 and had scrambled eggs for breakfast, before getting ready for the outing. I met Sarah and Rachael out in the corridor just before 9, and after talking for a bit, Sarah commented that we were supposed to be wearing formal clothes; I was just wearing jeans. So I quickly got changed into my pants and shirt, but not before giving Rachel a big hug; she had just arrived back from Tokyo. Getting back out, everyone was waiting for me in the lounge (Ash, Katie, Sarah, and Rachael), and as soon as I explained myself, Ash piped up with, “oh you didn’t have to get dressed up”; oh well. The 5 of us were soon on our way to Hirakatashi to pick up Ash’s parents from the hotel. We made a quick stop at the uni, and then continued on foot.

Getting to the hotel, Ash soon collected her parents, and then we went straight to the station, and hopped on the train to Tambabashi, changing over for Kyoto station when we got there. The weather was sunny at this point, and I enjoyed reading Reborn on the way. Getting to Kyoto station, we made our way to the buses, and took number 50 to 上七軒 (Kamishichiken – lit. “Above seven rooves”). On the way, we witnessed a freak hail storm, the ice so small it was almost like snow; though it was definitely falling too fast. So as you can imagine, when we got off the bus, the weather had considerably worsened, although it wasn’t quite raining as yet. We walked across the street, and after a while took a right, going past 天満宮 (Tenmangu – the shrine Katie and Sarah had gone to, to see the plum blossoms) before reaching our destination; the 上七軒歌舞練場 (kamishichiken kaburenba?). It was almost 12 by this point, so we purchased out tickets, and then walked back out onto the main drag to grab a snack from 7/11; the rain starting to come down.

We got back soon after, and entered the establishment, immediately presented with a view of a beautiful garden and pond, as we made our way through a raised passage, and up stairs to a waiting room, which was filled with orchids. We were soon ushered on to another room where a tea ceremony was taking place. After a bit of a wait (the room had fill up), we were allowed entering, and were soon sitting down enjoying anko-filled mochi and sipping green tea while watching two women clad in kimono conducting the ceremony; a beautiful and refined art form in its own right. The coolest thing was that we got to keep the ceramic plate they served the mochi on, each yellow, blue, or green, and bearing the name of the performance, 北野をどり (Kitano wo dori) on the underside; I got a yellow one. After watching the ceremony, we continued on through a corridor, and down stairs (I was loving it) to a room selling merchandise; I decided to pick up some postcards. They also had DVDs of the performances that I really would have liked to get, except for the fact that they wouldn’t work back home; damn region locking.

Anyway, we spent a little bit of time out in the garden, taking photos, and getting a bit wet in the rain before going into the main theatre hall, and taking our seats; I was almost dead centre. The performance that ensued would have had to have been the most beautiful and traditionally Japanese activity I have ever witnessed; it was beyond words. The sets were stunning, the costumes amazing, and the music and singing enchanting; well I guess it really wasn’t beyond words. But still, I was really, really impressed, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing; it lasted for a little over an hour. There were three “acts” (with short intermissions in between), and Ash was able to recognise the second one as the story of the 47 Ronin; so in fact the all female ensemble were taking on male roles. A lot of the acting was done through mime and allusion, each movement elegant and filled with purpose. There was a live and visible orchestra, consisting of at first, shamisen, voice, flute, and a few types of drums; this lessened to just shamisen and voice after the first act. However, there was also additional voice and music played offstage.

The women were so beautiful in all their different outfits, and there was a huge range in age, from the beginner maiko to the veteran geisha; one of the really old ones was actually having a bit of trouble getting up during the last act. We all had a bit of a laugh afterwards about the “ninja curtain closer”; a guy dressed all in black, manning the curtains as the performers entered and exited from the side. Another thing I really liked was the added touch of “snow”, or “cherry blossoms” falling onto the stage. We were all in awe by the end of it, and I was a little disappointed when it was over; maybe I’ll be able to see it again soon. It had bucketed down while we were in the theatre, but when we exited it was sunny once again. After finding out how cheap the program was, I had to buy one. So now I have a book full of beautiful pictures; at least I can show people something since we couldn’t take any photos. We walked back to the bus stop, and were soon on the bus back to Kyoto station.

Getting there, we walked across to the other side, to Miyako-michi, and I had a moment of déjà vu, having just been here with Alex and her Nan and Aunt on Tuesday. What was different was the water jet sequence, which we had to show Ash’s parents; there were love hearts this time. But before that, we went to lunch at a Chinese place, and it was really good. I decided to just get some dumplings, and spring roles, but Katie, Ash, and her parents got sets, and they looked really good; I got to finish Ash’s rice. After that Rachael and Sarah, split, and so the rest of us spent some more time in the station, taking in Kyoto city from the sky garden, and walking through a suspended corridor, which offered a really good view of Kyoto tower. Getting back down, we decided to take the subway to Shijo, since Ash wanted to show her parent’s Yasaka shrine.

Getting to Shijo, it was a bit of a walk to get to Yasaka, though very cool; so many shops and interesting buildings. It was almost nightfall by the time we got there, and very cold. It was well worth it though; after walking through the shrine we went onto the park and saw a beautiful old cherry blossom at about 50 percent bloom. It was all lit up, and my photos really don’t do it justice; most of them are terribly blurry. I’ll definitely have to go back in the near future, to see it in the daytime. Going back into the shrine, Ash’s mum picked up a “safety in birth” Omamori for Ash’s sister, and then we went to the nearby Starbucks. I was a little reluctant, but seeing the sakura steamer on the menu, I knew I had to try it; everyone else got it too. Again, I was amazed at the taste of sakura, and have accepted the fact that it is completely unique. The drink was really interesting and strangely, the sakura “powder” (presumably the crushed petals) that was sprinkled on top was salty; very odd. The drink itself though was sweet, but I don’t know how much of that is thanks to sugar and cream. Anyway, it was certainly something to try.

After Starbucks, we made our way back to Hirakatashi on the sub-express, and I read reborn for a while, and then had a bit of a sleep. I’m really happy with my progress; I’ve already gotten through 58 pages; much better than Deltora Quest. Mind you, most of the pages are taken up with pictures, but still; it is very fulfilling to get through a decent amount of text. Once we got back, we bought some takoyaki to enjoy back in the hotel room, which was actually really, really small. This was Ash’s Parents’ last full day in Japan, and I know they really enjoyed it, because I sure did. Ash will be going to see them off tomorrow, and then they’ll be making their way to the airport, and home; it was great to meet them. The three of us then walked back home, Katie and I doing a bit of grocery shopping midway; I went to Kirindo, and then met up with her in Fresco. It was freezing walking back, and I was so glad of the warmth once inside again. I unpacked my groceries, and talked with Hugo in the kitchen for a bit, before getting everything from today sorted out. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere tomorrow, but that’ll give me a chance to get my blog in order. I’m also thinking about going to get my hair done, but we’ll just have to wait and see…