Fantastic Taiko Concert!

Imagine 2 worlds colliding. The traditional and the contemporary, the young and old, the professional and the amateur. That was yesterday's taiko concert. Moko's sensei, Sen Amano, and his amazing taiko group came to perform in Tokyo. Of course Moko would incorporate her performance group and her very best students into the concert. It was an impressive show of virtuosic percussion and artistry. Everyone I know would have loved this afternoon of music.



Sen Amano addressing the audience and Moko's students in Japanese.




Amano's group included 6 players. 5 men and one woman.




This drum is much like African talking drums I've seen and played. The pitch of the drum head is adjusted by tightening the lines by pulling or squeezing them.



Note the very large drums on either side of the stage and in the middle. At one point, Amano, wearing a shiny mask and wig, climbed up onto the big drum in the middle and played it from above.

A Night of Music at Stellato

Last night I served as the principal accompanist for the Tokyo International Player's benefit evening called, "Duets."

The benefit venue was a very cool restaurant called Stellato, located on the 3rd floor of a building. This picture was taken at about 4:00 in the afternoon. What you can't see is a large real fireplace in the center of the back which they lit right before the doors opened. It was a lovely touch and the smell of the burning wood fire was pretty wonderful. It's one of those smells that transports me back through time and space and recalls all the wonderful bonfires I have enjoyed with my family and friends.

One of my friends, Patty, who lives in my neighborhood drove me and my piano, stand and piano bench over to the restaurant. We stopped for Starbucks along the way. My treat, to thank her for her trouble. Last year, I bought a case for my full sized keyboard and it rolls, but it is a huge, heavy, inconvenient thing to lug around town. I managed, with a little help from my friends. I must say, I have some pretty wonderful friends here.

So all my theatre friends cleaned themselves up, put on the ritz and performed to the delight of the assembled guests. There were about 70 people who were there for a 5-course dinner and entertainment. I played for 14 of the 20 numbers. I only laid 2 eggs the entire performance, so I am fairly happy with it. There was a great variety of music, lots of show tunes, some jazz, pop, love ballads, comedy...It was actually fun for me, and I got to spend time with some of my favorite FORUM people. (Last spring's production)Hopefully the evening was a financial success and TIP will be able to afford the rights to LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS this Fall. I keep missing out on that one. I really want to do that show. Maybe next year at THS?

Good music, good friends, good cause, good beer (after the show, of course), a good time was had by all.

Last Day in Tokyo

Well, we certainly packed a lot of action into the last day. I won't bore you with the details, but here are the highlights: Tokyo Edo Museum, traditional Japanese lunch (we had to go outside and point to what we wanted), Mitsukoshi for chocolates, Shibuya, dinner at Cafe 8, a trip to Mori Tower observatory and Art Museum, Cold Stone Creamery and finally a walk through Roppongi at night.

I think they have had a great week. They certainly saw and did new things and became somewhat comfortable in this city of 17 million. There are some funny stories to tell, but I know the boys will want to tell you themselves, so I won't deprive them of that pleasure. Every time something strange or embarrassing or funny happened, we just said "There's another good story to tell!"

We will put them on the express train to the airport tomorrow and send them back to 'lil old Trumansburg. Perhaps home will never quite look the same.

Fourth Day in Kamakura

The boys with their new friend, "Bud."

Today we took all the boys on the train to Kamakura to see the Giant Buddha by the sea. Matt woke up feeling fine.

They got to experience riding on trains that were pretty full, seeing the city and suburbs and small town Japan. We walked through a Shinto Monastery that had centuries old buildings and plum blossoms. We had a Chinese lunch and determined through the order of who got served that Andrew Dunn is king.

After lunch we hiked to see the Buddha and then went to the beach so the boys could collect sand. I encountered 3 very friendly Japanese people today who gave us directions, offered to take a picture for us and chatted with us on the train.

At the beach they also discovered seaweed, a sea star, and a large hermit crab. It's always amazing to me that no matter how old young men get, they immediately become like little boys when they hit the water's edge.

Third day in Tokyo

Oh D-d-d-dear. Eli is all better. Now Matt is sick in bed with a fever. Eli called his bug "Tokugawa's Revenge." It appears to be making the rounds. Dinner reservations were cancelled, and the boys just left to go out to play pool. Robin is going to lead them to the place in Shibuya, and then they will find their way home on their own.

They left Matt home after lunch today and took an hour's train ride to Mt. Takao with Robin. They walked up and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine, but clouds covered Fuji.

I think the plan is that tomorrow, Robin will take the guys out for the day and I will stay home and care for Matt. So...maybe not a trip to Kamakura. Maybe it will be more Tokyo sights. But whatever the plan is, it will involve lots of hand washing!

Second day in Tokyo

A scene from Yoyogi Koen yesterday...

No new pictures today, but I will tell you that all are feeling better, they left the tu-tus home and went to Shimokitazawa and Akihabara. Shimo is where they buy used clothing for fun and Akihabara is the "electric town" of Tokyo. If you want or need any electronic gadget- Akihabara is the planet's ground zero for such things. It's a techhie paradise. Personally I avoid the place like the plague, (too noisy and crowded for me) but boys love it.

They came back and played a couple of hours of "Blind Ignorance" before supper. We enjoyed lively conversation and lots of laughs over dinner and now they are back out, exploring Shibuya at night. Owen likes to say "SHIBUYA!" (As I did when I first came here- I thought it would make a good nonsense song refrain lyric)

Robin will take tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday off to spend with the guys. I will be free after tomorrow so we will probably go somewhere out of the city on Wednesday...maybe to Kamakura to see the giant Buddha by the sea and the gorgeous temples.

What a great group of guys. I asked Robin tonight if their parents would notice if I just kept them here to entertain me. Suppose anyone would notice?

First day in Tokyo

I find it very amusing that the boys went to Harajuku today to see the sights...and they themselves BECAME the sights. (Some of the older Japanese people were laughing at our boys today.) They found the tutus on Takeshita street. If they are going to be weird and wonderful, this is the city to do it in, for anything goes in Tokyo. They are having fun, eating copious amounts and are very fun to have around.

Fun in Detroit

"The Vegetable Guy"

Here is a picture of our "Vegetable Guy." He parks his vehicular produce store in front of our house Tu-Thu-Sat for about 30 minutes in the early afternoon. Lately, I've missed him, because I've been away from home. He always rings our doorbell but I don't ever answer it. I just go out if I'm home to see what he has. He was very kind to me early on and helped me with my coins and counting in Japanese. He's always cheerful and friendly and uses an abacus on which to do his addition. Today I bought bananas, eggs and a lime for 650 JPY. The biggest apples I've ever seen were on his truck. One of his favorite English expressions is "Oishi! Number One!" ("Oishi" means delicious.) Another bonus besides being completely convenient is that the quality is usually better than that of the the local store. No false advertising there.

The Valentines have arrived!

These roses were a gift from my Valentine today.

Matt and 4 of his Trumansburg friends finally arrived. They were supposed to get here yesterday, but their first flight was cancelled due to the high winds on Thursday morning. So they left Elmira at 7:00 p.m. instead of 10:00 a.m. and spent the night in the Detroit Airport. They caught Flight 11 on Friday instead of Thursday and arrived here this evening, exhausted, hungry and quite smelly. I strongly suggested they bathe,(they did)then they ate supper and now they are all tucked into their beds. It's 8:40 p.m. (!)

I think the thing that did them in was the sleepless night in Detroit. I think they snoozed some but they also danced in the deserted psychedelic tunnel at 2:00 in the morning. I did hear of a security guy in the airport who was very nice to them and gave them blankets... So they were tallying up their sleep in the last 36 hours and it amounted to less than 5 hours on average. It's a good thing they are all young and resilient and ready for adventure.

Thanks to the parents of these young boys (who have been very polite and friendly) for letting them come and stay. As Owen said, "It was a long trip, but it's totally worth it."

Tomorrow, after a long sleep, it's Harajuku Bridge to check out the local bizarre youth culture, the dancing Elvises, and other unique Tokyo sights.

Theory of Evolution

Charles Darwin. Now there was a smart guy. Happy Birthday!

"Modern Biology is proving Darwin more right than he could ever have dreamed."
-NPR

Do you suppose Sarah Palin listens to NPR?

Another Fun Fact

My friend Connie...(she thought I might say that) knows a little about cars in Japan, because her husband works at Nissan. She drives a Nissan vehicle provided by the company. I think that makes her an expert. Anyway today we had lunch and visited the local discount grocery store (with her car!) and she told me an interesting fact.
The cars in Japan all look so shiny and new because they are inspected every few years and have to fix things which are not just mechanical, but also cosmetic. They have to fix dings, dents, interior stuff...unlike in America where if the car has 4 tires and some remnant of brakes left it passes inspection. So here, you never see an old rust bucket on the road. I looked around at cars with new eyes today and could suddenly see shiny, new-looking, pristine automobiles as far as the eye could see. There's your fun fact for the day.

What I'm up to...for those of you who care.

Those of you who know me, know that I am somewhat incapable of striking balance in my life and sticking with it. There's usually something going on, I am at the center of it, and (just ask my husband) usually stressed out about all of it. It's taken me a year and a half, but I feel now in Japan as if I am working full time, co-directing a musical, and preparing for NYSSMA and hosting an All-County simultaneously. I seem to recall somewhere in the not so distant past that I was looking forward to my time in Japan as a respite from a too-busy life. One which was burning me out, fraying my edges, putting me on anti-depressants.

What is my current reality?

Right at the moment, I am preparing about 20 (give or take) accompaniments for a benefit concert for the Tokyo International Players. They are trying to raise funds to afford the rights to "Little Shop of Horrors" for the fall. So they are hosting a dinner, and performance at a restaurant and have invited TIP people to sing "duets" after dinner. I put duets in quotes because some people are turning regular tunes into duets simply by singing them with another person. That is on the 25th. I have been scheduling times to rehearse with all these music theater people, plus scheduling run-throughs and deciding when to move my keyboard to the venue. It's really interesting to get emails from people who say, "Hi Alice. I would like to come at blah blah blah." Not, "Hi Alice, do you have time available at such and such a time?...blah blah blah." I am a student of human behavior and find all this fascinating. (Albeit a little annoying) Of course, it will remain fascinating until I crack, realizing that I am practicing for hours and hours for free, and am being treated rudely to boot. All this will push me over the edge and I will finally get that hockey stick I've been fantasizing about.
Don't get me wrong. I am relishing being a performer for a change. I enjoy the practice time. In the last several years, I began to doubt I was actually a musician, since I didn't really perform myself. My mother used to quote, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach teachers to teach." I can get 250 kids to do the very same thing at the very same moment, but that's not quite the same thing. That's just animation and charisma. I have forever been envious of my friend Russ, because he's such a great performer and a teacher.

The musical, Oliver! has been cast. We auditioned 2 weekends ago and put together what I think will be a strong cast. I look forward to working with a lot of nice and interesting people. I am a little concerned about the chorus for the show, however. There are a lot of non music readers, and a lot of folks who "sing with a band." That means a lot of soloists who have little or no experience singing in an ensemble. (Me:"If you are the only person you can hear, it's not because you are more awesome than everyone else, it's because YOU'RE TOO LOUD!") Blend and balance? New concepts. I hope I will enjoy the challenge. I hope it's not like hiking up hill with rocks in my back pack or going to the dentist to get my teeth drilled. Rehearsals will begin in earnest after the benefit. (Give me a 6th grader who is eager to have fun in my class any day.)

Matt and his 4 friends are arriving on Friday the 13th. I hope that is not some sort of omen. I can't wait to see them. Nice boys all and I am planning some fun things to do with them. Robin and I have been stocking up on food. I have baked brownies and muffins. 5 teen boys can EAT. I will attempt to balance hosting and fun and personal piano practice time. Good thing my keyboard has a head phone jack.

Tokyo Here and Now is a 3-day seminar for newly planted expats. I am co-hosting with one of my best friends over here, Beth Dalton. I wish you could all meet her. You would love her. That seminar is happening in the first week in March. It will be 3 days of speakers, hosting, being on the mic and being large and in charge. Pulling it all together. There are a lot of great women working on this project and I am so pleased to know them. Right now we are hoping to get enough people to sign up so we don't have to cancel it. Tough economic times, as you all know, and fewer people are now relocating in Tokyo. As a matter of fact, lots of people are being sent home by their companies. So the next 2 weeks we will be watching sign ups closely.

I will be playing Taiko and also in a marimba ensemble mid April at the Taiko Gathering Day, masterminded by my sensei, Moko. This is very cool. Taiko class is always a great mental and spiritual high, but playing marimba after all these years is just like opening a present. I took a summer of marimba lessons in high school and loved it. That's as far as I got, but I played mallets in marching band for 3 years and loved that too. My time practicing with Moko is pure gold. Japanese musicians are such perfectionists. It's awe-inspiring.

So between hosting boys, practicing for the benefit, teaching private lessons, preparing for Oliver rehearsals, memorizing Taiko and marimba music and co-chairing the Tokyo Here and Now 3 day seminar, it's no wonder I am a little tied up in knots. I am trying to be very Zen in my approach of each day. Live in the moment. The thing that pulls at my heart is the fact that I have definitely found a niche here, and I will again be re-potting myself in June. There is a richness to my life here that I will definitely miss.

This blog entry was really theraputic for me. Please forgive my self-indulgence. I wanted people to understand that being an expat "trailing spouse" does not necessarily mean being idle. Life is what you make of it. Bloom where you are planted.

Always entertaining

This is a new reconstituted form of powdre, apparently.

Some of the latest Engrish funnies:

"Innar Mongorian Eat + Bar"

and on a Chinese Menu in Akasaka

"We serve our drinks carefully and deliciously."

I could live here for 20 years and never cease to find thrills in the Engrish.

Only in Japan...