Compared to yesterday today was fairly relaxed and quite nice actually. This morning I got to talk to Isaac on meebo for a bit and relax in my room before I went out to exchange some money and go to my lesson. I exchanged the money no problem and got to Musashino Gakki 10 minutes early. I stopped in the shop to by the koto music book and ended up buying myself my own personal finger picks as well. They were pretty cheap according to Nakamura-sensei so it was good I got them. Plus I was able to pay for everything by credit card (thus keeping cash on hand) and the boss there, Mr. Motomura, gave me a little bag for the picks free. He's so nice. My lesson went well I think. Mostly I need to work on my technique and timing. Timing being the most difficult for me. I got to overlap Eddie's lesson a little bit since my started late and we work on Chogeshi together. It was a little difficult for me because I'm used to listening to a ryuteki when practicing but I think it went well.
After my lesson I went back next door to the shop to buy a cover for my koto score book but since it's a bigger book there was none. I'll just have to make one, maybe out of the paper bag from the store. Anyways, Mr. Motomura gave me another present. While I was asking about the covers he asked if I had the tuning forks or something like it to tune the koto. I said no that I hadn't bought them. Then he goes into these little bins and pulls out two to give me, FOR FREE. One will tune to E the other to A. It was so nice of him. I was so thankful. He really treats me well, I've gotten a free phone sticker and a cover for my other score book for free also from him. I think I'll send a nice note and maybe a small gift when I get back to New York.
After that I headed back to the dorms but stopped in Urawa hoping to change some more money at the Citibank there. Unfortunately they closed at 3pm. I then took a leisurely walk back to the dorms from there. It wasn't too far and I got to take some funny pictures along the way including one of a drink in a vending machine. It was for a rather odd looking soda called Fanta mou mou White. Mou mou being the sound a cow makes, the bottle looked like a cows spots too and it said it had calcium. I was intrigued and maybe I'll buy one tomorrow since it's only 100 Yen. I'm going back to the Citibank tomorrow since I don't have any classes so it should be a relaxing day as well. Well for now I'm going to work on some things.
Jya.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Japan Sword and Dinner
Today started off well. I met up with Matt at the subway again and we headed to Tokyo station first to take care of getting Shinkansen tickets for our trips to Osaka and Nara for the next two days. Then we headed over to Toranomon station to go to Japan Sword. We stopped at the little shrine right by the subway exit first and took some pictures, then we headed over. As remembered their collection was impecable. The guy who gave me and Isaac the tour last time was there but we didn't get a guided tour like last time. We did get to go up and see the second and third floors which are more like a museum. The second floor had many tanto, wakazashi, old guns, and fittings for swords that were really cool to look at. On the third floor they had ancient armor, bows, battle masks, large screens with battle scenes depicted and other things like that. I was sad that the armor for the horses I saw a few years back wasn't there anymore, maybe it was purchased. I found out the swords that I loved with the Mount Fuji pattern on them were sold. It's too be expected but I was still sad I didn't get to see them again. I picked up a couple of souvenirs and then waited while Matt debated buying a sword. He hemmed and hawed but in the end decided not to get one. Of course he can always buy one online from the store. The guy who gave us the tour last time was the one who rung me up and he also let me know that there was a biwa maker around the corner. Matt and I stopped in but I really didn't know what to say so after asking about the possibility of getting a biwa fixed we left. Then we stopped at a coffee shop because Matt was hungry. After that we went over to the area by the ANA hotel because I wanted to exchange some money but it seems the TravelEx in the Akasaka Twin Towers closed and so after being directed to one of their main offices I decided to just exchange my money in Shinjuku before the orientation meeting. Matt and I went our seperate ways, me back to the dorms to get ready and meet up with the others and Matt presumably back to the hotel. I got back in just enough time to change and get ready before we left for Shinjuku.
At Shinjuku, Yamamoto-san was actually running late and so since we had gotten there early I was easily able to exchange my money before we met up with her. After I changed some money, and Jeff too, we went upstairs from the TravelEx office to the MacDonald's. I ended up being the only one to get a snack of Shaka-shaka chicken and a small soda but it was fine. Then we went back to the train station to meet up with Yamamoto-san only to end up in the department store right back next to the MacDonald's. There was a cafe in the department store where we had our orientation meeting. I found Yamamoto-san to be a bit disorganized and while I know I'm here to help her out I felt like she was relying on me too much for help with things. But whatever, I feel better in the long run taking care of things myself. After the orientation she took us, along with her husband and Mr. Tanabe(who is apparently a publisher?) to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building so we could go up the North Tower for a nice view of Tokyo. Coincidentally I ran into Matt there. While we were all on line for the elevator to go up the tower Eddie said to me, "Hey, don't you know him?" And sure enough, I turn around and there is Matt. So I called him over and we decided that if it wasn't too late that we would try to go to perhaps Shibuya or something after my dinner.
After taking a quick look around up in the tower we headed back over toward Shinjuku station to the restaurant for the welcome dinner. At the dinner this year were Sasamoto-sensei, Nakamura-sensei, Miura-sensei, Komoda-sensei, Yagi-sensei (who will be filling in for Sasamoto-sensei while he is in Paris), and of course Yamamoto-san, her husband, Tanabe-san, and Professor Ruch. Dinner was very nice and went very smoothly. At some point Jeff and Komoda-sensei had a discussion which led to Jeff going to her house after dinner, it was closeby, to pick up a biwa so he could use it for practice and lessons at Musashino. After he left the rest of us (sans the senseis and Prof. Ruch who had all left) walked around by Shinjuku station a bit and took some pictures. Then we headed to the station so that the three of us could meet Jeff at Ikebukuro station on the way back to the dorms. As it turned out he got on an express train before we got to Ikebukuro and the three of us went right to Akabane. We lost Jiahe as she got on a train before Eddie or I could but then we found Jeff. So in the end we all made it back all right. Before we had left the restaurant though I let Matt know that I wasn't feeling too well and that I was going to go back and rest before the long weekend of sightseeing in Osaka and Nara. I think it was a good decision since I hadn't been feeling well in the morning either.
Well tomorrow is Osaka aquarium, the ferris wheel, and then Kobe for the long awaited steakhouse meal.
Jya!
At Shinjuku, Yamamoto-san was actually running late and so since we had gotten there early I was easily able to exchange my money before we met up with her. After I changed some money, and Jeff too, we went upstairs from the TravelEx office to the MacDonald's. I ended up being the only one to get a snack of Shaka-shaka chicken and a small soda but it was fine. Then we went back to the train station to meet up with Yamamoto-san only to end up in the department store right back next to the MacDonald's. There was a cafe in the department store where we had our orientation meeting. I found Yamamoto-san to be a bit disorganized and while I know I'm here to help her out I felt like she was relying on me too much for help with things. But whatever, I feel better in the long run taking care of things myself. After the orientation she took us, along with her husband and Mr. Tanabe(who is apparently a publisher?) to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building so we could go up the North Tower for a nice view of Tokyo. Coincidentally I ran into Matt there. While we were all on line for the elevator to go up the tower Eddie said to me, "Hey, don't you know him?" And sure enough, I turn around and there is Matt. So I called him over and we decided that if it wasn't too late that we would try to go to perhaps Shibuya or something after my dinner.
After taking a quick look around up in the tower we headed back over toward Shinjuku station to the restaurant for the welcome dinner. At the dinner this year were Sasamoto-sensei, Nakamura-sensei, Miura-sensei, Komoda-sensei, Yagi-sensei (who will be filling in for Sasamoto-sensei while he is in Paris), and of course Yamamoto-san, her husband, Tanabe-san, and Professor Ruch. Dinner was very nice and went very smoothly. At some point Jeff and Komoda-sensei had a discussion which led to Jeff going to her house after dinner, it was closeby, to pick up a biwa so he could use it for practice and lessons at Musashino. After he left the rest of us (sans the senseis and Prof. Ruch who had all left) walked around by Shinjuku station a bit and took some pictures. Then we headed to the station so that the three of us could meet Jeff at Ikebukuro station on the way back to the dorms. As it turned out he got on an express train before we got to Ikebukuro and the three of us went right to Akabane. We lost Jiahe as she got on a train before Eddie or I could but then we found Jeff. So in the end we all made it back all right. Before we had left the restaurant though I let Matt know that I wasn't feeling too well and that I was going to go back and rest before the long weekend of sightseeing in Osaka and Nara. I think it was a good decision since I hadn't been feeling well in the morning either.
Well tomorrow is Osaka aquarium, the ferris wheel, and then Kobe for the long awaited steakhouse meal.
Jya!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Kyoto
Well, I ended up not sleeping at all but on the plus side I'm all unpacked and settled in. I made it perfectly on time to meet Matt at his subway station, in fact I was early. We got on the Shinkansen and since I wanted to take some nice pictures (I actually got some of Fujisan this time) and make sure we got off at the right stop I didn't really sleep on the train. After getting our one-day bus passes we caught the bus for Kinkakuji, furthest thing from the station we were seeing. It was still absolutely breathtaking. And since it wasn't August the weather wasn't that bad. It was hot but I didn't feel like the air was drowning me in humidity. After Kinkakuji we wandered down the road to Ryoanji for the famous rock garden. It was nice and relaxing but as we walked over we saw the rain clouds moving in. As we were finishing with the rock garden and moving back out to the rest of the gardens it began to rain. Luckily it was a passing shower and not too heavy so by the time we made our way to the bus stop for the bus to Nijo Castle it was letting up. Nijo Castle was a first for me in all my times to Japan and well worth the trip. It was beautiful preserved and I felt like any minute a daimyo would wander by me. The Nightingale floors were quite funny. They were specially built to squeak when stepped on to prevent intruders and assassins from getting it. It was fun to squeak as we walked around the castle. The art on the ceilings and in the rooms were fantastic and even though we weren't supposed to take pictures Matt snuck a few in. They came out pretty well too. We then went out into the gardens, which were lovely, saw the rest of the complex and finished just as the castle was closing for the day. After that we made our way over to Gion and after stopping into a for a quick meal at Lotteria we went and saw one last shrine and then headed back to the train station. We had a little while to wait before the train though and it seems that exhaustion finally caught up with me as I started to have micronaps while we were waiting for the Shinkansen. It finally came though and I had just enough time after arriving back at Tokyo station to catch the second to last train on the Keihen-Tohoku line for Kita-Urawa. Tomorrow we're going to Japan Sword in the morning and then I have the orientation meeting and welcome dinner so it looks like a full day. Oyasumi.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Back in the J A P A N (It's not quite as melodic as USSR)
Well,
Here I am again, back in Japan. Back in Saitama. It feels very much like how I used to go back to college yearly, except this time I end up in a not so foreign foreign contry. The flight over was actually very nice. It felt like it went rather quickly and we ended up landing about a half hour early. At the airport Jeff and I met up with Jiahe and Eddie and then Matt found us as we were about to exchange some money. After getting Matt his ticket on the Narita Express so he could go to his hotel and getting our tickets for the trip to Kyoto the next day, the rest of us set off to rent some phones and then make our way out here to Kita-Urawa. I ended up having to put Jeff and Jiahe's phones on my credit card but they will pay me back. Good thing I was here I guess otherwise they would have been out of luck. After that was taken care of we boarded the Keisei Skyliner, met up with Yamamoto-san at Nippori, and then continued on to Kita Urawa. Yamamoto-san seems nice, though I miss Terumi. After we got our room keys and aisatsu-ed the people here we each took a quick shower, and then got some ramen for dinner. After dinner I met up with Matt at his hotel and we headed over to Roppongi for some hookah. He wanted to sit in the back away from the loud music, which apparently is the VIP section back there though we didn't know it, and unfortunately the drink special they have was only on weekends. The bill was a lil pricey but not bad. We took some pictures of Tokyo Tower afterwards, then after a little walking around I directed him back to his hotel and I came back here. A long day with only a longer one tomorrow. I think I'll just stay up all night and unpack or I'm afraid I won't be up in time to make the train to Matt before the Shinkansen train. Though I don't know how this'll work since I was up all night before the flight and while I slept some on the flight it wasn't a long uninterupted one. Well we'll see.
Here I am again, back in Japan. Back in Saitama. It feels very much like how I used to go back to college yearly, except this time I end up in a not so foreign foreign contry. The flight over was actually very nice. It felt like it went rather quickly and we ended up landing about a half hour early. At the airport Jeff and I met up with Jiahe and Eddie and then Matt found us as we were about to exchange some money. After getting Matt his ticket on the Narita Express so he could go to his hotel and getting our tickets for the trip to Kyoto the next day, the rest of us set off to rent some phones and then make our way out here to Kita-Urawa. I ended up having to put Jeff and Jiahe's phones on my credit card but they will pay me back. Good thing I was here I guess otherwise they would have been out of luck. After that was taken care of we boarded the Keisei Skyliner, met up with Yamamoto-san at Nippori, and then continued on to Kita Urawa. Yamamoto-san seems nice, though I miss Terumi. After we got our room keys and aisatsu-ed the people here we each took a quick shower, and then got some ramen for dinner. After dinner I met up with Matt at his hotel and we headed over to Roppongi for some hookah. He wanted to sit in the back away from the loud music, which apparently is the VIP section back there though we didn't know it, and unfortunately the drink special they have was only on weekends. The bill was a lil pricey but not bad. We took some pictures of Tokyo Tower afterwards, then after a little walking around I directed him back to his hotel and I came back here. A long day with only a longer one tomorrow. I think I'll just stay up all night and unpack or I'm afraid I won't be up in time to make the train to Matt before the Shinkansen train. Though I don't know how this'll work since I was up all night before the flight and while I slept some on the flight it wasn't a long uninterupted one. Well we'll see.
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