Tobitachi is a blog for those of us who take a leap of faith. During the next few years, I will chronicle my journey as a taiko player, a scientist, an art connossieur, and a lover of life.
I haven’t posted anything in a while, but I’m back to write about a seemingly insignificant moment. A moment that has (finally) started me down a path of self-love.
To talk about this moment requires me to reflect back upon the year 2011. I was a sophomore in university, and my self-image was anything but positive: acne, ugly, friendless... of course, these were purely falsehoods I blew out of proportion to feed my unhealthy comfort in self-loathing. My unintended coming out to a friend that winter began my journey of self-discovery, but self-acceptance was a different story. My friends accepted me. My family accepted me. I did not accept me. But in time, my sexuality became a part of me, so much so that my acceptance of being gay disguised itself as acceptance for myself as a human being.
Fast forward to 2014... I moved to Tokyo to pursue my dream, and during my first year here, I was studying and performing with talented musicians, and learning an incredible deal more than I had anticipated. I was improving. But it wasn’t long before the pretty veil was lifted and my self-loathing began again. I was back to my old ways. I was failing to match my image of the “perfect taiko player”: Japanese, muscular, fluid, perfect form, perfect rhythm, talented. The image of perfection was not my own, but that of the player whom I idolized and wanted to become.
A few weeks ago, I was having another unintended conversation with a coworker, and the thoughts of self-loathing were drawn to the surface once again. I was forced to think about myself and the six out of the seven qualities of automatic negative thinkers (ANTs) that I possess.
Two nights later, I had a revelation. For the first time (ever), I had a new image of the “perfect taiko player” in my head: me. I was on stage performing with fluidity, perfect form, and perfect rhythm. For the first time, the image was attainable. For the first time, even if only in my head, I looked カッコいい. A while back, my sempai said something that never really set in:
自分が舞台でカッコいいって思わないと絶対ダメ。
Unless you think of yourself as cool on stage, others won’t think it.
For years, I had an image of perfection that I could never attain because the person in the image wasn’t me; this image reinforced my self-loathing. With my new カッコいい self in sight, I can finally continue my difficult journey to be the best I can be.
Hard to believe that my last post was in April, but so much has been going on that it’s been hard to stay afloat. So much change, some exciting and some heartbreaking, but regardless it was all for the better. This year has been a giant rollercoaster.
Chapter 1: Makeup
Following my taiko recital last January, I had the honor of becoming a sub-member of indra-因陀羅- alongside two other talented individuals. My role in the group changed: I was no longer responsible for remembering what was taught. I quickly became a sponge, absorbing everything that I saw, whether it was repertoire, form, or technique. My name and picture became a part of the website, not to mention I had my first experience with makeup! That stuff is no joke...
Chapter 2: Reconnect
During my Spring Break, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with my father. We took a week-long trip starting in Hiroshima, going through Himeji and Kyoto, and finishing up in Kanazawa. One of my better ryokan and food experiences in Japan was in Kanazawa. Definitely one to go back to.
Chapter 3: Transition
I said goodbye to ASIJ at the end of the school year knowing that many people wanted me to stay. It was tough, but I came to Tokyo to focus on music, and with my increased commitment to indra-因陀羅-, I had to make that change. I became an integral part of the Tokyo Academics (TA) team as I develop curriculum and continue to help the international student body here in Tokyo. I’m humbled to be working with some extremely smart people, and I hope that moving forward I will be able to enrich the way students learn. Looking into the future, I want to work harder to link up with my friends at ASIJ’s Japan Center once again in order to spread my passion for Japanese culture and music throughout the international community in Tokyo.
Chapter 4: Appreciation
This change of employment prompted a series of other changes that made my summer quite unsettling. Thanks to my adoptive Japanese mother Kyoko, I managed to secure an apartment the city, just a 20-minute walk from Saburo-sensei’s house, where I have practice three times per week. The place is cozy, the perfect size for a single musician. I live on Sugamo’s famous 商店街, which is known as “grandma’s Harajuku.” It’s funny how this already feels like home.
The second change involved a lot of energy... I was humbled when Yuu-san agreed to sponsor my cultural studies visa. With his awesomely moving letter of invitation and support, Yuu-san proved to be one of the many people here in Tokyo that are actively fighting for me to stay and pursue my passion. For every call I received from Immigration, Yuu-san was there to defend me. Ultimately, the cultural visa didn’t work out due to lack of sufficient documents, but Yuu-san made sure to let Immigration know exactly how he felt. Words can’t express how much what he did for me.
Thankfully, TA was there to pick up where Yuu-san had left off when they offered to sponsor me for a work visa. The application process was easier, although the wait was almost four months this time. Those four months were extremely scary; I was faced with the possibility that I wouldn’t be able to stay in this country, which already feels like home. I found myself asking so many questions-- Where will I move? What will I do? --I was never able to answer them, and thank god I never needed to...
Chapter 5: Stage
As a new sub-member of indra-因陀羅-, I spent a lot of time rehearsing and performing in a summer series and an autumn series of live shows. The summer series ended with a concert for just the sub-members, which was an awesome opportunity for us to step up to the plate and lead an entire concert on our own. It wasn’t perfect, but I loved the feeling of owning the stage. I debuted my fue, Japanese flute, on the indra stage during the summer, and to the surprise of many (including myself), I sounded pretty good! A ton of technique still to work on, but overall, exceeding my own expectations, which is always a good thing. Now I just need to raise my expectations...
Our last concert of the year, 漆黒の雪 was something special. This was the first time I was a character in a story on stage...
The gods gave fire to humans with the hope that they would use it for good. Unfortunately, man’s hunger for power prompted violence, and the human race used the gods’ fire to inflict pain and suffering. When man could no longer control the gift bestowed upon him, the gods revealed their anger in the form of “jet black snow.” With a beat of the drum, the few remaining try to rebuild their world from the ashes of destruction, as they fight to reestablish peace with the gods.
This was far from a normal concert, and we had the opportunity to use a gauze screen, which gave a division between the Heaven and Earth. I hope we can do this show again for those who didn’t manage to come.
Chapter 6: Reflection
Following all these concerts, I have had the time to do some reflecting on the past year. I lost someone important to me. He was my rock for my first year here, and it shook me up quite a bit. Parting ways was difficult, but in the end, it proved to be a much needed transition. I blamed myself for what went wrong, but I know that I did the best I could at the time.
I had three 忘年会 or “year-end parties,” where I was able to share thought with all of my sempai. I also found out that Saburo-sensei is raising his expectations of me as a deshi, or long-term pupil. I’m new to the world of classical Japanese music, and I have so much yet to learn. It’s one of those things that never made sense to me until I started studying, and with every new piece I learn, I get more and more excited.
Next year...
The year begins with a series of performances:
1/2: I’ll be playing fue five times or so for the shishimai, Japanese lion dance, in Ginza. I’m a bit nervous, but at least I’ll have a few chances to get it right!
1/5: 1000-tsuzumi concert, preparing for the Olympics Opening Ceremony... not quite sure what the deal is with this except that it’s related to the Olympics in 2020. I figured I’ll just go and play!
1/8: classical Japanese music concert... Saburo-sensei arranged a piece incorporating the shishimai and 連獅子, a classic Kabuki number. I’ll be playing tsuzumi and atarigane.
1/9: recital in Saitama... one of my fellow Saturday-classmates signed us up for a show. I’m really excited to be a part of this!
Immediately following all of these, I will be flying out to Chicago to visit my mom and sister for a week! It will have been over TWO YEARS since I saw my mother last: Mami, prepárate porque ya sabes que quiero mondongo, arroz con gandules, jueyes, tostones, maduros, cuajitos, coquito, y más mondongo porfiiiii! I’m also staying in my sister’s new place for a night! Can’t wait to try out a fancy jazz bar while I’m in town. Don’t forget I want some good Chicago-style pizza ^_^
It is an honor to be a one of the new submembers of Yuu Ishizuka’s Taiko Project indra-因陀羅-. I will continue to work hard and share my passion for taiko, Japanese cultural arts and music with the world. I couldn’t be more grateful. Please visit our smartphone website, as well as my very own member profile.
It’s been a while since I’ve written a post, mostly because I’ve been super busy with multiple jobs and taiko, but I figured I would start a series of posts on my travels of the course of the past week.
My dad came to visit for a few weeks, and we decided to travel down to Hiroshima and work our way back up to Tokyo by train. It has been nice to catch up and travel to places neither of us has been before.
We caught the Shinkansen, which took us from Tokyo to Hiroshima around 9am on Sunday. We had a short transfer in Shin-Osaka so that my dad could use his JR Pass the whole way. The first person we met in Hiroshima was a random old lady who stopped us to find out where we were from. A simple “アメリカです” was enough to warrant a “日本語上手” from grandma. I was amazed that for a city so affected negatively by my country, the people were so inviting and accommodating. We walked to the Hotel Washington, right around the corner from Okonomimura, an area known for it’s okonomiyaki (our dinner for both nights). The hotel was a standard western-style hotel, with a gorgeous bathroom. Can’t believe I didn’t take pictures, but I highly recommend!
We decided to take a short trip to Hiroshima Castle during the evening before dinner. This was my third time visiting a Japanese castle (Ueda and Matsumoto last year), and it was extremely beautiful. Of course, this one was rebuilt after the A-bomb, but it was just as magnificent as if it had been built ages ago. The area still had ruins of different buildings on the grounds that were never rebuilt... my first glimpse of a city devastated by war... On our way back, we happened to run into Moko-san, my friend from Tokyo who teaches taiko at ASIJ. If we had left the castle any later, we wouldn’t have crossed paths! Moko-san and her friend joined us for our first okonomiyaki by our hotel. Then back for a good night’s rest before a full day of sightseeing.
We began our second day in the area by taking a day trip to Miyajima, an island off the inland coast and home to the famous Itsukushima Jinja, a shrine built over water that appears to float during high tide. We timed our visit for the noon tide in order to get the best shots. I was surprised to see many deer hanging around. Not as many as in Nara, but still pretty awesome. My dad, naturally, petted the deer, but luckily he didn’t get bitten.
The shrine itself was gorgeous, though packed with tourists. We realized that all the kids in Japanese schools are also on holiday, so this entire trip was tourists left and right (and us!). There was even a Noh stage at the shrine, with bamboo on the upstage left backdrop. I need to ask Saburo-sensei about that.
We returned to Hiroshima after a quick oyster don for lunch, and concluded our trip with a visit to the Peace Memorial Park. The A-bomb Dome was probably the most difficult part of the city to see. The only partially-standing building after the bomb during WWII, the Dome was an eerie reminder of the horrors of war. The devastation we brought to this community is still hard to believe, and being there made me feel somewhat responsible, even though the whole point of the memorial and park is to further peace in the world, not to blame the U.S. for this awful attack.
This visit put a lot of things into perspective, and it made me think a bit about the current political climate in the U.S. I won’t say his name, since the last thing I want is a Google search to bring people to this page, but his recent comments on “not taking nuclear weapons off the table” is asinine. People who promote the use of these things shouldn’t even have the dignity of being called people. Makes you appreciate animals for being more humane than certain politicians and world figures...
A walk along the park brought us to a peace bell that we each rang to show our support of ending nuclear warfare, and eventually we came to the museum, that went through the gruesome accounts of what happened. Hiroshima is a city every American should see if they have the privilege to visit. It is the kind of moving experience that makes us loathe humanity, while at the same time build strong connections between our neighbors and us. Peace.
Recital season is finally here again! This time I’ll be playing two pieces, one with my Saturday class and one with indra-因陀羅- members as part of my trainee program. Here are the details for everyone who wants to come!
“Kokoro” Wadaiko Recital
Date: Saturday, January 9, 2016
Time: Show starts at noon, but I will be playing during the 4:30pm set
(I’d arrive at 5:00pm if you want to see me!)
Venue: Owl Spot, Ikebukuro (map)
Entrance is FREE!
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皆さん〜今回の発表会で【魅弥美】と【煌星】という曲を演奏します。興味があったら、是非来て下さい！お待ちしております。
For this year’s JUMP trip, I had the pleasure of taking students to Sado Island, what most people know to be the home of KODO, the most famous taiko group in the world. What many don’t know is that Sado has a rich history, quite literally. It was an economic power during the Edo Period, since the discovery of gold on the island made Sado a center for trade and commerce. It was a great opportunity to explore the island, eat good food, make our own soba, and of course, play some taiko.
Our day began at Tokyo Station, where we caught a shinkansen to Joestu-Myoko. We were traveling with 15 kids this time around, which made it a lot easier to handle. They were all so well behaved! At Joetsu-Myoko, we took a bus to the harbor and then a car ferry to Ogi, Sado. After meeting our bus driver, the first stop on the list was taking a short taraibune boat ride. We all had a wonderful time, and lucked out with the weather! A few clouds, no rain and even a small glimpse of a sunset.
I was astounded by how large Sado actually is. I was expecting a small island, but at 1.5-times the size of Tokyo, we had lots of traveling between stops. We made the hour-long trip to Yoshidaya Ryokan on the other side of the island. Decked out with not only in indoor ofuro, the onsen also had a hinoki ofuro on the rooftop, from which you could see the remarkable view of the mountains (although we could only go after 8:30, so it was just black sky). Our meals were amazing, and I was happy that all the students ate everything without complaints (other than being super full at the end).
We woke up the next morning to begin our day bright and early for breakfast. Our trip to the history museum was very interesting, since everyone was surprised to see animatronics at every corner. It was actually kinda creepy at some times, but they even managed to show a Noh dance purely with animatronics!
The bus driver was surprised that we only had a couple things on the agenda for the main day of our trip. He decided to stop off at a few places to make sure that our time in Sado wasn’t wasted.
The first of these unexpected stops was a Myosenji, a beautiful temple with a partially thatched roof and a peaceful garden and pond. While I was chatting with the bus driver, I told him that I was studying the tsuzumi, so we stopped at a shrine with an outdoor Noh stage!
That was followed by our scheduled trip to the gold mines, where we all tried our hand at removing a gold brick from a box. Two of us got super close to getting it out, but it was so painful... I still have bruises on my arms to show for it!
Our day ended with a short stop at the coast for sunset. The waves were almost 3 meters high, so the bus driver was concerned that the jetfoil wouldn’t be able to depart the next day! Regardless, we all got a chance to enjoy the rugged coastline of Sado.
And of course, 紅葉...
For our last day on the island, we returned to Ogi, the area where the members of Kodo live and train. We took a taiko workshop from at Sado Taiken, given the nickname たたこう館. It was great for the students to have some time on drums.
I was particularly excited to play two of their odaiko, carved out of diseased trees (they actually look like stumps!).
I also got to play Miyake for the first time since Boston O.O
After taiko, we had a soba-uchi workshop, where a professional soba maker came to the Taiken to teach us how to make soba. We then ate what we made! So delicious!
OH YEAH! Can’t forget the Toki ^_^
Overall, this trip was amazing. I hope the students enjoyed exploring a part of Japan that most don’t have the opportunity to experience. And yes, this post is mostly pictures...
The past month has been a crazy time between work, taiko and my personal life. SO many changes, and no time to process everything, let alone write about it. Shortly following the tsuzumi recital at the end of September, I had to focus on our indra-因陀羅- “Miyabi” LIVE shows, where I performed five pieces with the group! It was my first time on odaiko for 馮, shime for for 翅鳥舞, and chu for 羅刹天, and indra’s debut of a new piece, 煌星. Everyone knows that putting on a show is hard work, but the audience never guesses that transitions are the most nerve-wrecking part!
Following the Tokyo show, Eri and I flew out to Honolulu for Kenny’s 40th Anniversary concert at Hawaii Theatre. It was great to share the stage with KETE on Samurai and to see everyone else who made the show possible. It was a pity I couldn’t stay for longer since just a couple hours at the beach isn’t nearly enough! Though I guess my lobster-red back disagrees... Eri and I flew back to Tokyo just a few days later in order to prep for the Saitama show the following weekend. Saitama went more smoothly both musically and transition-wise, and the turnout was amazing for a town in the middle of nowhere! Granted, most of indra’s members are from that area, so everyone had a bunch of guests to greet. Surprisingly, I got a chance to chat to a teacher from Andalucía who had taught a bunch of the indra members when they were kids! Switching between Spanish and Japanese isn’t the easiest, but it was nice to meet a gaijin who has lived in Japan for decades.
Since these shows, I’ve had some time to relax, although constantly needing to plan the next big thing leaves little room for rest. ASIJ’s Japan Center invited me to perform and talk about tsuzumi to the elementary school, and I got Yuhei-san and Ao-chan to join in! Stay tuned for a post about that soon. I have the JLPT in less than a month, and then of course, figuring out next year... hopefully, I’ll have some sort of idea by New Year’s, but if my visa status change is on the agenda, the process is going to be a long one...
I started taking kotsuzumi lessons in June from Mochizuki Saburo-sensei in order to learn more about the rhythms, history and tradition the inspired the pieces I’ve been learning with indra-因陀羅-. The kotsuzumi is an hourglass-shaped hand-drum that was historically the instrument of the samurai. Similar to the violin in Europe, the tsuzumi is a prized instrument that can cost millions depending on the value and artistry involved. When Saburo-sensei asked me to be a part of the biennial hogaku recital, 瓢箪の会 (Hyotan-no-kai), I was honored, but I knew little about what I was getting myself into.
So much preparation (and money) went into this single performance, especially for a foreigner. The tsuzumi was the first purchase, which happened in parts. I bought the body of the drum on Yahoo! Auction for a steal! After showing it to Saburo-sensei, he said that it was definitely from the Edo Period, but the lacquer work was most likely by a contemporary artisan. I bought the skins from one of Saburo-sensei’s friends, and they were specially chosen by him so that they made the best sound without the need of too much acclimatization. The instrument is beautiful all put together, and my teacher is constantly bragging about the wonderful sound that it makes (^_^) Since the instrument is nice, OF COURSE I need to buy nice bags to keep the parts safe ¥¥¥¥
I also had to buy my first kimono, a montsuki bearing the Mochizuki crest. This matched nicely with the hakama and obi that I already owned from my Kyo-no-kai recitals, so I guess I saved some money here?
All that aside, the actual concert and experience was amazing. Saburo-sensei checked my instrument and prepared it for stage before I went on. He had me try it out a couple minutes before going on, and I was luckily to get a good sound without much effort! I got up on the stage, and the shamisen and singers were already lined up in the back row ready for the drummers to get in their places. I took off my glasses and bowed to the other performers with a yoroshiku onegaishimasu asking them to take care of me during the piece. I lifted my tsuzumi as the curtain opened (which I probably should’ve done before), and the piece started with an “un- HA-O.”
This was my first time on a hogaku stage, and it was of course terrifying, but when I allowed the music to completely take over the space and my body, I felt at peace. We were performing 供奴 (“Tomo Yakko”), a Kabuki piece named after a particular character from the plays. It contains a few different sections and a pretty substantial solo section for me with the shamisen, and I remember messing up in one spot (of course, one of the easiest sections!) Since the kotsuzumi is really sensitive to ambient changes in humidity, it’s necessary to wet small pieces of rice paper on the back skin of the drum. My teacher told me to do that halfway through the piece, which I did, but I failed to realize that it might be a good idea to put the drum in front of my face when doing it! I essentially stuck out my tongue out to the entire audience on stage! 恥ずかしい...
I think as a foreigner, the other students and pros set the bar very low, meaning that they are always pleasantly surprised when I don’t absolutely suck. The comment I got was mostly about my kakegoe, or voice patterns, and how they could be heard from the green room. I have Yuu-san to thank for that!
The after-party was at a hotel in Otsuka. It was a super fancy meal (which bore a price to match), but I got to interact with other indra folks and the other deshi from the recital, which was a nice treat. As with any after-party such as this one, it comes with a speech by all the students/performers. This, of course, made me more nervous than performing. I just told everyone who I was, where I’m from, and how I met Saburo-sensei. When I mentioned I had only been studying kotsuzumi since June, many heads turned. Haha, one great thing about being a foreigner in a traditional Japanese world.
I’m really looking forward to continuing my studies this year.
I finally managed to accomplish everything on the summer agenda... well, the Japanese studying still has A LOT of work, but this climb was the perfect end to the summer excursions.
We left Shinjuku by bus at about 3:30pm on Thursday, which gave us ample time to get up the mountain without killing ourselves on the way up. We arrived at 富士山五合目 just before sunset, and we ate onigiri and tonjiru set there before starting our trek up the mountain. I started feeling nauseated during the meal, since even this starting point was over 2000m in elevation. We quickly changed clothes and repacked to begin our hike around 7pm.
The clouds were dense at this point, and it created an eerie fog in the twilight across the face of the mountain. The forecast was rain all night and all morning, and the lightning storm along the horizon made me more nervous about the impending journey. The first section of the hike was lined with trees and rocks, very similar to the hikes I’d been on in the past. The air up here lacked oxygen, but it was a nice break from the smoggy city air of Tokyo. At the beginning of our ascent, there was a break in the trees, exposing the town lights along the two visible lakes down below, Kawaguchiko and Yamanakako, which I had the pleasure of visiting last year. From here, the trees disappeared, and the hike up became even more real.
At 六合目, the security guards handed us a couple of maps of the Yoshida Trail and wished us good luck. Making it to 七合目 was actually pretty pleasant. The air wasn’t too thin, and we could almost do it in a straight shot. Getting to 八合目, on the other hand, was pretty tough. We were going a bit too quickly, and at one of the turns, I blacked out, losing my balance and falling towards the left. Luckily I was walking close to the mountainside, otherwise a fall to the right would surely have ended badly... a short rest, some water and oxygen were enough to keep us going. Once we arrived at 八合目, we sat along the benches to rest. My shirts and inner down jacket were completely soaked through with sweat, and I ended up changing into a new t-shirt and switching my inner and outer coats. Figuring out the right amount of clothing for each section of the hike was pretty difficult because of the atmosphere decreasing in temperature while your body sweats. Something to think about for the next one... However, it was here where I heard a boy saying 「見て！見て！月赤い！」, and when I turned around, a bright red moon illuminated the night sky. It was a magical view foreshadowing the red sun that would greet us in the morning.
The rest of the climb was a blur with many stops to rehydrate and rest. By the time we made it to the summit, my condition could be described in four words: headache, tired, cold, and victorious. Once the ramen shop opened at 3am, we rushed in to sit by the hot charcoal fire and ordered 900¥ “miso ramen” that had no miso flavor and shared the familiar taste of Sapporo Ichiban instant noodles. Oh well! We stayed there until 4am hogging the heat, but we felt entitled since we got there first...
It was at this point when we managed to find a spot along the edge of the mountaintop to catch good shots of the early morning sunrise at 4:50. It was cold, but we were anxiously awaiting the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen in my life. As the pink and orange hues steadily increased along the horizon, a few grey clouds forced everyone to guess where the sun would make its first appearance. Just as the brightness was about to burst through, I caught glimpse of the sun’s edge from what appeared to be WITHIN the clouds. It was the strangest sunrise for all of us. A bright magenta sun that seemed to emerge from inside our planet’s atmosphere? I don’t know how to describe it, but it brought tears to my eyes looking out onto the horizon.
... the trek down sucked... but we made it back to 五合目 safely.
We woke up early in the morning to catch our Shinkansen to Kyoto. It just so happened to be everyone’s first morning commute experience in the city on the Chuo Line. With luggage, we packed in like sardines and quickly understood how if there isn’t room, there’s actually always room on a Tokyo train... I bought my bento in the Tokyo station before boarding the train to Kyoto taking the advice I learned from Chizuko: you’ll never know when the next chance you’ll have to eat is. And she was right. After stopping by Takigawa Ryokan, just north of the station, to drop off our stuff, we headed straight out to Arashiyama to explore the area around the bamboo forest.
The day, as expected, was super rainy, and even if it wasn’t raining, the constant mist made us feel like we were sweating the whole time, even though the temperature was considerably cooler than in Tokyo. The serenity of this place, despite the tourists, was incredibly calming after the tiring travel. Off one of the paths in the forest is the entrance to 天竜寺 (Tenryu-ji), the first of many temples on our visit.
When we arrived here, the rain was stronger, but luckily the roof of the temple was extended just enough to cover our way around. 500 yen got us into this gorgeous temple, and from the outside, we could see tons of tatami floors covering the inside of the temple. Back in Tokyo, I convinced my sister to buy a 御朱印帳 so that she could catalog her journey through Japan with a beautiful calligraphy of each temple and shrine. I had mine from Nagano, and I managed to fill in quite a bit while on the trip. I was slightly disappointed when the go-shuin here wasn’t even real. They used stamps instead of actual calligraphy. Kinda cheapens the whole tradition, but considering it’s a UNESCO site, I guess this one is more for the tourists?
After a quick look at the temple, we made our way back to the train station in the rain. We returned to our ryokan for a rest before dinner. They provided us a beautiful spread with sashimi, tofu, tempura, and other traditional Kyoto items. I was really proud of my sister and her boyfriend. For being first-timers, they respectfully finished everything on their plates, even if some things were less tasty than others!
We went back to our room, and I quickly grabbed my towel and yukata and headed down to the ofuro for a much-needed soak. We retired early for the night knowing that how tired we felt that night would only multiply the next day.
We woke up early the next day for breakfast at the ryokan, and we made our way to Kyoto Station to meet up with my coworker friend from ASIJ. We travelled to Shiraishi Island together last year, and hopefully we’ll get a chance to go to Sado Island for the upcoming JUMP trip. She was kind enough to plan our day’s excursions to the different temples, shrines and other sites, and we started by hopping on a train to the 伏見稲荷大社 (Fushimi-Inari Taisha), the shrine featured in Memoirs of a Geisha.
So many tourists surrounded the shrine and the entrance to the long walk through the tori gates up the mountain, but the higher up we hiked in the rain, the less people followed us. We navigated the narrow paths lined with tiny houses where the elderly owners of the tiny food stands live. I still wonder how they manage to get food to such randomly out-of-the-way houses, but they must love the seclusion.
We finally made it to the top, marked by a tiny business-card-sized piece of paper. Yay! We did it! After making our way back down to the station, we headed back to Kyoto to buy a bus day pass for 500 yen. SUCH A GOOD DEAL! Our first stop by bus was Kitchen Street, a covered street with local shops and food stalls. You could try everything from fish to snacks to sake... I ended up up buying a naturally sparkling sake. It was delicious!
After filling up with various foods and souvenirs, we took a break at a Starbucks that looked over the river. My sister was dying to try the peach smoothie that is the perfect summer drink and I was in the mood for a matcha frap. After dropping off more bags at the ryokan, we caught a bus up to 金閣寺 (Kinkaku-ji), the Golden Pavilion of Kyoto. We got there ten minutes before closing time, and just five minutes before the last go-shuin would be given!!
My sister and I bought our entrance ticket and ran all the way around to the exit with our books. As they we closing the window, we managed to hand them our books in time. We were that last two of the day. Luckily, this time, the calligraphy was done by hand, so it was entirely worth it. Since we couldn’t technically go back to the temple due to one-way traffic and the late time, my friend decided to sweet-talk the guard to let us back in. 忘れ物だって！Oops...The building that awaited us was incredible! We hadn’t even seen it on our frantic run, and with the light from the thinning clouds, the colors were perfect (even if not captured well on camera).
We finally exited and headed to our last stop on the agenda, the Gion District of Kyoto, where the geisha work in the evening time. We got there around 6, which was prime time to spot some beautifully dressed geisha. I felt weird about taking pictures, but my sister and friend managed to capture some shots. My friend told us some history about the district, and pointed out the tea house features in Memoirs of a Geisha.
Walking through the tiny streets reminded me a bit of Kawagoe in Saitama. I guess it’s best described in pictures:
We finished our day’s excursion by grabbing dinner at a local izakaya, 酒菜ばんから. I think this might have been the best meal we could have chosen. The best octopus sashimi, the best katsuo avocado, the best tomato salad, ...
For the first of my upcoming tourist adventures, I had the pleasure of climbing Mt. Takao today with my sister and her boyfriend. We had a couple unexpected moments, but overall it was a wonderful time to bond with each other and with nature, and not to mention realize how out of shape I was... Hopefully I’m ready for Mt. Fuji in a couple weeks!
We got to Takao Station around 11 in the morning. We had failed to plan the post-Takao Station adventure, but eventually we made it to the foot of the mountain. We decided to take Trail #6, according to my coworker’s recommendation. It was a remarkable trek up alongside a stream with cascades. Waterfalls are my favorite natural phenomenon, so it was the perfect way to travel up the 3.5ish kilometers of trail.
I was surprised at the number of people who said こんにちは on our way up. I guess in Tokyo, people don’t say good day unless you’re giving them money or business. It was a warm welcome back to the small town culture. I had a wonderful time people-watching. Along the trail, I picked out many salarymen, easily identified by their nicely fitting shorts, t-shirt with navy-white horizontal stripes, boat shoes and a Panama hat to top it off: the standard non-suit outfit for the working man in Japan.
The trail itself was one with nature, as opposed to the more popular trail #1. We had the opportunity, not only to walk alongside the stream, but at a certain point we actually had to walk on the stream! It was great! Then we had to climb the wretched stairs to the summit. Reminded me of the Koko Head hike on Oahu...
Once at the summit, we could see a pretty remarkable view of Tokyo and the surrounding metropolitan areas. It was the first time I had ever seen a panoramic view of a city since Honolulu from Mt. Tantalus, and it was refreshing to get a different point-of-view of the city in which I live.
Our trek down was a bit unexpected. We decided to take the paved trail #1 to the station and happened across a beautiful temple. I had convinced my sister to buy a 朱印帳 in Asauksa yesterday, and unfortunately she didn’t bring it... I assured her that we’d have plenty of chances in Kyoto for that! Our descent brought us to a fork in the road: we could continue down Trail #1, or take another unnumbered trail towards Takao Station, the Chuo Line station that we arrived at. We decided to chance it, and we found ourselves alone on this very interesting trail. During our entire descent we only came across one other person. The variable steepness and safety of the trail was a bit undesirable, but I don’t regret the adventure at all!
After a hard day’s work, we bought our tickets to Kyoto tomorrow, ate the best Okonomiyaki in western Tokyo, and finished off the evening at the local wine bar in Higashi-Koganei. Coudn’t ask for anything more!
I had the pleasure of bidding farewell to my first group of ASIJ seniors this year. No tears from me, but tons of joy for these kids as they venture off to amazing opportunities and experiences in the years to come. Congratulations ASIJ Class of 2015 on a job well done!
As the school year comes to a close, I find myself overwhelmed by the agenda for the summer. Nope, I’m not using my first real summer vacation since high school to take an exciting vacation overseas. I view the next few months as a time to immerse myself in this wonderful country. I always knew that joining the international school teaching community would remove me from the culture I came to explore, but I never anticipated it’s magnitude. Working at ASIJ and living in a small suburb outside of the city-center, I find myself in a bubble, where the only escape is taiko and my limited time in the city during weekends. My Japanese has not improved (perhaps it has even gotten worse?). I’ve been devoting a lot of time to work, and I am in need of serious repertoire and technique study as I prepare for my second year as an indra-因陀羅- trainee. So the simple response to “What are you doing this summer?” can be summed up in two words: Japanese and taiko (and of course, my sister’s visit in July!).
For Japanese, I have found self-study to be extremely difficult during the school year. It’s not necessarily because of the difficulty of the material or my lack of time, but mostly because of my lack of motivation. I have had no goal. Therefore, I’ve decided that I will take the JLPT N3 exam in December (gah!). This means that I will have lots to do this summer, and lots to do during the Fall to keep up with the language when I return to “America” in late August.
Then there’s the taiko. The first item on the taiko agenda is actually not even taiko, but my first live performance playing the fue. The 30th anniversary of 恭の会, Suzuki-sensei’s student recital, is coming up in a few weeks, and my daily half-hour practice is just not cutting it. I need to work on lung stamina, since I’ll be playing Level 2 Edo Bayashi (same piece I played taiko for last year), a piece that is roughly 15 minutes long... It will be devoid of most of the flourishes that a good matsuri-bayashi musician adds, but hopefully I can get all the melodies down in time without losing my breath. This will require a lot more practice than before.
The second item on the agenda is the kotsuzumi. I had my first lesson with Mochizki Saburo-sensei (front and center in the picture above; photo link), Yuu-sensei’s father, a couple weeks ago. I had a wonderful time learning about this instrument and the classical side of Japanese music and taiko. The kotsuzumi was historically an instrument of the samurai class, and as such, aspects of the form are related to the samurai and his horse. The whipping action of the wrist is like that of the horse’s tail; the elbows pointed out with a strong presence is supposed to be like a samurai’s form as he rides his horse. I will spend a lot of time this summer learning this cultural aspect of Japanese music, in hopes that it will add to my experience as an indra-因陀羅- trainee (Yuu-sensei’s music uses a lot of Noh and Hogaku rhythms). Saburo-sensei even said if I am ready by September, I might even be able to perform at his student recital! We’ll see about that...
Third item on the agenda is coming up in July, and it looks like I will have the honor of being included in indra’s first DVD! We will be filming it in Saitama over the course of two days, and I’m excited to be playing the yagura parts of 【魅弥美】 and 【馮】. Time to get my butt into gear for that as well...
Then, my first family visit! My sister will be flying over from Chicago to spend a bit more than a week here with me. We’ll have a chance to go to Kyoto for three days (with the obligatory experience of staying in and eating at a ryokan), Yokohama for her first real taiko concert (indra-因陀羅-LIVE at HIBIKUS on July 26), Kamakura to see the daibutsu statue, and Kawagoe-shi to see its beautiful Edo-period historic center. Not to mention, I’ll be showing her the sites and tastes of Tokyo! Such a treat!
I’ll be ending my Japan-immersion summer by climbing Mt. Fuji in August. It will be my first hike since Koko Head! I hope it will be not only a test of physical strength, but also a spiritual journey. I’ve wanted to climb Fuji ever since the days I toyed with the idea of joining Ondekoza years ago, with the exception that now, I will be climbing with a new and refreshed spiritual outlook on taiko and my journey thus far.
It’s a big summer ahead, but I can’t wait for it to start!
