IrishOboe

Sunday (Dec. 4^th) I went into 甲府 (Kofu) at 8:30 to meet Bonnie and Atley Jonas. They had offered me a ride into Tokyo, which I gratefully took up because today was the day for checking out the Irish music session in Tokyo! Lucky for me they had also planned a trip to Costco. Now, I think I only went to Costco in America once and I was then about ten years old. The beauty of Costco here is that there are a lot of products that you can’t get elsewhere in Japan and even more products that are ten times cheaper! Even though I spent a lot of money there were only a few indulgences and the rest were very sound purchases. What items does an American in Japan find irresistible? 75 packets of SwissMiss hot chocolate (16 yen each!), pasta sauce, graham crackers (!), oatmeal (enough to last a few years), chocolate chips (enough to last five years – or it should be. Note that you (or at least I) cannot find them here), Nacho Cheesier Doritos (total indulgence – yum, yum), granola, Nutela (just because I could get it!), Thai Kitchen Pad Thai noodles (nice surprise!), dried cranberries, and I got a huge thing of pickles because my JTE (Yuko) was asking about them but now I don’t know what I’m going to do with them all. I also got bagels and a huge thing of sharp white cheddar cheese. Oh cheese! They just don’t eat it often over hear so it is insanely expensive.

We spent almost two hours in the store, which was plenty long for me. I kept adding more unnecessary things as my self-control waned. We had lunch at the food court where I had an extra cheesy piece of pizza that I couldn’t finish and a churros for 90 yen! Boy that reminded me of home.

They dropped me off at the Nakano Sun Plaza where the session was held. I suddenly began to worry that I should have checked with a real person that the schedule was up-to-date before jumping into Tokyo, but sure enough on the eighth floor I could hear the strains of Irish music! They were a bit surprised to see me come in, I was able to understand when the asked me if this was my first time and I said yes, signed in and paid my 800 yen. Where else can you get three hours of interactive entertainment in Tokyo for 800 yen? The session was not all I had hoped. It was a bit like the Friday night sessions in Rochester. Somehow things just don’t feel right if you’re not in a bar with normal life singing around you. This was just a smallish room with a ring of chairs. The session struggled from a lack of instrument variety. Sadly, the most common instrument was the whistle, which made me feel even the more unwelcome. I didn’t realized until near the end that one of the main problems was that there were no fiddles! There were a few flutes, two concertinas (which helped a lot) and a few guitars. I can’t remember, but it was something like eight whistles . . .

They played much slower than we do in Rochester, but again, Rochester is known for playing ridiculously fast. But when I suggested She Beg She Mor (I’m not sure how to spell it) they ripped into it at about three times the speed we play it! So, I’m not sure if it was the awkwardness of being a strange foreign face in a new place, but I found it a little tedious. I also didn’t want to play too much or show off. It’s not that they weren’t open – they invited me to start tunes many times and even got me to sing a song – but somehow I just didn’t slip in. I guess I somehow expected it to feel like a Rochester session, which of course it couldn’t and shouldn’t! It did help that their English was much better than my Japanese and by the end of the three hours I was much more comfortable. At five on the dot the session broke up but one guitarist and one concertina player kept going and I joined. This spontaneous session that grew to about five of us was the best part of the evening. We played for a whole extra hour then we had to stop for the dance class. I decided that instead of trying to navigate Tokyo by myself in the dark to districts that were closing soon anyway, I’d just stay for the dance. I miss it greatly as well! They were doing ceili dances and I was told I could stay (for another 800 yen) even though I wouldn’t be able to understand the instructions . . . Luckily, I was familiar enough with the dances to pick up pretty quickly. They got their instructions from the English book, and much of the calls were English as well. I was pared with a great dancer because I was new, but with my experience we were able to have grand fun. I discovered an interesting difference in how Japanese people do western traditional dances, though. Oh, I might say that everyone was Japanese in both the session and the dance lesson. Interesting for such an international city and international function! But back to my observation. I could be mistaken, but it seemed to me that I made my partner uncomfortable by looking at him when we swung. In folk dancing eye contact is very important. I learned that earlier on and it was a hard lesson to learn – it’s awkward to look into a stranger’s eyes for three seconds! However, it sure does break the ice and it’s a great way to get to know people (really!) and have a fun evening. I noticed my partner looked over my shoulder (like we were doing tango, maybe?) and would only glance at me occasionally. Of course, when he did look at me I was looking right into his eyes and wearing a big smile. That is normal for such a dance, but I think it’s not the way they do it in Japan. I noticed that none of my partners would make eye contact for very long and never during a swing. Oops, my poor first partner! I wonder what he thought the new foreign girl was trying to communicate! I’m happy to say he was a gentleman about it if it made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t shy about swinging me ‘round, though!

During breaks I noticed a lot of people practicing a strange kind of step dancing. It wasn’t the Irish step dancing I was used to and looked more like Cape Breton dancing. When I asked what it was I was sold it was “sean nos,” which I know from my Irish music study means “old style.” That’s cool! I didn’t know there was an old style of Irish step that was still alive today. It seems to be more popular in Tokyo than modern Irish step, though they do have some classes in modern. You learn something new everyday!

Very, very luckily for me one of the dancers offered to go with me to Shinjuku, where I was to meet Atley and Bonnie. By myself I would have found the Nakano station, I could have figured out the price of my ticket, I probably could have found my way to the correct platform and gotten on the right train to the right place, but it would have taken me at least half an hour (and I’m not exaggerating) to find the West exit. The station was so huge you could have fit half a city in there and we had to go up and down and around and onto another platform and up again before we saw a sign for the West exit. Thank goodness for my escort! I met Bonnie and Atley just in time (around 9pm) and we left Tokyo behind. Crazy, but fun!

Monday (Dec. 5^th) was another good day of oral exams and since there are no club activities before exam week I didn’t have to stay late for ICC. I got home in time to fix myself a American dinner courtesy of the Costco trip of a bagel sandwich (with lettuce, tomato, carrots, mustard and mayo), pickles, Doritos, and cheddar cheese cubes. Oh boy, did that taste like home!

At Bible study we talked about sex and keeping pure before marriage. I don’t think the married and unmarried should talk about sex in the same room unless the married are willing to restrain themselves for the sake of their “weaker brothers.” I just don’t think I need to think that much about a healthy sexual relationship in a marriage when I am so far from it myself. After the night's discussion I started to think we get ourselves in a catch 22 where thinking of sex and what’s appropriate and trying to justify things gets us thinking more about it and more enslaved by it. It’s impossible to say to a glutton to just stop thinking about food because he is sick. However, there are so many wonderful things to do and think about that after time even the glutton can learn to forget about food in the presence of greater things. I just can’t help thinking that that’s our problem with sex. All this blab about our natural drive and need. Surely we wouldn’t be so aware of the need if we weren’t thinking seen images that make us think about it all the time! Okay, now that I’ve turned away half my readership (I wonder how many people actually get this far in my rambles?), I’ll get back to the day. Luckily for me this discussion of sex occurred while we were making bead wreaths for when we go caroling in the old folks homes next weekend. It gave me an excuse not to listen or say anything, though I still managed to talk plenty.

Tuesday (Dec. 6^th) was sadly the last day of oral exams. First I had my sannensei (三年生 3^rd years) and we watched A Christmas Carol, which I was happy to share with them. I hadn’t watched it in a long time and it was fun to see something Christmassy.

I was looking forward to today’s genki (energetic) 一年生 class, especially one group who insisted that their dialogue be kept a secret from me. I was a bit worried that I might not be able to understand them since I wasn’t familiar with the script and hadn’t helped with pronunciation, but I had nearly no trouble at all. Luckily, they had given me a hint as to what they were doing so I was a little prepared for what was to come. They had said it was a love story (a topic many pairs chose, and might I add that both boys and girls had no trouble playing the part of the opposite sex, but not one pair was a guy/girl mix!). Sure enough, the scene opens with two students meeting in the halls after class and the one (Singo) confesses to the other (Yuuta) that he is “love sick.” Yuuta admits that he is, too, and asks who the object of his affection (okay, so they didn’t use that phrase) was. There was a bit of a pause before Shingo said “In truth [seriously – the Japanese English dictionaries give the kids some pretty old English], I am in love with . . . “ another pause, “ . . . with Janet!” he shouts. As you might have guessed Yuuta exclaims the he indeed also is in love with me. Commence extremely hilarious, dramatic scene of two teenage boys fighting over a girl. I must admit this must have taken some guts. Yuko got the whole thing on video of them coming up in turn to my “judging desk” and “declaring” their love for me. The scene ended with an imaginary sword through Yuuta’s body. I almost died laughing. Other JET’s complained that their kids aren’t so creative. Give them space. Give them room. They will blossom. That’s hard for a teacher to do because it shows us just how unimportant we are. Plus, they have a long history in school and they’re still in it. Yet, yet . . . I still hope.

Wednesday (Dec. 7^th) was the start of exam week so I have no classes. I did my best to make life easier for me later. At the last minute 清水先生 (Shimizu sensei) and I decided to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ハリーポッター. I’ve been wanting to see it but haven’t had the chance. I like how Harry Potter looks in katakana: ハリーポッター. Anyway, I really enjoyed it. It was quite a piece of eye candy and though the characters were a bit underdeveloped there were a lot of really well done things. It also helps that I almost completely forgot the plot of the book so it was mostly a surprise to me. Random bit of trivia: the Japanese translators translate Hermione’s name to voice the “o” as in ha-ma-o-ni. Interesting . . .

Mom, Dad and Heather – have you seen it yet? While listening to Dumbledore’s stirring lecture after Cedric’s death while the camera panned up to the grand hall’s ceiling (why didn’t I see a sky in it this time?) I was distinctly reminded of Henry’s speech at Agincourt. I thought it was Dumbledore thundering voice, but as I was sitting through the lengthy credits whose name did I see? Patrick Doyle! Sure enough, he was in charge of the music this time, and I can’t wait to see the movie again and see if there was something in the speech music that reminded me of his work on Henry V. I’d like to listen to the whole score more carefully. Oh, and at the theater I realized that Narnia doesn’t come to Japan until March! That’s not fair!

I had a bit of dinner at home and went to bed at a decent hour.

Thursday (Dec. 8^th). I’ve been having so much fun discovering the Japanese on my computer that I won’t get to bed at a decent hour. Jon helped me set it up before I came, but I never tried to write in it. Now I know my computer at school well enough to figure out how to use it on my computer and I’m having too much fun! I hope it shows up okay on the blog for everyone. Here’s where I live: Ryuo 竜王. Ryuo means dragon king – can you see it in the Kanji? Cool, huh? Kanji is kakkoi!

Okay, so today I did get a fair amount of stuff done at school though I took to long to grade essays for 湯子 (Yuko). I was supposed to have dinner with her but she had to stay home so I had a productive evening at home, too. That is until I sat down to write and update and took two and a half hours. Is my life really that interesting?!?!