The past week has been great. I’ve found my stride for the most part and have become more comfortable in my new surroundings.
Once or twice a week, Sekine Sensei (the director) will treat us to lunch in the city. For one, I love going into the city. Being that the church is more out in the country, it is a nice change of scenery and people. Everyplace we’ve eaten has been absolutely delicious. This one restaurant was on a top floor in a large department store. There were a lot of nice restaurants to choose from but I had my choice. I think I chose the most expensive one. I felt pretty bad about that. There were about 8 people in our party, heh heh.
The next two days were pretty quiet. I spent a lot of time updating my website and preparing some resumes (I have a real life to get back to in the Spring :))
On Sunday we had our first show of the season! It took place in Nagoya City, about a 50 minute drive. The show reminded me how much I love performing. We had a pretty decent show from what I could tell. The sound (we played indoors) was horrible. Very hard to hear anything with 17 echoes bouncing off the walls. Something that was interesting and different about the whole show experience with Aimachi is when we unload and pack the truck. In the U.S. everyone is responsible for their equipment. Here, everyone helps everyone. As in someone else is putting my drum in its case, onto the truck, unloading it, unpacking it and taking the cover off before I even know what’s going on. On one hand, I really like this. On the other, I like knowing my stuff is good to go because I did it myself. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
That night, Sekine Sensei took several of us out to a delicious restaurant a very short drive from the complex. The table we sat at was very low to the ground but fortunately there was space underneath to put our legs (I can only do the kneeling thing for so long). In the middle of each table was 14” grill. After ordering a round of beers, they would bring us small plates of raw meat that we cook ourselves on said grill. They brought us meat from EVERY part of the cow/bull. And I do mean EVERY part. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. This was one of my favorite meals of my visit here so far.
The next day, Monday, the Aimachi drumline and color guard had another exhibition performance in the same place as our show on Sunday. This was a separate show they also performed at the World Athletic Championships opening ceremonies a week before I arrived. There was no point in me learning this show as Monday was the last time they would perform it. Instead I got to sit back and watch. Wow! What a show! Very exciting and the line performed it very well.
The photo gallery with pictures of the next couple of days I talk about can be found here.
That night, we took an hour long class on writing in Kanji. I was pretty happy with how I did. It’s hard to remember any of the characters, unfortunately.
Tuesday, Keith and I were taken into the city to run around for 3 hours by ourselves! Our first mission was to find some food. We found this great little restaurant after about 10 minutes. When I say little, I mean little. It could seat maybe 8 people at most. The food wasn’t the best I’ve had (still good), but the experience was top notch. After that we did some walking, got a massage, and checked out a really nice department store. Coming home, I mentioned that I would like to get a haircut whenever possible. About two hours later they told me I have an appointment for 2 o’clock the next day. Sweet!
So Wednesday rolls around and I get a ride to the barbershop. This was not some cheap, low-grade barbershop. This was something else. This guy was good. The haircut itself was done very, very well. After that, he shaved my whole face (including forehead, do I even have hair there??), neck, and ears. Sounds weird, but it felt good. Next he cleaned deep into my ears with something I kept telling myself was not a thin sharp object that would spell disaster with nothing more than a half sneeze. This was one thing I was a little uncomfortable with. Two hours later and he finishes with a shoulder massage – wasn’t expecting it, but what the hell! By the end of it, I felt like a new man…or at least the same man with a very refreshed and clean head. All in all, this was the best “haircut” experience I’ve ever had.
Wednesday night rehearsal began with me giving a bass drum clinic to the Aimachi bassline and any other members who were interested in learning. Luckily I had Mitchikazu translating as I spoke, but I was still able to get points across with the little Japanese I know and through other non-verbal communication. It was very rewarding to see their faces light up when they finally understood what I was trying to say. I think this was a big step in getting the bassline to where we want to be next April when we perform in the U.S. This was a great teaching experience I won’t forget.
Thursday morning we were put back to work in the fields! We were only out for an hour and a half but it was still very warm (the temperature has not dipped below the mid 80’s during the day since I arrived). The vegetables we picked will be used for cooking in the next couple of weeks.
More Americans are showing up in the next few days which means many more adventures to come. I’m sure I’ll have something to write before long so check back soon!
-Chris
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