kia ora all,
This blog was originally about my trip to do some intensive taiko in Japan, so I thought that it was pretty much finished.....but now we are gearing up to go back!
This year our taiko club in New Zealand turns 10 years old so to celebrate we are doing a taiko pilgrimage to Japan :)
We'll be doing a similar tour to my trip last year but this time it's 10 people, and includes some performances by us! We've been working hard to make this happen and now its only 2 weeks away.....
stay tuned!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
favourite things....
well, I think this will be my last post in this blog - although stay tuned - there may be another blog happening sometime!
I could talk for a long long time about everything I've seen and done in Japan, but I think that could get tiring :) so instead I will finish with some of my favourite things....
- The people.
Japan is full of so many friendly, helpful people. Like when I asked a station worker where to catch my train from - and later he came down to make sure I was on the right one! Or the person who goes completely out of their way to take you to the place you asked directions for.... Sometimes their generosity and helpfulness can become rather tiring! but really, it is so lovely to be somewhere where people are so hospitable.
This also carries over into safety. Japan is by far the safest place I've ever known. You could leave your luggage at the train station and come back and it would still be there. I never encountered any pickpockets in trains or on the street (and in those crowds it would be so easy! - and it is a 'cash' society - where people generally pay in cash most of the time) The only thing that you have to watch is your umbrella. and your bicycle. Other than that you're pretty safe :)
And of course, the many good friends that I made on my trips. I will try and keep up my Japanese so that I can stay in touch with you all! :) and hopefully will see you again soon!
- The "culture"
I love how old Japan is and how it has such a completely different history from European countries. The houses, castles, temples are all so different from the way we designed them, it is completely fascinating to me. I love that many of these are preserved, so you walk around buildings that are so old.....(coming from a very young country its quite mind-boggling!).
I love the smell of these places, woody, and in the temples they have this lovely musky incense that is divine.
- The gardens
The manicured trees are sooo cool. Little clouds of leaves on the branches (check out the photo of me at ise-jingu in Nagoya - they have some great ones). But best of all this is not just in temples, people have these trees at their houses too. You see them everywhere. You start to think they must naturally grow like that - ...until you see the little strings holding the branches perfectly in place. :)
- The fashion
Japan to me, is full of contrasts. A land steeped in history and yet coming up with the latest technological crazes...salarymen working night and day and the school kids giving off a very studious image but then the game shows are insane! and the fashion. Women dressed in kimono and yukata walking along with others dressed quite normally...and then others who are dressed like slappers! Everyone seems to dress in a way that is really put together, (no matter how wacky). Like, I'm going to dress 'punk' so they have punk hair, ripped tights, gloves, punk shirt etc. Or I'm going to dress like little bo peep. Or I'm going to dress like a french maid. ... it's all here.
- The technology
Japan is renowned for its technological advances and I love them for it, once you've sat on a heated toilet seat you realise what you have been missing. But they have taken it a bit far with the music of birds chirping that plays as you sit on the toilet....and the toilet seats that automatically rise (then the toilet automatically flushes)....it's all a little bit much maybe? ....but I do love the technology, lots of fancy gadgets, the latest tiniest cameras, video phones....everything.
- The temples
A little piece of Zen in the city....Kyoto in particular is a place I really love for its temples and shrines. It is so lovely to walk around the streets and pop into different temples, and as soon as you enter you feel a little bit of peace.
My favourite ones are Ginkakuji (the silver pavilion) which has a lovely garden and feels so peaceful, and Ryoanji (which has a famous rock garden).
In Tokyo I love Asakusa, which is not really peaceful, but I love the hustle and bustle and all the little shops selling all kinds of souvenirs.
- The language
I think immersing yourself in the culture really helps you understand the language, and I love the way they sometimes express themselves and describe things so differently to how we would in English. It really helps you understand how they think. My favourite word is natsukashii. It kind of describes the feeling of nostalgia, when you see something you haven't in a long time. It's so cool they have a word for that feeling :) ....and my other favourite is yoroshiku. This is sort of asking someone to be favourable towards you...it's kind of hard to explain but basically if you ask for a favour or something you say yoroshiku - meaning - I'm trusting that you will do this for me ... hint hint! ...hehehehe....
ok, I think that will do for now.
Sayonara,
~mm
I could talk for a long long time about everything I've seen and done in Japan, but I think that could get tiring :) so instead I will finish with some of my favourite things....
- The people.
Japan is full of so many friendly, helpful people. Like when I asked a station worker where to catch my train from - and later he came down to make sure I was on the right one! Or the person who goes completely out of their way to take you to the place you asked directions for.... Sometimes their generosity and helpfulness can become rather tiring! but really, it is so lovely to be somewhere where people are so hospitable.
This also carries over into safety. Japan is by far the safest place I've ever known. You could leave your luggage at the train station and come back and it would still be there. I never encountered any pickpockets in trains or on the street (and in those crowds it would be so easy! - and it is a 'cash' society - where people generally pay in cash most of the time) The only thing that you have to watch is your umbrella. and your bicycle. Other than that you're pretty safe :)
And of course, the many good friends that I made on my trips. I will try and keep up my Japanese so that I can stay in touch with you all! :) and hopefully will see you again soon!
- The "culture"
I love how old Japan is and how it has such a completely different history from European countries. The houses, castles, temples are all so different from the way we designed them, it is completely fascinating to me. I love that many of these are preserved, so you walk around buildings that are so old.....(coming from a very young country its quite mind-boggling!).
I love the smell of these places, woody, and in the temples they have this lovely musky incense that is divine.
- The gardens
The manicured trees are sooo cool. Little clouds of leaves on the branches (check out the photo of me at ise-jingu in Nagoya - they have some great ones). But best of all this is not just in temples, people have these trees at their houses too. You see them everywhere. You start to think they must naturally grow like that - ...until you see the little strings holding the branches perfectly in place. :)
- The fashion
Japan to me, is full of contrasts. A land steeped in history and yet coming up with the latest technological crazes...salarymen working night and day and the school kids giving off a very studious image but then the game shows are insane! and the fashion. Women dressed in kimono and yukata walking along with others dressed quite normally...and then others who are dressed like slappers! Everyone seems to dress in a way that is really put together, (no matter how wacky). Like, I'm going to dress 'punk' so they have punk hair, ripped tights, gloves, punk shirt etc. Or I'm going to dress like little bo peep. Or I'm going to dress like a french maid. ... it's all here.
- The technology
Japan is renowned for its technological advances and I love them for it, once you've sat on a heated toilet seat you realise what you have been missing. But they have taken it a bit far with the music of birds chirping that plays as you sit on the toilet....and the toilet seats that automatically rise (then the toilet automatically flushes)....it's all a little bit much maybe? ....but I do love the technology, lots of fancy gadgets, the latest tiniest cameras, video phones....everything.
- The temples
A little piece of Zen in the city....Kyoto in particular is a place I really love for its temples and shrines. It is so lovely to walk around the streets and pop into different temples, and as soon as you enter you feel a little bit of peace.
My favourite ones are Ginkakuji (the silver pavilion) which has a lovely garden and feels so peaceful, and Ryoanji (which has a famous rock garden).
In Tokyo I love Asakusa, which is not really peaceful, but I love the hustle and bustle and all the little shops selling all kinds of souvenirs.
- The language
I think immersing yourself in the culture really helps you understand the language, and I love the way they sometimes express themselves and describe things so differently to how we would in English. It really helps you understand how they think. My favourite word is natsukashii. It kind of describes the feeling of nostalgia, when you see something you haven't in a long time. It's so cool they have a word for that feeling :) ....and my other favourite is yoroshiku. This is sort of asking someone to be favourable towards you...it's kind of hard to explain but basically if you ask for a favour or something you say yoroshiku - meaning - I'm trusting that you will do this for me ... hint hint! ...hehehehe....
ok, I think that will do for now.
Sayonara,
~mm
Sunday, September 13, 2009
new experiences....
Even though this was my third time to Japan, it was still full of new experiences. One of these was the public baths (ofuro) and onsen. Bathing in Japan is something quite special, and sharing that with lots of others is definitely something that was new to me.
In the ryokans that I stayed in they had shared bathrooms, and when I stayed with Hide we went to the public baths, which was the same thing on a much larger scale.
They're all gender separated, but basically - you go in (shoes are put in a locker), and you get a locker key for in the bathrooms.
When you enter the bathroom there's toilets, basins and mirrors, and lockers for putting all your stuff. You get undressed and take just your towel into the shower room. There's showers - sometimes with little cubicles (just some low walls) sometimes just in a line along the wall. And little stools and basins. You sit on the stool and wash yourself. (no one stands up really).
Then once clean you head into the ofuro (the bath). Being a volcanic country, Japan has lots of natural hot springs, so often the places with these will have lovely outdoor bathing areas. In the public baths we went to they had all kinds of pools of different temperatures. Big ones for soaking, and these tubs that fit just one person (like a big barrel) but the water was so hot! You soak for a while and ease all your aching muscles....sooo good after long days of taiko and lots of walking!
Then you head back, dry off and get changed. Or some places have saunas and other fancy things....there's waiting areas where you can chill out, read a magazine etc and there's massage chairs and stuff too.
The best part - they have Everything you need there! shampoo, body soaps, face washes, lotions, potions, even disposable toothbrushes!
In the ryokans that I stayed in they had shared bathrooms, and when I stayed with Hide we went to the public baths, which was the same thing on a much larger scale.
They're all gender separated, but basically - you go in (shoes are put in a locker), and you get a locker key for in the bathrooms.
When you enter the bathroom there's toilets, basins and mirrors, and lockers for putting all your stuff. You get undressed and take just your towel into the shower room. There's showers - sometimes with little cubicles (just some low walls) sometimes just in a line along the wall. And little stools and basins. You sit on the stool and wash yourself. (no one stands up really).
Then once clean you head into the ofuro (the bath). Being a volcanic country, Japan has lots of natural hot springs, so often the places with these will have lovely outdoor bathing areas. In the public baths we went to they had all kinds of pools of different temperatures. Big ones for soaking, and these tubs that fit just one person (like a big barrel) but the water was so hot! You soak for a while and ease all your aching muscles....sooo good after long days of taiko and lots of walking!
Then you head back, dry off and get changed. Or some places have saunas and other fancy things....there's waiting areas where you can chill out, read a magazine etc and there's massage chairs and stuff too.
The best part - they have Everything you need there! shampoo, body soaps, face washes, lotions, potions, even disposable toothbrushes!
Foods
My favourite food (apart from the kakigoori) is "cream-pan". This is basically a custard bun, and is delicious!
and of course, if you're hungry, thirsty, need some cigarettes or a beer, or ...anything! there's vending machines wherever you go....
Because it was summertime, there were lots of icecream shops....and sooo many different flavours!
in fact....at Ise-jingu I saw some very very odd flavours. Ones that should not be allowed. Like - wasabi icecream. Soy sauce icecream. Tofu icecream. Vinegar icecream. Salt icecream. I felt like I should taste these, but to be honest it made me feel quite nauseous just thinking about it!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Images of Japan
thought I'd put in a few other snapshots - Images of Japan...
temples and shrines are all over the place. It's actually really awesome seeing a shrine gate in the middle of skyscrapers and busy streets. A little bit of zen in the middle of the city :)
temples and shrines are all over the place. It's actually really awesome seeing a shrine gate in the middle of skyscrapers and busy streets. A little bit of zen in the middle of the city :)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
signs....
One of the things we love about Japan is the engrish. And the quirkiness.
These are some of my favourite signs :)
These are some of my favourite signs :)
being a kiwi, this store really tickled my fancy :)
Note the sign showing how to sit on the toilet. And how not to sit....
This was in a really touristy rest area so I think more for other foreigners than the japanese :)
Ok, this is my favourite. The advertising campaign about being safe on the train platforms. I don't really understand it, but I do love the beach.
It only takes fingers to throw away. It takes the whole body to pick up.
Maybe a push play campaign?
definitely no smorking. and tout is also out.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tadaima! ...I'm home!
Home time!
Due to the typhoon sitting right over Narita airport, my plane was delayed by about an hour and a half....which made the connection in Sydney rather tight, but in the end I made it back on time and in one piece :) and it was a pretty good flight, nowhere near as bumpy as on the way there.
Back in New Zealand and the first things that I notice are:
Green. Fields of green grass everywhere. I missed this.
Lots of english! (I understand everything!) hehe...
The sky. Hide had told me that his favourite memory of NZ was the sky here. Now I understand what he means. It's so round and deep. In Japan it often feels sort of thin and hazy, but here on a fine day it is such a brilliant blue, it feels like you could dive right into it.
It's nice to be home :)
Although....I am still speaking Japanese in my head! A few times in the evening I spoke in japanese (and got very strange looks in reply) ...I must have been really thinking in Japanese a lot! My poor brain is befuddled.....
While I love being back and seeing all the people I love, I have to admit that coming down from taiko heaven is rather a crash landing. I go straight back to work the next day, and am feeling very low. I just want to play taiko all day long! Reality is hard!
But one thing that makes it better is....my favourite food.
This is the thing I missed most when I was away, and from now on I think I will just carry some with me.
Vegemite on Toast.
Bliss.
:)
Due to the typhoon sitting right over Narita airport, my plane was delayed by about an hour and a half....which made the connection in Sydney rather tight, but in the end I made it back on time and in one piece :) and it was a pretty good flight, nowhere near as bumpy as on the way there.
Back in New Zealand and the first things that I notice are:
Green. Fields of green grass everywhere. I missed this.
Lots of english! (I understand everything!) hehe...
The sky. Hide had told me that his favourite memory of NZ was the sky here. Now I understand what he means. It's so round and deep. In Japan it often feels sort of thin and hazy, but here on a fine day it is such a brilliant blue, it feels like you could dive right into it.
It's nice to be home :)
Although....I am still speaking Japanese in my head! A few times in the evening I spoke in japanese (and got very strange looks in reply) ...I must have been really thinking in Japanese a lot! My poor brain is befuddled.....
While I love being back and seeing all the people I love, I have to admit that coming down from taiko heaven is rather a crash landing. I go straight back to work the next day, and am feeling very low. I just want to play taiko all day long! Reality is hard!
But one thing that makes it better is....my favourite food.
This is the thing I missed most when I was away, and from now on I think I will just carry some with me.
Vegemite on Toast.
Bliss.
:)
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