Monday, July 30, 2007
On our way home!
We're here at Narita Airport about to start our last leg back to the USA. Last night was the last big concert at the Kurashiki Jazz Festival and it was definitely a moment to remember. We were one of 3 groups to perform and everyone was in fine form for the occasion and we enjoyed a big party to celebrate our attendance afterwards. It's been and incredible trip and there are still many stories to tell, pictures to share and experiences to remember and savor. We've been incredibly busy, too, so hopefully the few experiences we've related here have given you a little glimpse of our travels and some insight into this side of the world through our eyes and ears. Time to board... check back for some more post trip stories, pictures and sounds from Japan! - Mark (AKA Bebopper)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Training in Japan
As we sit on a bus in LA like traffic with LA like smog in LA like hills, somewhere near Osaka, it's clear that trains are the way to travel in this country. I don't know why we're on a bus... maybe too hard to get where we're going, but the train would most certainly be nicer and probably faster to most destinations. The trains are fast, clean and best of all, they are everywhere, interconnecting in massive central train depots in the major cities that we've been in, including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and always punctual. For commuter trains you don't need a schedule (and I didn't see any)... just wait a few minutes and a train arrives. 
The experience of train riding here, especially in larger cities like Tokyo and Osaka starts with entering the station with a billion other people and approaching the mind-boggling transit diagrams and anxiety inducing ticket machines with enough on-screen functions, multiple keypads, buttons and flashing lights to put a Vegas slot machine to shame, all labeled and explained in Japanese, which, of course, means all 3 Japanese character sets--the traditional Kanji, derived from Chinese characters, and Hiragana and Katagana cursive shorthand characters for Japanese and foreign words. Walking up to these machines is a stressful experience for Westerners as different train lines have different machines so each trip may be new experience. Just searching for the English button is enough to induce a sweat as people quickly stack up behind while you stand there like an idiot trying to figure out which button to push. Finally you just give up and try to figure out which slot to put money in and just hope for the best. We usually go as a group, so the first person to figure it all out runs around assisting the others, coaxing them gently out of their panicked state with helpful comments like 'can't you read? it's right there in plain Japanese!'
The next step is to find the actual train, no easy feat due to the fact that there are multiple train lines and an endless array of passageways that go up, down and all directions north, south, east and west and a few in between. Although many of the signs have a little English, its still confusing and we usually resort to asking passersby for assistance since we quickly discovered that the Japanese, even when they speak no English, are incredibly eager to be helpful, often resorting to taking us where we want to go rather than try to explain it. Once on the platform, trains are coming and going every few minutes... it's as if every hour is rush hour and watch out when the real rush hour happens, because it is truly out of control, with a tidal wave of people flowing from the trains through the station. Once on board, the advertising assault begins with ads covering every conceivable surface, hanging from the ceiling, covering the hand ring straps and even plastered on the windows. Chaotic as it all seems, there sense of efficiency, as the pre-boarding sensory overload dissipates and calm is restored by the clean, cool and quiet ride, even when the trains are near capacity.
Sakai Home Stories #6
Listen to more home stay stories from Sakai. (Story #6)
Sorry about the sound quality and low volume! These were done on the bus, so it's pretty noisy and the audio level was too low. I'll try to fix these when I get back to the states, but for now, try using headphones in a quiet place... that should help some. - Bebopper
Sorry about the sound quality and low volume! These were done on the bus, so it's pretty noisy and the audio level was too low. I'll try to fix these when I get back to the states, but for now, try using headphones in a quiet place... that should help some. - Bebopper
Friday, July 27, 2007
Todai-Ji Temple
Our wonderful guide, Harumi, took us (while the kids were away at their home-stays) to the Todai-Ji Temple in Nara, which houses a giant buddha (daibutsu). We spent a couple of hours walking up to and around this spectacular wooden building, apparently one of the largest in the world. This is the same area where the friendly deer roam. Listen to Harumi describe the history of this temple.
Even More Photos!
Just posted another batch of 33 photos to my Flickr page. Sorry there aren't any captions, but I think most tell a story without words, except perhaps these odd tables in the woods or those strange aprons on the rocks... I'm not sure what that's all about! Lots of temples and shrines in Kyoto and more friendly deer!
Potter Strikes!
As we step off the Bullet Train in Osaka, the air is filled with a feeling of longing. Five days into the trip we have performed at prestigious Jazz Clubs, eaten world class cuisine, and experienced a culture unlike anything we have ever encountered. But many members of the band still have a large void left unfulfilled. As we walk through the lobby of the New Hankyu Hotel our tour guide Harumi gives us the agenda for the coming day. But it isn't until she mentions the word "bookstore" the people start paying attention.We see a crazed look come over the eyes of several band members and their lips began to quiver. Like giddy children going to the candy store, our band mates sprint to the store with Yen in hand. They were on a mission to find the way to Hogwarts one last time. In case you're confused, we are talking about the popular "CHILDREN'S" book Harry Potter. With the seventh and final installment coming out just days into our trip many decided they had seen enough of real Japan and were ready to bury their mind in an over zealous children's fantasy for the rest of the trip.
Though at first it seemed harmless, we began to feel worried when "The Book" began to jeopardize the whole reason we came to Japan to begin with--to play music. This first became clear when several members pulled an all-nighter to tear through the first 23 chapters of the 2,419 page book. This left them unfocused and at times unconscious during the sound check the next day.
But during the performance things took a turn for the worst. Trombonist Eva decided during some "free time" during a Sax solo to pull out the book and consequently missed her entrance into the next section. Guitarist Dylan, who was reading the book on stage while playing didn't noticed that the song had ended and continued to strum away while muttering things like "Lumos Gozimas". Things really got out of control when our Director Charles Hamilton mistakingly introduced our 5th trumpet player as Ron Weasley.
So to all you parents out there who think you need to spend $2,000 to send your kid to Japan to have a good time, just know you could have spent $20 to send them to Hogwarts instead. And for the sake of the rest of the trip, let us clue you into one little secret: Page 2,374... ハリーは死ぬ
- Ari & Evan
Home Stay #2
The second home stay in Sakai was a huge success and there are lots of stories to tell. I'll be linking to some audio files here soon, but for the moment, here are 8 pictures taken just before the home-stay parents took off with their extra kids! (These are appended to the previous group of pictures.)
Groovy Encounter in Tokyo
Finally found an Internet connection after hunting around Kyoto for the past couple of days (the hotel is useless for Internet.) It's late, but I'll try to post a few things tonight... tomorrow we get up early to travel to the jazz festival in Kurishiki, so no telling when we'll have Internet access again. First, a little about one of the past gigs in Tokyo, then I'll put up some pictures.
Last Sunday, we played the B Flat Jazz Club in Tokyo along with the Groovy Encounters. This great subterranean jazz spot had a pretty good turn out and both bands put on a good show. The Groovy Encounters is made up of various amateur players in the area and includes a few members of the Rikkyo High Jazz Ensemble. The Rikkyo High group previously demonstrated excellent ensemble playing and this ensemble continued in that vein with a very tight, clean sound. The members were older than the high school group, appearing to be in their 20s, and their sound was more mature. The soloists are much stronger, too, although soloing is still not their strong point. They dressed with flair, most of the members wearing Hawaiian shirts and some wearing funky glasses and hats, which all fit the setting of the setting of the B Flat club with it's low ceiling and brick back wall which was filled with signatures of previous performers. We got to add some of our own after the show.
Listen to the Groovy Encounters ensemble playing and sectional strength as well as the excellent guitar playing and soloing in this recording from the B Flat Jazz Club.
Last Sunday, we played the B Flat Jazz Club in Tokyo along with the Groovy Encounters. This great subterranean jazz spot had a pretty good turn out and both bands put on a good show. The Groovy Encounters is made up of various amateur players in the area and includes a few members of the Rikkyo High Jazz Ensemble. The Rikkyo High group previously demonstrated excellent ensemble playing and this ensemble continued in that vein with a very tight, clean sound. The members were older than the high school group, appearing to be in their 20s, and their sound was more mature. The soloists are much stronger, too, although soloing is still not their strong point. They dressed with flair, most of the members wearing Hawaiian shirts and some wearing funky glasses and hats, which all fit the setting of the setting of the B Flat club with it's low ceiling and brick back wall which was filled with signatures of previous performers. We got to add some of our own after the show.
Listen to the Groovy Encounters ensemble playing and sectional strength as well as the excellent guitar playing and soloing in this recording from the B Flat Jazz Club.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Oh, Deer!
To get to the Todai-Ji Temple in Nara, the former capital of Japan, you first encounter the free-roaming, people-friendly deer who just want a bite to eat. The adults took an hour train ride to Nara with our guide and visited this incredible temple while the kids were off at their home-stays in Sakai... we'll hear more about that when they return tomorrow. For a buck fifty, we bought deer crackers and attempted to have a civilized feeding, but the deer would just mob anyone with food and even nose into your pockets for anything edible... including money! This resulted in scenes of people running along tossing out food, trying to escape the deer mob, only to start a minor stampede across the grounds, much to the amusement of bystanders.The pitfals of hanging around the deer were depicted in this amusing signage along the route to the temple.
The temple, which was beyond the great entrance here, housed an enormous bronze budah, only about 3 centuries old, the original budah having been in a much larger temple that previously stood on these grounds more than 1000 years ago, flanked by 100 meter tall pagodas which were long gone.
Listen to the sounds of cicedas, tourists, mopeds and feet walking on stone on our stroll up to the Todai-Ji Temple.
More on Food
Japanese food is a trip. It starts with the fact that just about everything in the sea is eaten here and lots of it. Japan is a land of seafood junkies. You can't walk half a block without passing a handful of sushi and tempura establishments. I've been eating sushi or sashimi every chance I get and the quality is great. In the massive underground network of food courts, mixed in with the train depots teaming with people, there is no lack of customers, ensuring that the food is pretty fresh, although the infinite number of choices often create maddning moments of indecision. Many restaurants in these food courts, and in the food alleys that permeate the downtown areas of big cities, are incredibly tiny, often seating only 10-12 people at the counter. This makes for fast and personal service. The plastic food models in the windows and pictures on the menus are helpful to a degree, especially when supplemented by a little English, even if bizarrely translated, and we work our orders out with the waitress or waiter, pointing and gesturing to get understood. This occasionally results in spontaneous new food experiences. The other thing that amazes, is the endless varieties of packaging. Everything down the smallest bite size pastry is packaged impeccably, as if it's going to be sent to the Moon or something. Food processing is an art form here, too, with endless variety of shapes and color, often beyond natural. Have a listen to a few BHS Jazz students talking about the food.
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