昨日は私の鼻が鼻水になりました。特に、左の鼻孔は影響を受けます。そして、目ヤリが出ります。お母さんは飛行機に引くと思います。でも、今軽い風邪です。（良かった。）
 |
| 風邪薬は苦い味があります。 |
今夜は薬屋へ行きました。風邪薬とマスクを買いました。残念ながら、クリスマスにこの風邪があります。早く治したいです～
-wp
Friday, December 23, 2016
風邪を引けました
最悪です。
昨日は私の鼻が鼻水になりました。特に、左の鼻孔は影響を受けます。そして、目ヤリが出ります。お母さんは飛行機に引くと思います。でも、今軽い風邪です。（良かった。）
今夜は薬屋へ行きました。風邪薬とマスクを買いました。残念ながら、クリスマスにこの風邪があります。早く治したいです～
-wp
昨日は私の鼻が鼻水になりました。特に、左の鼻孔は影響を受けます。そして、目ヤリが出ります。お母さんは飛行機に引くと思います。でも、今軽い風邪です。（良かった。）
今夜は薬屋へ行きました。風邪薬とマスクを買いました。残念ながら、クリスマスにこの風邪があります。早く治したいです～
-wp
Monday, December 19, 2016
ガラガラガラガラガラガラ
日曜日に、９ヶ月で初めてアメリカへ飛びました。 は日本航空のでした。約１２時間に続きました。プレミアムエコノミークラスで飛びました。このクラスの椅子の方は普通なエコノミークラスより大きいと広いでした、そしてもっとレッグルームはありました。
プレミアムエコノミークラスで飛んでいましたので、日本航空の「桜ラウンジ」を入る事許可しました。色々なお菓子と飲み物を楽しました、そして新聞を読みました。ラウンジもゲートのとなりはありました。（とっても便利！）
飛行中に、「Independence Day」と「君の名は」を見ていました。 お弁当はビーフシチュー、そしてその後に数時間に寝ました。 リバーシも椅（自分で）のモニターを遊びました。私は、中程度の難易度でさえリバーシでは上手くいかではありません。
天気のため多くの乱気流はありました。飛行機はワシントン州を飛ぶとしていたときにガラガラしました。飛行機の前動きの病の丸薬を取りので、病気になりませんでした。しかし、飛行機のガラガラはちょっと怖い感じです。
約9時にニューヨークに 着きました。飛行機から出るの後は、通関を行きました。アメリカの市民ですので、自動キオスクでチェックインする事を出来ます。（写真は禁止でした、すいません） ターミナルの外に、雇われた車のために数分を待ていました。
帰ってきたの時は、ドアをノックする必要ではなりませんでした。お母さんは外に来ました、そして私に抱擁しました。彼女はずっと泣いていました。お母さんは「９ヶ月でしたので、出産する感じです。」と言いました。ｗｗｗｗｗ 家に入ります、その後で寝ました。自分のベッドに寝る事は素晴らしいでした。（心地よい！）
それで、拡張休みは始めま～～～す！
-wp
プレミアムエコノミークラスで飛んでいましたので、日本航空の「桜ラウンジ」を入る事許可しました。色々なお菓子と飲み物を楽しました、そして新聞を読みました。ラウンジもゲートのとなりはありました。（とっても便利！）
 |
| 美味しいお弁当 |
 |
| ５０％完成 |
飛行中に、「Independence Day」と「君の名は」を見ていました。 お弁当はビーフシチュー、そしてその後に数時間に寝ました。 リバーシも椅（自分で）のモニターを遊びました。私は、中程度の難易度でさえリバーシでは上手くいかではありません。
 |
| 高い、早い、寒い |
天気のため多くの乱気流はありました。飛行機はワシントン州を飛ぶとしていたときにガラガラしました。飛行機の前動きの病の丸薬を取りので、病気になりませんでした。しかし、飛行機のガラガラはちょっと怖い感じです。
約9時にニューヨークに 着きました。飛行機から出るの後は、通関を行きました。アメリカの市民ですので、自動キオスクでチェックインする事を出来ます。（写真は禁止でした、すいません） ターミナルの外に、雇われた車のために数分を待ていました。
帰ってきたの時は、ドアをノックする必要ではなりませんでした。お母さんは外に来ました、そして私に抱擁しました。彼女はずっと泣いていました。お母さんは「９ヶ月でしたので、出産する感じです。」と言いました。ｗｗｗｗｗ 家に入ります、その後で寝ました。自分のベッドに寝る事は素晴らしいでした。（心地よい！）
それで、拡張休みは始めま～～～す！
-wp
Saturday, December 17, 2016
He's so far away, come on home...
I'm now at the Narita Tobu Hotel Airport. It's actual the third time that I've stayed at this hotel. The first time I stayed here, it was my first night of being in Japan ever, when I was still touring colleges. The second time, it was the day that I landed to start my time here in Japan for grad school. Now, I'm spending the night here before I leave to go back to America. The facilities here are a bit dated, but it's clean, I booked it at a reasonable price, and it's actually the closest hotel to the airport; on the shuttle bus, it takes about 10-15 minutes for the bus to make its way through the maze of particularly narrow roads to get to the terminal.
Tomorrow morning, I'm boarding a Japan Airlines flight and am flying to New York. I'll be going home for about three weeks. It sounds like a very long time to be home, and I'll also be missing the New Year's festivities here. However, a certain worried next of kin who doesn't see the value of a passport wanted me home, especially because I had never been away from home, and her, for so long before. (Next week it will be nine months since I had left home.) But if I'm honest, I'm kind of glad to be going home, too. Though I've almost stopped growing physically, I've still grown as a human being. This year, I bought my own car with my own money for the first time, and a manual no less. I made repairs to it myself and I had it repaired as well. I travelled by myself to a far away place, got stuck, and had to deal with the aftermath, mainly by myself. I went to actual Japanese classes and improved my Japanese from a level of I'm so fucked to I can kind of survive by myself, which is honestly a lot more impressive that it sounds.
Of course, I've had plenty of help from my friends and mentors along the way (Saito-san the mechanic, Nagashima-san the foreign personnel advisor, Kaneta-san/Ono-san/Gunji-san from the wind ensemble, etc.). And yet, at the same time, I feel as though I've finally become an adult. I'm 24 now. Most kids my age, or even younger, work full-time jobs and are already starting their climbs up the corporate ladder. So to summarize, I left home as a "cool college kid ridin' to the beach on his mo'", and now, I'm coming back as an adult. An adult that is still getting financial support from his mother, but an adult nonetheless. And in the words of Neil Peart, when writing the song "Headline Flight", I would never trade tomorrow for today.
Anyways, there's going to be a brief change for this blog while I'm home. I've been updating this blog to serve as a window to my world for the people that I'm leaving behind. The other day, though, I figured that this philosophy can work regardless of where I'm departing from. So in addition to finishing my language learning books from cover to cover, for the next three weeks, I'm going to be updating this blog in Japanese. It's a great way for me to improve my language skills, of which I will especially need to rely on more next year. Those of you at home who want to follow along will unfortunately have to use Google Translate.
Speak of the devil, excuse me for a second.
日本人の方へ：今まで1月7日まで日本語にこのブログを書きます。私の日本語を改善したいです。だから、このブログはよい練習の物です。日本語のブログエントリーを楽しみに！
Okay, now where was I? Oh yes, coming home.
I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing while I'm home. Most likely, I'll be putting some time into my research, helping out Mom with the foreclosures, and seeing a few family members for New Year's. In the interest of not blowing any more money (my round trip ticket was $3k, ouc- I mean, 痛い!), we don't have plans to go anywhere special. We may take a day trip to New York, but that's about it. To be honest, I don't need the trip. I'd rather be at home spending time with Mom. That in itself is everything that I wanted for Christmas.
Time for bed. Gotta be up and out early tomorrow so that I can clear passport control in time for my flight.
-wp
 |
| No Bibles in this hotel, just a bilingual (English and Chinese) copy of the teachings of Buddha |
Tomorrow morning, I'm boarding a Japan Airlines flight and am flying to New York. I'll be going home for about three weeks. It sounds like a very long time to be home, and I'll also be missing the New Year's festivities here. However, a certain worried next of kin who doesn't see the value of a passport wanted me home, especially because I had never been away from home, and her, for so long before. (Next week it will be nine months since I had left home.) But if I'm honest, I'm kind of glad to be going home, too. Though I've almost stopped growing physically, I've still grown as a human being. This year, I bought my own car with my own money for the first time, and a manual no less. I made repairs to it myself and I had it repaired as well. I travelled by myself to a far away place, got stuck, and had to deal with the aftermath, mainly by myself. I went to actual Japanese classes and improved my Japanese from a level of I'm so fucked to I can kind of survive by myself, which is honestly a lot more impressive that it sounds.
Of course, I've had plenty of help from my friends and mentors along the way (Saito-san the mechanic, Nagashima-san the foreign personnel advisor, Kaneta-san/Ono-san/Gunji-san from the wind ensemble, etc.). And yet, at the same time, I feel as though I've finally become an adult. I'm 24 now. Most kids my age, or even younger, work full-time jobs and are already starting their climbs up the corporate ladder. So to summarize, I left home as a "cool college kid ridin' to the beach on his mo'", and now, I'm coming back as an adult. An adult that is still getting financial support from his mother, but an adult nonetheless. And in the words of Neil Peart, when writing the song "Headline Flight", I would never trade tomorrow for today.
Anyways, there's going to be a brief change for this blog while I'm home. I've been updating this blog to serve as a window to my world for the people that I'm leaving behind. The other day, though, I figured that this philosophy can work regardless of where I'm departing from. So in addition to finishing my language learning books from cover to cover, for the next three weeks, I'm going to be updating this blog in Japanese. It's a great way for me to improve my language skills, of which I will especially need to rely on more next year. Those of you at home who want to follow along will unfortunately have to use Google Translate.
Speak of the devil, excuse me for a second.
日本人の方へ：今まで1月7日まで日本語にこのブログを書きます。私の日本語を改善したいです。だから、このブログはよい練習の物です。日本語のブログエントリーを楽しみに！
Okay, now where was I? Oh yes, coming home.
I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing while I'm home. Most likely, I'll be putting some time into my research, helping out Mom with the foreclosures, and seeing a few family members for New Year's. In the interest of not blowing any more money (my round trip ticket was $3k, ouc- I mean, 痛い!), we don't have plans to go anywhere special. We may take a day trip to New York, but that's about it. To be honest, I don't need the trip. I'd rather be at home spending time with Mom. That in itself is everything that I wanted for Christmas.
Time for bed. Gotta be up and out early tomorrow so that I can clear passport control in time for my flight.
-wp
Monday, December 5, 2016
At least the concrete felt cool
This Saturday, I participated in a "year-end party" hosted by Saito-san. There were actually two parts to this party: the regular party on the second floor of an izakaya and an afterparty at a snack bar in another part of the city. Because I decided to reward myself with a few stiff drinks, I ended up taking a taxi (about $20 USD, yikes!) to the izakaya.
The party was very nice. I got to introduce myself to some of Saito-san's friends. (As a matter of fact, I was actually introduced by Saito-san to the store manager of the same York Benimaru that I went to on Friday night. Small world, isn't it?) The guy who sat next to me drives an R35 GT-R as his daily, a car which I have openly lusted after for a very long time. (His observation: it's really fast!) There was a whole spread of food available, including fried chicken, pizza, motsunabe (a hot pot with pig's intestines, tofu, and vegetables), and a giant bottle of sake brought in by another partygoer. And this doesn't even include the giant boat of fish that the shop owner carried in halfway through dinner. Also part of the evening's activities was a game of bingo, where there were a bunch of prizes and vouchers from Saito-san and his partners' businesses. I won a discounted oil change at Saito-san's shop. Perfect for the spring time when it's time to switch back to summer oil.
Afterwards, it was time for the afterparty. Some of the partygoers went home, while the rest of us went to the bar on foot. I got the chance to walk through the concentrated, nightlife-oriented part of the city, which to me has a certain Tokyo-like feel to it. Saito-san told me that some of the bars in this area were among the best in the country. He even pointed out one to avoid: a grey, post-modernist building that actually had mob ties to it. (This is probably some important information to know in the future.)
We arrived at the snack bar, a small room on the third floor of a building that seemed almost entirely dedicated to them. A snack bar, for those of you who don't know what it is, is a rather small place where matrons serve alcohol to customers. This place also had a karaoke machine, and I was amazed at the amount of songs available in English, especially by the band that I knew about. In fact, thanks to some Liquid Courage (TM), I actually went up for four songs. As it turns out, I am especially not a good singer when I'm drunk. But what was especially hilarious to me about the karaoke was the B-roll used for the lyrics. I could tell it was from the 90s, mainly because of the cars, and the fashion. Among the various cars spotted were a C4 Corvette, a Porsche Boxster convertible, and a Jeep Wrangler. It had that low budget, stereotypical feeling of 90s Japan, and I loved it.
I wish that I could end this post here. I also wish that I had listened to that little voice in my head that said "okay, that's enough liquor for tonight." Unfortunately, I can't do either. Maybe if I had avoided drinking at the afterparty (it was a few rather tall glasses of whiskey), I probably would've made it home relatively intact. Things started getting bad when my taxi-hailing app said that there was a delay for nearby taxis. I had the person next to me call the taxi dispatch; the taxi would not be coming for another 40 (!) minutes. I ended up starting to fall asleep while waiting for the taxi. Then someone brought over a plastic bag, and that's when my body decided to take the hint. Needless to say, I had to be carried downstairs and into the taxi, which was finally waiting outside.
And then, I had to be carried back out of it.
I don't know exactly why I was taken out of the taxi. Maybe it was because I was too drunk to give directions. Maybe it was because Saito-san was too worried letting me go home by myself. Either way, I was now lying face down on the sidewalk, in front of a snack bar building in northern Japan in December, with a bag in front of my face catching my vomit, unable to even open my eyes to see. Talk about being outside of your comfort zone. The police were apparently called, and I knew the second I heard the word 「救急車」 (ambulance) that my evening was not going to end so well.
With Saito-san and two other friends in tow, I was rushed to Takeda General Hospital, and then discharged in about an hour. My friends helped carry me into my room in Somei House, and I ended up spending my Sunday sleeping and chucking unprocessed liquor. It wasn't until this morning, actually, that I'd managed to actually hold down food. Even now, as I'm typing this, I still feel rather exhausted. Hopefully by the time I get up for work tomorrow, I'll be somewhat better.
So, William, what did we learn? Well, this is the second time I've ever actually been drunk in my life. The first time I got drunk resulted in something similar, except there was no hospital visit involved. This time, however, I had that little voice in my head telling me to stop. And now, I will listen to it from here on out. I hear that young people recover from hangovers faster. Which means that if two days is fast for a hangover, I shudder at what's going to happen when I turn 40. All the more reason to get my shit together.
But seriously, I don't know what would've happened if Saito-san was not there for me that night. Despite us having a limited grasp of each other's languages, this guy not only invited me to his party and had the shop owner prepare a separate dish for me due to my aversion to fish, he actually went in the ambulance with me and carried me a good portion of the way. It's people like him, even in this fucked up world, that I am thankful for. (Actually, I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Guess I don't need a holiday to be thankful.)
And with that, thankfully, it's back to the grind.
-wp
The party was very nice. I got to introduce myself to some of Saito-san's friends. (As a matter of fact, I was actually introduced by Saito-san to the store manager of the same York Benimaru that I went to on Friday night. Small world, isn't it?) The guy who sat next to me drives an R35 GT-R as his daily, a car which I have openly lusted after for a very long time. (His observation: it's really fast!) There was a whole spread of food available, including fried chicken, pizza, motsunabe (a hot pot with pig's intestines, tofu, and vegetables), and a giant bottle of sake brought in by another partygoer. And this doesn't even include the giant boat of fish that the shop owner carried in halfway through dinner. Also part of the evening's activities was a game of bingo, where there were a bunch of prizes and vouchers from Saito-san and his partners' businesses. I won a discounted oil change at Saito-san's shop. Perfect for the spring time when it's time to switch back to summer oil.
 |
| Now that's dedication to the craft! |
Afterwards, it was time for the afterparty. Some of the partygoers went home, while the rest of us went to the bar on foot. I got the chance to walk through the concentrated, nightlife-oriented part of the city, which to me has a certain Tokyo-like feel to it. Saito-san told me that some of the bars in this area were among the best in the country. He even pointed out one to avoid: a grey, post-modernist building that actually had mob ties to it. (This is probably some important information to know in the future.)
 |
| Most, if not all of these, are snack bars. |
We arrived at the snack bar, a small room on the third floor of a building that seemed almost entirely dedicated to them. A snack bar, for those of you who don't know what it is, is a rather small place where matrons serve alcohol to customers. This place also had a karaoke machine, and I was amazed at the amount of songs available in English, especially by the band that I knew about. In fact, thanks to some Liquid Courage (TM), I actually went up for four songs. As it turns out, I am especially not a good singer when I'm drunk. But what was especially hilarious to me about the karaoke was the B-roll used for the lyrics. I could tell it was from the 90s, mainly because of the cars, and the fashion. Among the various cars spotted were a C4 Corvette, a Porsche Boxster convertible, and a Jeep Wrangler. It had that low budget, stereotypical feeling of 90s Japan, and I loved it.
 |
| Import crusing is serious business. |
I wish that I could end this post here. I also wish that I had listened to that little voice in my head that said "okay, that's enough liquor for tonight." Unfortunately, I can't do either. Maybe if I had avoided drinking at the afterparty (it was a few rather tall glasses of whiskey), I probably would've made it home relatively intact. Things started getting bad when my taxi-hailing app said that there was a delay for nearby taxis. I had the person next to me call the taxi dispatch; the taxi would not be coming for another 40 (!) minutes. I ended up starting to fall asleep while waiting for the taxi. Then someone brought over a plastic bag, and that's when my body decided to take the hint. Needless to say, I had to be carried downstairs and into the taxi, which was finally waiting outside.
And then, I had to be carried back out of it.
I don't know exactly why I was taken out of the taxi. Maybe it was because I was too drunk to give directions. Maybe it was because Saito-san was too worried letting me go home by myself. Either way, I was now lying face down on the sidewalk, in front of a snack bar building in northern Japan in December, with a bag in front of my face catching my vomit, unable to even open my eyes to see. Talk about being outside of your comfort zone. The police were apparently called, and I knew the second I heard the word 「救急車」 (ambulance) that my evening was not going to end so well.
With Saito-san and two other friends in tow, I was rushed to Takeda General Hospital, and then discharged in about an hour. My friends helped carry me into my room in Somei House, and I ended up spending my Sunday sleeping and chucking unprocessed liquor. It wasn't until this morning, actually, that I'd managed to actually hold down food. Even now, as I'm typing this, I still feel rather exhausted. Hopefully by the time I get up for work tomorrow, I'll be somewhat better.
So, William, what did we learn? Well, this is the second time I've ever actually been drunk in my life. The first time I got drunk resulted in something similar, except there was no hospital visit involved. This time, however, I had that little voice in my head telling me to stop. And now, I will listen to it from here on out. I hear that young people recover from hangovers faster. Which means that if two days is fast for a hangover, I shudder at what's going to happen when I turn 40. All the more reason to get my shit together.
But seriously, I don't know what would've happened if Saito-san was not there for me that night. Despite us having a limited grasp of each other's languages, this guy not only invited me to his party and had the shop owner prepare a separate dish for me due to my aversion to fish, he actually went in the ambulance with me and carried me a good portion of the way. It's people like him, even in this fucked up world, that I am thankful for. (Actually, I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Guess I don't need a holiday to be thankful.)
And with that, thankfully, it's back to the grind.
-wp
Friday, December 2, 2016
とっても忙しかったです～
(That means I was very busy in Japanese.)
But seriously, it's been rather busy the past few weeks. I've actually been so busy and unable to keep up with the blog that I missed an opportunity to put up a blog post about an onsen trip with my friends. (And that trip was a while ago!) It was a cross between work and school that kept me on my feet. I would be out all day, with the occasional return for food, and I would be extremely tired from work and studying that by night time I just would not be able to focus. My thesis research even took an impact; I was hoping to be farther ahead than I am now.
This past week was the pinnacle of my hectically long days, mainly due to it being the end of the third quarter. I had a thesis research presentation, preparations for a paper presentation at an international conference next week, and a total of three papers due, one that I seriously wouldn't have been able to complete without the help of a classmate due to the difficulty of the material. Between working on said papers and presentation, and actually working, it was a wonder that I managed to survive. I took extra hours in the lab to get everything done, which was very difficult given the constant distractions by e-mail and the responsibilities of being a TA as well.
That being said, tonight was the end. After finishing and submitting the last paper in the morning, assisting with test proctoring in the afternoon, and working during the evening, I was finally done. I have no more major deadlines between now and when I fly home for the holidays. To celebrate this newfound freedom, I took a trip to the York Benimaru in the southern portion of the main city for groceries. I actually put Tackawanna's top down, turned on the heater, put on some eurobeat, and hit up Fukushima Prefecture Route 64, dancing along to the music and guffawing at how I'd managed to survive the week. I haven't even had time lately to go to the store due to my packed schedule, much less go anywhere. In fact, it's been about a month since I last filled up Tackawanna, and I still have half a tank of fuel!
It's a huge weight off my shoulders, mainly because of the looming deadlines and their importance for my grades in class. The constant struggle with keeping everything up-to-date and on time was mentally exhausting me. I actually struggled to finish writing that last paper, which is very unusual because writing papers is the best thing that I can do. Not to mention the weirdness of my schedule, where it was hard for me to even keep up with chores. In fact, we had a holiday on Wednesday last week. (It was a one-day holiday, and such a thing is common in Japan, apparently.) I had plans to go to the lab that day, albeit a bit later in the morning. However, it had occurred to me as I was getting ready to shower that I had run out of clean underwear. I was so busy and preoccupied with other things that I now had to wait for the laundry to clean my underwear. Needless to say, I did not go to the lab that day, instead working from home and otherwise semi-relaxing with the constant worry about meeting my deadlines. The laundry machines were practically running for 12 hours straight because of me.
But now, things are going to slow down a bit. I'll still be working three days a week, but the hours will be more consistent. I'll also have more time to work on my research, as I have no classes for the fourth quarter. The wind ensemble and Sound Baccano is playing at the school's Christmas Party in two weeks. And tomorrow, I'll be going to another gathering held by Saito-san, my mechanic. This time, it'll be at an izakaya, and it'll be the first time I've gone out to eat in quite some time. I'll certainly drink to that. (But in moderation, of course. I'll need to drive home.)
-wp
But seriously, it's been rather busy the past few weeks. I've actually been so busy and unable to keep up with the blog that I missed an opportunity to put up a blog post about an onsen trip with my friends. (And that trip was a while ago!) It was a cross between work and school that kept me on my feet. I would be out all day, with the occasional return for food, and I would be extremely tired from work and studying that by night time I just would not be able to focus. My thesis research even took an impact; I was hoping to be farther ahead than I am now.
This past week was the pinnacle of my hectically long days, mainly due to it being the end of the third quarter. I had a thesis research presentation, preparations for a paper presentation at an international conference next week, and a total of three papers due, one that I seriously wouldn't have been able to complete without the help of a classmate due to the difficulty of the material. Between working on said papers and presentation, and actually working, it was a wonder that I managed to survive. I took extra hours in the lab to get everything done, which was very difficult given the constant distractions by e-mail and the responsibilities of being a TA as well.
That being said, tonight was the end. After finishing and submitting the last paper in the morning, assisting with test proctoring in the afternoon, and working during the evening, I was finally done. I have no more major deadlines between now and when I fly home for the holidays. To celebrate this newfound freedom, I took a trip to the York Benimaru in the southern portion of the main city for groceries. I actually put Tackawanna's top down, turned on the heater, put on some eurobeat, and hit up Fukushima Prefecture Route 64, dancing along to the music and guffawing at how I'd managed to survive the week. I haven't even had time lately to go to the store due to my packed schedule, much less go anywhere. In fact, it's been about a month since I last filled up Tackawanna, and I still have half a tank of fuel!
 |
| 「こんばんは〜」- Tackawanna |
It's a huge weight off my shoulders, mainly because of the looming deadlines and their importance for my grades in class. The constant struggle with keeping everything up-to-date and on time was mentally exhausting me. I actually struggled to finish writing that last paper, which is very unusual because writing papers is the best thing that I can do. Not to mention the weirdness of my schedule, where it was hard for me to even keep up with chores. In fact, we had a holiday on Wednesday last week. (It was a one-day holiday, and such a thing is common in Japan, apparently.) I had plans to go to the lab that day, albeit a bit later in the morning. However, it had occurred to me as I was getting ready to shower that I had run out of clean underwear. I was so busy and preoccupied with other things that I now had to wait for the laundry to clean my underwear. Needless to say, I did not go to the lab that day, instead working from home and otherwise semi-relaxing with the constant worry about meeting my deadlines. The laundry machines were practically running for 12 hours straight because of me.
But now, things are going to slow down a bit. I'll still be working three days a week, but the hours will be more consistent. I'll also have more time to work on my research, as I have no classes for the fourth quarter. The wind ensemble and Sound Baccano is playing at the school's Christmas Party in two weeks. And tomorrow, I'll be going to another gathering held by Saito-san, my mechanic. This time, it'll be at an izakaya, and it'll be the first time I've gone out to eat in quite some time. I'll certainly drink to that. (But in moderation, of course. I'll need to drive home.)
-wp
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Travels with Tackawanna 11: Bandai-Azuma Skyline
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| A plaque at the summit of Mount Azuma-kofuji, an active volcano |
It's finally been getting colder here in the Aizu region. However, the feeling of fall has definitely not settled in yet. The biggest factor is the trees; some of them are still entirely green. It wasn't until this past week where the trees by Somei House actually started to turn color, and even those are only half colorful and half green.
That was the primary reason of why I wanted to wait to tackle the last easily-accessible driving road in the region: the Bandai-Azuma Skyline. And it's been a long-anticipated wait. I mean, just look at the map for the road itself. All those corners. All that mountain. It's all an hour drive away, and it was just calling my name. It reminded me a lot of New Hampshire Route 112, aka the Kangamagus Highway, because of its similar location in a national park. The only difference, of course, was this the Skyline had a lot more twists and turns to it.
So this past Saturday, trees be damned, I decided to head out to get a drive in before they close the road down for the winter. However, I made two major mistakes: I left late, and I didn't pop a motion sickness pill before I left. I didn't arrive onto the actual Skyline until around 1600 hrs, and sunset was only 45 minutes away. Still, I was amazed at all the people that were on the road. Some were even still joining me on the road despite the impending sunset.
I had Tackawanna's top down to try to enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately, it was getting down to the high-30s by the time I had gotten there, and although I had put on a warmer sweater, I was still feeling the cold air on my nipples. Plus, my hand on the steering wheel was starting to go numb. Thankfully, the heater blows strong in Tackawanna, so I was able to keep the rest of my body warm.
It had turned out that my decision to wait had been a mistake. Most of the trees either had dead leaves or they had already fallen. However, the road itself was still interesting, especially during the drive up the mountain. In some cases, you'd go around a bend, and then you'd be driving lower while going towards what appears to be the base of a ledge. You could only think to yourself, where is this road going to take me? This route has no tunnels, and I can't see the rest of the road behind all the trees. Tackawanna has older, worn tires (which will be swapped over to winter tires this weekend), so I wasn't able to experience the best of handling, but it was still a fantastic road to drive on.
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| They put special markers on the road for certain height milestones. Here's the maximum one for the Skyline. |
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| I saw a lot of those white poles along the sides of the road. I wonder what they're for. |
I stopped at the summit of the road (1,622 m, or about 5,322 ft) to get a photo, and then went further down the road to the rest house. Right across from the rest house was the summit of Mount Azuma-kofuji, an active volcano which contained a giant crater. There were a set of stairs to climb to reach the top. That is, if you could even call them stairs. Some of the steps were actually two-thirds the length of my thigh in height. The wooden planks were also not entirely fastened, or they were round logs instead which made balancing your foot on each stair a challenge. It took me about ten minutes to climb the staircase, but the view at the top was pretty nice. However, it was starting to get dark, and the circumference of the crater was pretty big. I opted to go back down to the rest house, blow my nose, and warm up with a cup of coffee.
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| Climbing the stairs took my breath away - literally. |
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| Sorry, folks, but there's no lava here. Volcanos don't need to have surface lava to be considered active. |
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| Mount Higashi-Azuma from the summit of Azuma-kofuji. Higashi-Azuma is 200 m taller. Some trails closed there were until recently closed off due to potential volcanic activity. |
Unfortunately, the footage that I had collected from the descent was too dark to use. But it was a good thing that I didn't anyway. I started the drive from the rest house just as the sun had disappeared, and I got a good view of Fukushima City from the road. It seemed so close, but it was actually pretty far, and I found that portion out the hard way. If you looked at the map of the Skyline earlier in this post, you probably would've noticed the insane curves after the rest house. I had to tackle those in the dark, with a convoy of six or seven cars right on my tail.
And I mean, on my tail. I was taking corners to the point of starting to feel body roll, and the minivan (fuck, it's always the minivans in Japan) was still directly on my ass. Everyone was taking the road going back down like a mini-version of Initial D. Apparently, I was going so slow that I was passed not once, but twice on my way down. And these are not the roads that you want to pass people on, folks. They were pretty damn narrow.
All of this took a toll on my stomach, which now had caffeine in it from the coffee. When I was a kid, there were two things that could get me carsick instantly: caffeine and caramel color. As I got older, I maintained a better resistance, but that night was just two much for me. On the way back, I spilled my lunch and the coffee twice. The first time, I had to actually stop on the side of a two-lane road, on an incline, to vomit. The second time, I had to stop in a 7-11 parking lot. Both times, the vomit was starting to pool in my mouth by the time I had stopped, so I had no time to even get out of the car. Thankfully, my driving position in Tackawanna was good enough for me to simply open the door, stick my head out past the footwell, and empty my face.
So, the verdict. Was the Bandai-Azuma Skyline like or better than the Kangamagus? No. But it was still a nice road to drive on. Next year, I plan on going back and getting footage of the descent. Apparently, the snow takes its time thawing, and they open the road in early April, so you can have the opportunity to drive through some snow walls, which sounds totally awesome.
The Skyline trip was the last leisure road trip of the season. I still haven't written a review about Tackawanna yet, even though I promised to do so after a month of owning her. I'll try to make some time this month to type up the review. I've certainly got a lot to say about her now.
-wp
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Things sound different in Japan, too
As most of you may know, I've been big into music since I started playing the saxophone when I was 9. It's a hobby that has weathered the years and all the school changes (domestic and international), budgets, and competing interests that I've had. In my earlier years of high school, I actually wanted to be a music teacher. However, this was just as Bear Stearns was starting to seriously tread water, and many people in the arts industry fell on hard times. Therefore, I ventured into the computer field for study and career.
However, music had especially played an important role in my upbringing, especially during my high school years. I played in the school's jazz band all four years of high school (something that was apparently a rare thing to do at the time), and played three different instruments in the regular band. Four mornings a week, I either got a ride to or drove to school at the crack of dawn for practice. It was a big commitment, but that commitment was supported by my friends, my band teachers, Jeremy Taylor and Tom Conti, and my mother. I wasn't a full-blown band geek like you see flooding the Instagram feeds with half-assed memes behind three filters, but it played a big part in my life.
Since I enrolled at the University, I've joined the school's wind ensemble and have played in multiple concerts, with the main yearly concert occurring during the school festival. It's been heaps of fun, and it's a great way to socialize and get out of the English-only bubble that can be very tempting to fall into. However, I haven't had the chance to actually go to a wind ensemble concert in Japan where I wasn't playing. Today, I went out and did just that. On the English version of the city's website is a monthly "community bulletin" that lists a bunch of different events. For October, at the Aizu Fugado, there were two wind ensembles holding their yearly concerts. I wasn't able to go to the first one, or the ones in September, due to a busy work schedule. However, I made the effort to go to the concert today, which was for Aizu Technical High School's wind ensemble.
I arrived about twenty minutes before the start time and purchased my ticket at the door. While I was waiting for the show to start, I thumbed through the pamphlet to get an idea of the program, which is structured differently from concerts in America. Wind ensemble concerts in Japan, or at least in the Aizu area, are divided into three sets, or "stages." The first stage involves everyone dressed in business/professional attire playing more serious-themed songs. The second stage varies, at least in my experience. Theirs was based around a miniature play mixed in with quick passages from smaller ensembles. The third stage is a dress-down (usually in matching T-shirts) affair with the more pop-style songs. The total concert, including breaks between the stages, was about two hours.
Towards the end of the third stage, the OBs and OGs came out to play with the band for a song. OB and OG respectively stand for "old boy" and "old girl." These are essentially the alumni; they played in the band while they were attending that high school, and now they're back to play with the current generation. This is apparently common with Japanese school-based wind ensembles; some graduates of our university also played with us during our concert.
In addition to the pamphlet, I was also given a survey. (We also distributed surveys at our own concert.) The survey asked for basic information, such as how old I am, am I part of any music groups, which songs did I like, and what songs would I recommend for future concerts. I filled out most of the survey in between the breaks as it took a while for me to consult Google Translate to figure out the more difficultly-worded questions.
The overall quality of the concert was pretty good. My favorite and least favorite part of the whole concert was during the last song of the second set. The play's resolution was reached, and everyone assembled for the obvious let's-play-music-together-now-that-we're-all-friends song. One of the kids asked if everyone was ready, and after affirmation from the rest of the band, kicked off the song by yelling "Let's music!", and it was at that moment that a small piece of me died on the inside. (Seriously, a lot of people in the country misuse "let's" for all sorts of nouns and verbs.)
However, my spirits picked back up when I noticed the saxophone section. It was originally divided into a soprano/alto player, a tenor player, and a baritone player. However, for this song, the first player traded in both saxophones for another baritone. That meant that there were two baritone saxophones for that song. These kids have their priorities straight. ;)
I had a grin on my face for most of the concert, mostly because I kept going back in my mind to my band days in high school. Seeing the students up there on the stage having fun invoked a sense of nostalgia in me. Sure, our methods of practicing and our approaches towards our concerts (in Japan, wind ensembles of all stripes compete in a national competition, while ensembles in the states usually take a more relaxed approach) may be different, but the overall enjoyment could still be felt in the music and seen in the faces of the players. I could hear the occasional out-of-tune note and the mangled phrase, but I could also tell that they put in the effort and the practice, and that alone made all the difference.
There was a section in the survey that allowed you to send additional feedback or a message to the band. I put down, in Japanese, Well done! I'm looking forward to next year's concert! Here's to hoping that I can go to that one, too.
-wp
However, music had especially played an important role in my upbringing, especially during my high school years. I played in the school's jazz band all four years of high school (something that was apparently a rare thing to do at the time), and played three different instruments in the regular band. Four mornings a week, I either got a ride to or drove to school at the crack of dawn for practice. It was a big commitment, but that commitment was supported by my friends, my band teachers, Jeremy Taylor and Tom Conti, and my mother. I wasn't a full-blown band geek like you see flooding the Instagram feeds with half-assed memes behind three filters, but it played a big part in my life.
Since I enrolled at the University, I've joined the school's wind ensemble and have played in multiple concerts, with the main yearly concert occurring during the school festival. It's been heaps of fun, and it's a great way to socialize and get out of the English-only bubble that can be very tempting to fall into. However, I haven't had the chance to actually go to a wind ensemble concert in Japan where I wasn't playing. Today, I went out and did just that. On the English version of the city's website is a monthly "community bulletin" that lists a bunch of different events. For October, at the Aizu Fugado, there were two wind ensembles holding their yearly concerts. I wasn't able to go to the first one, or the ones in September, due to a busy work schedule. However, I made the effort to go to the concert today, which was for Aizu Technical High School's wind ensemble.
 |
| The man hours it must've taken to make that curtain... |
I arrived about twenty minutes before the start time and purchased my ticket at the door. While I was waiting for the show to start, I thumbed through the pamphlet to get an idea of the program, which is structured differently from concerts in America. Wind ensemble concerts in Japan, or at least in the Aizu area, are divided into three sets, or "stages." The first stage involves everyone dressed in business/professional attire playing more serious-themed songs. The second stage varies, at least in my experience. Theirs was based around a miniature play mixed in with quick passages from smaller ensembles. The third stage is a dress-down (usually in matching T-shirts) affair with the more pop-style songs. The total concert, including breaks between the stages, was about two hours.
 |
| This band had a more balanced ratio of males and females. Wind ensembles in Japan are usually majority female. |
Towards the end of the third stage, the OBs and OGs came out to play with the band for a song. OB and OG respectively stand for "old boy" and "old girl." These are essentially the alumni; they played in the band while they were attending that high school, and now they're back to play with the current generation. This is apparently common with Japanese school-based wind ensembles; some graduates of our university also played with us during our concert.
In addition to the pamphlet, I was also given a survey. (We also distributed surveys at our own concert.) The survey asked for basic information, such as how old I am, am I part of any music groups, which songs did I like, and what songs would I recommend for future concerts. I filled out most of the survey in between the breaks as it took a while for me to consult Google Translate to figure out the more difficultly-worded questions.
 |
| The play they put on was based on the story of Momotaro. |
The overall quality of the concert was pretty good. My favorite and least favorite part of the whole concert was during the last song of the second set. The play's resolution was reached, and everyone assembled for the obvious let's-play-music-together-now-that-we're-all-friends song. One of the kids asked if everyone was ready, and after affirmation from the rest of the band, kicked off the song by yelling "Let's music!", and it was at that moment that a small piece of me died on the inside. (Seriously, a lot of people in the country misuse "let's" for all sorts of nouns and verbs.)
 |
| They took a few liberties with the plotline. Cross-dressing high school student aside, their version involves the kidnapped old couple defeating their kidnappers in advance. |
However, my spirits picked back up when I noticed the saxophone section. It was originally divided into a soprano/alto player, a tenor player, and a baritone player. However, for this song, the first player traded in both saxophones for another baritone. That meant that there were two baritone saxophones for that song. These kids have their priorities straight. ;)
I had a grin on my face for most of the concert, mostly because I kept going back in my mind to my band days in high school. Seeing the students up there on the stage having fun invoked a sense of nostalgia in me. Sure, our methods of practicing and our approaches towards our concerts (in Japan, wind ensembles of all stripes compete in a national competition, while ensembles in the states usually take a more relaxed approach) may be different, but the overall enjoyment could still be felt in the music and seen in the faces of the players. I could hear the occasional out-of-tune note and the mangled phrase, but I could also tell that they put in the effort and the practice, and that alone made all the difference.
There was a section in the survey that allowed you to send additional feedback or a message to the band. I put down, in Japanese, Well done! I'm looking forward to next year's concert! Here's to hoping that I can go to that one, too.
-wp
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
License conversion, take 6
Today was round six of the seemingly-eternal rigmarole that involved me wasting a whole day in Fukushima City taking a ridiculous driving test and going home with nothing to show for it. Today felt like it was going to be horrible, and I had good reason to believe so. For starters, I misplaced my sunglasses in the lab, and I was running late, so I had to drive up there and fend off the sun as best as I could. (I had to take out the sun visors as they were blocking my view.)
I managed to make it almost 10 minutes before the cutoff time and turn in my documents. However, as I was packing up and preparing to go back down to the third floor, the clerk came out from behind the counter and flagged me down. As it turned out, they wanted to check my eyesight again, for reasons beyond my comprehension. I did the eye test again and then waited for my turn in the afternoon.
There was a new proctor today, and there were three foreigners taking the test this time. One was going for a bike license. The other, a man named Nautiyal who owns a few Italian restaurants in the Tohoku region [including Aizuwakamatsu], was going for his automatic license. We did third-party duty for each other. I noticed that he made a few mistakes that would normally be considered a failure. Then we swapped cars and it was my turn.
I made two pretty important errors. The first was at a four-way intersection with flashing stoplights. Today, for some stupid reason, there was an additional car and two mopeds on the course. The car was coming to my right. My lights were flashing red, but his were flashing yellow. However, the other car came to a stop at his stop line just before I was pulling up to mine. I traded looks with the other driver for a few seconds. He wasn't moving, so I made my safety checks and then made the turn. The proctor said something as I was going through the intersection, but I was too nervous and in the moment to figure out what.
Then, there was the straightaway. I'd just managed to get up to 50 km/h in fourth gear, and I was about to shift back down into third while doing the proper downshift technique. I went to move the stick into third, and it didn't go all the way. I started jerking the shifter back and forth as I was pumping my brakes and slowing down. At this point, it was too late, so I went back into two as we pulled into the bay.
The proctor had me finish the test by exiting the car properly, then getting back in to explain my results. He asked me how I did, and I told him what had happened. I also told him that I went to the driving school two days ago to figure out the proper downshifting technique. He told me to be a bit earlier with the brakes from then on out. Then I was dismissed.
I went back up to the third floor and had a quick Skype chat with Mom about my results and my imminent failure. I felt foolish, because I had taken that test so many damn times at great personal expense, and today's mistakes were purely preventable and did not require any careful translation. The results care back at around 1500 hrs, the same as before. The clerk came out of the back with the basket that holds the documents. I opened my portfolio so I could then take back my documents and put them away. The clerk then handed me my yellow card, and as I went to put it away, I noticed something. I expected the sixth black 不合格 (failure) stamp under the driving test column next to the date. However, there were only five failure stamps. The sixth stamp, today's, was rather faint. I had to hold it at the right angle to see it, but once I did, I was absolutely caught off guard.
The stamp was in red ink. It read 合格 (success).
I was so overcome with joy that I hugged the clerk with both arms.
As it had turned out, all three foreigners passed their tests today. It was my sixth time, and Nautiyal's fourth. A clerk from downstairs came up to give us our documents that we needed to pay for (around $20). In my excitement, I also requested a beginner's driving mark from the store, as it was required to show on the car for up to a year after I had received my license. But as the clerk explained to me later, because I had more than a year of driving experience back home, I didn't need the mark after all. So I bought the decals for nothing. But I was still excited regardless. (And, there's probably someone with a JDM craving back in the states that I could sell this mark to when I get home.)
All three of us got our pictures taken. I had and still have a serious zit on my nose that I've already popped twice without success, so that made it into the picture. My middle name also had to be truncated, as it was too long for the license itself. Once they were ready, the clerk pulled Nautiyal and I aside to give us our licenses and a sheet of paper outlining what the license is good for and the renewal periods. My license is valid for two years after my birthday this year, so I'm good for the rest of my time in Japan.
And with that, this series (finally!) comes to a close. I'm glad it's over. It has taken me, from the date I first asked the foreign personnel advisor to book the appointment to today, three months and ten days to get this license. It was an absolute nightmare, and I'm glad it's over. Now I can put my passport back into safekeeping without having to worry about it getting lost or stolen. I could not have done all this without that advisor, my friend Naoki, the driving instructor at Ougimachi, and the various online turotials about the whole process, two of which were actually based in Fukushima Prefecture. (I actually plan to do my own writeup for anyone else that may be moving to Fukushima in the future and wanting to take the driving test.) And as for today's proctor, he's okay in my book.
But man, I never want to do this again. If I come back to the states and then move back to Japan for some reason, I'm moving to Maryland beforehand. They're the only state right now that doesn't have to put up with this shit.
-wp
I managed to make it almost 10 minutes before the cutoff time and turn in my documents. However, as I was packing up and preparing to go back down to the third floor, the clerk came out from behind the counter and flagged me down. As it turned out, they wanted to check my eyesight again, for reasons beyond my comprehension. I did the eye test again and then waited for my turn in the afternoon.
 |
| The hardest section of the course, hands down. Get up to speed, turn on the blinker, then immediately slow down for the stop sign. All within less than 100 m. |
There was a new proctor today, and there were three foreigners taking the test this time. One was going for a bike license. The other, a man named Nautiyal who owns a few Italian restaurants in the Tohoku region [including Aizuwakamatsu], was going for his automatic license. We did third-party duty for each other. I noticed that he made a few mistakes that would normally be considered a failure. Then we swapped cars and it was my turn.
I made two pretty important errors. The first was at a four-way intersection with flashing stoplights. Today, for some stupid reason, there was an additional car and two mopeds on the course. The car was coming to my right. My lights were flashing red, but his were flashing yellow. However, the other car came to a stop at his stop line just before I was pulling up to mine. I traded looks with the other driver for a few seconds. He wasn't moving, so I made my safety checks and then made the turn. The proctor said something as I was going through the intersection, but I was too nervous and in the moment to figure out what.
Then, there was the straightaway. I'd just managed to get up to 50 km/h in fourth gear, and I was about to shift back down into third while doing the proper downshift technique. I went to move the stick into third, and it didn't go all the way. I started jerking the shifter back and forth as I was pumping my brakes and slowing down. At this point, it was too late, so I went back into two as we pulled into the bay.
The proctor had me finish the test by exiting the car properly, then getting back in to explain my results. He asked me how I did, and I told him what had happened. I also told him that I went to the driving school two days ago to figure out the proper downshifting technique. He told me to be a bit earlier with the brakes from then on out. Then I was dismissed.
I went back up to the third floor and had a quick Skype chat with Mom about my results and my imminent failure. I felt foolish, because I had taken that test so many damn times at great personal expense, and today's mistakes were purely preventable and did not require any careful translation. The results care back at around 1500 hrs, the same as before. The clerk came out of the back with the basket that holds the documents. I opened my portfolio so I could then take back my documents and put them away. The clerk then handed me my yellow card, and as I went to put it away, I noticed something. I expected the sixth black 不合格 (failure) stamp under the driving test column next to the date. However, there were only five failure stamps. The sixth stamp, today's, was rather faint. I had to hold it at the right angle to see it, but once I did, I was absolutely caught off guard.
The stamp was in red ink. It read 合格 (success).
 |
| The final tally |
I was so overcome with joy that I hugged the clerk with both arms.
As it had turned out, all three foreigners passed their tests today. It was my sixth time, and Nautiyal's fourth. A clerk from downstairs came up to give us our documents that we needed to pay for (around $20). In my excitement, I also requested a beginner's driving mark from the store, as it was required to show on the car for up to a year after I had received my license. But as the clerk explained to me later, because I had more than a year of driving experience back home, I didn't need the mark after all. So I bought the decals for nothing. But I was still excited regardless. (And, there's probably someone with a JDM craving back in the states that I could sell this mark to when I get home.)
All three of us got our pictures taken. I had and still have a serious zit on my nose that I've already popped twice without success, so that made it into the picture. My middle name also had to be truncated, as it was too long for the license itself. Once they were ready, the clerk pulled Nautiyal and I aside to give us our licenses and a sheet of paper outlining what the license is good for and the renewal periods. My license is valid for two years after my birthday this year, so I'm good for the rest of my time in Japan.
 |
| my jay-dee-ehm license |
And with that, this series (finally!) comes to a close. I'm glad it's over. It has taken me, from the date I first asked the foreign personnel advisor to book the appointment to today, three months and ten days to get this license. It was an absolute nightmare, and I'm glad it's over. Now I can put my passport back into safekeeping without having to worry about it getting lost or stolen. I could not have done all this without that advisor, my friend Naoki, the driving instructor at Ougimachi, and the various online turotials about the whole process, two of which were actually based in Fukushima Prefecture. (I actually plan to do my own writeup for anyone else that may be moving to Fukushima in the future and wanting to take the driving test.) And as for today's proctor, he's okay in my book.
But man, I never want to do this again. If I come back to the states and then move back to Japan for some reason, I'm moving to Maryland beforehand. They're the only state right now that doesn't have to put up with this shit.
-wp
Sunday, October 23, 2016
License conversion, take 5.5
After my last unsatisfying trip to Fukushima City, I decided to book an appointment at a local driving school to figure out exactly what I was doing wrong that was causing me to fail all these times. I know that the proctors are absolutely brutal, but I wanted to see for myself exactly what I was subconsciously doing that could cause me to fail. The University of Aizu is across the street from not one, but two driving schools. I booked an appointment for today at Ougimachi Driving School, which is two days before the next [and probably not final] installment of the "license conversion" series. I had 50 minutes with the instructor; it was 5400 yen for the session.
Naoki went we me earlier this week to fill out the initial documents, but was unable to come with me today. Although my Japanese is still terrible, I was able to communicate with and understand the instructor, who was very friendly and helpful. I showed him the notes that I had and explained to him my issues with "controlling the car." We walked over to the car together, which was a Nissan Tiida (Versa) and did a safety check together before he started it up. He then took me out on the course that we would run, and then we swapped seats and I gave it a go. I was pretty nervous about the whole driving test and made the occasional careless mistake, such as forgetting to shift into gear when setting off, or stalling at the light. (Fun fact, I am allowed one stall during the actual test.)
As it turned out, he believed that I was doing the safety checks properly. (Wow, what a surprise. /s) However, he noticed that I have a habit of riding the clutch when slowing down or coasting. Apparently, that costs you points when you do that. I'm supposed to stay off the clutch except to shift or when I am coming to a stop. (I can, however, ride the clutch in the crank and S-curve, provided I stay in low gear.) He walked me through the process of how the downshift should be done. First, I have to pump the brakes a few times to get my speed down. (I can't use the clutch just yet.) Then, once I'm down to the right speed, I can shift into a lower gear. Other than that, stay off the clutch. Upshifts were fine as they were; just shift.
Plus, while on the track today, I went through a few turns too fast (~20-25 km/h) for the instructor's liking. He told me that taking a turn too fast is an automatic failure, so I have to be careful. Other than that, and the occasional careless mistake, there were no issues with my completion of the course. I ran the entire course four times, and finished up just as the session was over. By the end, I was nailing the downshift. I then took my feedback form (which actually said the issues that I was having) and turned it in at the front desk.
I decided after that to get a drink and a snack after the session and then practice the "proper" way of downshifting. I went up on Fukushima Prefecture Route 69 towards Hirota, turned around at the train station, and then took the side roads back to campus. The clutch in the Tiida was like the Crown in Fukushima: quite loose. It felt easier to do the proper downshifting technique in the Tiida than in Tackawanna. However, once I started do it, it felt a lot more natural and less awkward. (My leg was aching by the end, which means that it must be working.)
I now have a better idea of what to do. Let's see how this helps [or hurts] me on Tuesday.
-wp
Naoki went we me earlier this week to fill out the initial documents, but was unable to come with me today. Although my Japanese is still terrible, I was able to communicate with and understand the instructor, who was very friendly and helpful. I showed him the notes that I had and explained to him my issues with "controlling the car." We walked over to the car together, which was a Nissan Tiida (Versa) and did a safety check together before he started it up. He then took me out on the course that we would run, and then we swapped seats and I gave it a go. I was pretty nervous about the whole driving test and made the occasional careless mistake, such as forgetting to shift into gear when setting off, or stalling at the light. (Fun fact, I am allowed one stall during the actual test.)
 |
| The layout here was much smaller than in Fukushima, but it still had all the proper obstacles. |
As it turned out, he believed that I was doing the safety checks properly. (Wow, what a surprise. /s) However, he noticed that I have a habit of riding the clutch when slowing down or coasting. Apparently, that costs you points when you do that. I'm supposed to stay off the clutch except to shift or when I am coming to a stop. (I can, however, ride the clutch in the crank and S-curve, provided I stay in low gear.) He walked me through the process of how the downshift should be done. First, I have to pump the brakes a few times to get my speed down. (I can't use the clutch just yet.) Then, once I'm down to the right speed, I can shift into a lower gear. Other than that, stay off the clutch. Upshifts were fine as they were; just shift.
Plus, while on the track today, I went through a few turns too fast (~20-25 km/h) for the instructor's liking. He told me that taking a turn too fast is an automatic failure, so I have to be careful. Other than that, and the occasional careless mistake, there were no issues with my completion of the course. I ran the entire course four times, and finished up just as the session was over. By the end, I was nailing the downshift. I then took my feedback form (which actually said the issues that I was having) and turned it in at the front desk.
I decided after that to get a drink and a snack after the session and then practice the "proper" way of downshifting. I went up on Fukushima Prefecture Route 69 towards Hirota, turned around at the train station, and then took the side roads back to campus. The clutch in the Tiida was like the Crown in Fukushima: quite loose. It felt easier to do the proper downshifting technique in the Tiida than in Tackawanna. However, once I started do it, it felt a lot more natural and less awkward. (My leg was aching by the end, which means that it must be working.)
I now have a better idea of what to do. Let's see how this helps [or hurts] me on Tuesday.
-wp
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Roadster Tohoku Meeting 2016
(Want to see pictures [first]? Go here.)
I drive a Eunos Roadster. If you're from Europe, it's a Mazda MX-5. If you're from the US, it's a Mazda Miata. Whatever you call it, it's a popular car; over one million have been built by Mazda since its introduction in 1989. It has amassed a dedicated and loyal following, of which I've been a part of since may. Like many followings, there are the occasional meetups for people to come together and share their love and passion for whatever it is they're following. Today was one for the Roadster.
This is not the only meeting for Roadsters. There are plenty of them in Japan, including the big one down in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, which I had to miss this year due to a busy schedule. This one was for Roadster owners in the Tohoku region. (I should clarify for those not in or from Japan; the Tohoku region consists of Fukushima, Yamagata, Akita, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori prefectures. [Sorry, let me rephrase that; it's everything north of where I am up to but not including Hokkaido.]) Last year, the meeting was in Sendai. I was worried at first because when I had first heard about the event, Tackawanna was having some drivability issues, and I thought that Sendai would be too far. However, I got very lucky this year; the meeting would be held in a park in Bandai, the town right next to Aizuwakamatsu. Even better, the park itself was five minutes away from Somei House. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime event.
I showed up about an hour into the meetup, and I pulled into the section of the park where everyone was parked. Roadsters were crammed right next to each other, and even though I had arrived late, more people were still arriving. I checked in at the registration tent and walked around the park. Roadsters of all colors, models, and trims were present. Each one had their own personality which definitely reflected its owner's commitment. There were stanced Roadsters, Roadsters with track accessories, and even an itasha. One particular Roadster stood out to me. The owner took off the Japanese badges and replaced them with the badges used on the American Miatas from that era. He had a suitcase rack on his trunk, and a roll cage with a JVC video camera attached to the top bar. (The remote control was attached to his parking brake.) He had a whole list, in English, of all his parts on his dashboard. This, folks, is a true Roadster fanatic. You could see his passion in his car, and it showed beautifully.
While there, I met two people. The first was Shimizu-san, a person from Fukushima City who graduated from Tohoku University and lived in the area. He gave me his business card (note to self: put a few of mine in the center console) and said that he is currently working for Hitachi in their suspension department, especially with Mazda products. He arrived in an NC Roadster with an automatic hardtop, and although the car was had an automatic transmission, it was purple, which was a rare color produced by Mazda. He had plans to look for the same car with a manual transmission, though I told him that he could also do a manual conversion to save himself the hassle. I got to sit in Shimizu-san's car, and show him why I had to go with an NA Roadster instead of an NC Roadster. We spoke in both Japanese and English; Shimizu-san said that he also needs to speak English at Hitachi. He claimed that it was elementary-level English, but I thought that he spoke it quite well.
The other person I met was Matsuda-san. He is from the Naha area (Nagoya is in this area), and drove up for the event in his NA-8C. (For reference, mine is the NA-6CE.) He and I actually knew each other from before; we are part of the same group for Roadsters/Miatas/MX-5s on Facebook. Matsuda-san spoke excellent English; he was an exchange student in Alaska, and lived in San Jose for a while. He toted his DSLR around the event, and offered to take my picture of me with my car. We also took a picture together, and the three of us talked about our cars and about Roadsters in general.
There were a few stalls setup at the event. One was a local produce stand, where I managed to snag some potatoes for a decent price. Another was a tent for the Roadster Club hosting the event. They had an NA scale model (yay!) for 8200 yen (boo!), which I yet again had to pass on. Also there was a local Mazda dealership, which had an ND Roadster and a Demio to test out. I can't fit inside the ND; my legs hit the plastic dash above the footwell. However, I took the Demio for a spin. It was actually a very nice drive; it felt a little high, and the tachometer was digital, but the suspension was soft, and it even told you when to shift gears. It even had engine stop technology, which I originally thought was for automatic cars only. If I ever had to relocate here,or my 3 got totaled back home (lol jk the US isn't getting it), I would get the Demio. With the stick, it's a pretty nice daily driver.
After lunchtime, a charity rock-paper-scissors tournament was held. The organizer played the game with the crowd, and those that beat his hand got a chance to play for prizes. If you won, you'd get your prize, and then you'd pay whatever you could into a jar. I was playing with Shimizu-san, and we both won something. He won a Demio-themed smartphone case. I won an Aizu sake set: two bottles of sake produced with different rice and water from different streams in the area. According to Matsuda-san, you are supposed to pair them together and try to taste the differences between them. I'll try them later on and report back.
After the event ended, it was time for everyone to leave. I was one of the first to leave, but I was surprised to get a send off. As I was pulling out, everybody waved and said goodbye. I've never seen something like that happen at an American car meet. Everyone was nice and excited to see everyone else's car. Even Tackawanna, with its mismatching paint job, basic interior, and lack of extensive upgrades, was appreciated at the event. Next year I have to go to Karuizawa. If today was a good day, then that show should be a blast.
And so, it's back to the grind.
-wp
I drive a Eunos Roadster. If you're from Europe, it's a Mazda MX-5. If you're from the US, it's a Mazda Miata. Whatever you call it, it's a popular car; over one million have been built by Mazda since its introduction in 1989. It has amassed a dedicated and loyal following, of which I've been a part of since may. Like many followings, there are the occasional meetups for people to come together and share their love and passion for whatever it is they're following. Today was one for the Roadster.
 |
| Regional decals |
This is not the only meeting for Roadsters. There are plenty of them in Japan, including the big one down in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, which I had to miss this year due to a busy schedule. This one was for Roadster owners in the Tohoku region. (I should clarify for those not in or from Japan; the Tohoku region consists of Fukushima, Yamagata, Akita, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori prefectures. [Sorry, let me rephrase that; it's everything north of where I am up to but not including Hokkaido.]) Last year, the meeting was in Sendai. I was worried at first because when I had first heard about the event, Tackawanna was having some drivability issues, and I thought that Sendai would be too far. However, I got very lucky this year; the meeting would be held in a park in Bandai, the town right next to Aizuwakamatsu. Even better, the park itself was five minutes away from Somei House. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime event.
 |
| ゲロゲロ |
I showed up about an hour into the meetup, and I pulled into the section of the park where everyone was parked. Roadsters were crammed right next to each other, and even though I had arrived late, more people were still arriving. I checked in at the registration tent and walked around the park. Roadsters of all colors, models, and trims were present. Each one had their own personality which definitely reflected its owner's commitment. There were stanced Roadsters, Roadsters with track accessories, and even an itasha. One particular Roadster stood out to me. The owner took off the Japanese badges and replaced them with the badges used on the American Miatas from that era. He had a suitcase rack on his trunk, and a roll cage with a JVC video camera attached to the top bar. (The remote control was attached to his parking brake.) He had a whole list, in English, of all his parts on his dashboard. This, folks, is a true Roadster fanatic. You could see his passion in his car, and it showed beautifully.
 |
| I need this setup because reasons. |
While there, I met two people. The first was Shimizu-san, a person from Fukushima City who graduated from Tohoku University and lived in the area. He gave me his business card (note to self: put a few of mine in the center console) and said that he is currently working for Hitachi in their suspension department, especially with Mazda products. He arrived in an NC Roadster with an automatic hardtop, and although the car was had an automatic transmission, it was purple, which was a rare color produced by Mazda. He had plans to look for the same car with a manual transmission, though I told him that he could also do a manual conversion to save himself the hassle. I got to sit in Shimizu-san's car, and show him why I had to go with an NA Roadster instead of an NC Roadster. We spoke in both Japanese and English; Shimizu-san said that he also needs to speak English at Hitachi. He claimed that it was elementary-level English, but I thought that he spoke it quite well.
 |
| Shimizu-san's Roadster is the one second from the right. |
The other person I met was Matsuda-san. He is from the Naha area (Nagoya is in this area), and drove up for the event in his NA-8C. (For reference, mine is the NA-6CE.) He and I actually knew each other from before; we are part of the same group for Roadsters/Miatas/MX-5s on Facebook. Matsuda-san spoke excellent English; he was an exchange student in Alaska, and lived in San Jose for a while. He toted his DSLR around the event, and offered to take my picture of me with my car. We also took a picture together, and the three of us talked about our cars and about Roadsters in general.
 |
| Matsuda-san and his NA-8C. |
There were a few stalls setup at the event. One was a local produce stand, where I managed to snag some potatoes for a decent price. Another was a tent for the Roadster Club hosting the event. They had an NA scale model (yay!) for 8200 yen (boo!), which I yet again had to pass on. Also there was a local Mazda dealership, which had an ND Roadster and a Demio to test out. I can't fit inside the ND; my legs hit the plastic dash above the footwell. However, I took the Demio for a spin. It was actually a very nice drive; it felt a little high, and the tachometer was digital, but the suspension was soft, and it even told you when to shift gears. It even had engine stop technology, which I originally thought was for automatic cars only. If I ever had to relocate here,
 |
| A respectible vehicle |
After lunchtime, a charity rock-paper-scissors tournament was held. The organizer played the game with the crowd, and those that beat his hand got a chance to play for prizes. If you won, you'd get your prize, and then you'd pay whatever you could into a jar. I was playing with Shimizu-san, and we both won something. He won a Demio-themed smartphone case. I won an Aizu sake set: two bottles of sake produced with different rice and water from different streams in the area. According to Matsuda-san, you are supposed to pair them together and try to taste the differences between them. I'll try them later on and report back.
 |
| Locally-produced liquor for a good cause. |
After the event ended, it was time for everyone to leave. I was one of the first to leave, but I was surprised to get a send off. As I was pulling out, everybody waved and said goodbye. I've never seen something like that happen at an American car meet. Everyone was nice and excited to see everyone else's car. Even Tackawanna, with its mismatching paint job, basic interior, and lack of extensive upgrades, was appreciated at the event. Next year I have to go to Karuizawa. If today was a good day, then that show should be a blast.
And so, it's back to the grind.
-wp
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Travels with Tackawanna 10: The Road to Hachinohe
It's time.
The video files had been sitting on my computer, converted to an iMovie-friendly format for the past two months. However, I wanted to wait for Tackawanna to come back from the repair shop before I posted the videos, and after that, I came up with plenty of other excuses not to do it. Oh, I'm too busy. I have to leave the computer running overnight for the video processing. The time spent editing and uploading just isn't worth it for me right now.
Well, this past week I decided that enough is enough, and started editing the videos. I had over fifteen hours of video, and I was able to bring that down to about a third in the below videos. So let's go through each of them now. If you haven't been following my blog long, you can catch up on my August adventure by following these links in order.
This first one is me travelling on the Sanriku Expressway from its starting point off the Tohoku Expressway to its current end in Minamisanriku. The Sanriku was undergoind a piecemeal-style rebuilding; there were expressways in some places and there weren't in others. Half of this distance was a toll road, which was very helpful on my wallet. (It was around 6000 yen to get from Aizu to here on the expressways.)
Next, we have the actual travelling on National Route 45. The only footage of interest was south of Miyako, my first overnight point. Because I stopped for lunch in the middle, the footage has been broken up into two parts, and both are pretty long. You can see exactly what I was talking about when I said that the tsunami cleared everything out. Even five years later, there's not even grass.
I didn't stick to Route 45 the whole way. I also took a detour onto Iwate Prefecture Route 44 to check out the seawall at Fudai.
Finally, this coastal drive on Aomori Prefecture Route 1 was actually in Hachinohe, about an hour before Tackawanna's radiator exploded.
There. Got that off my waiting list. Now let's see what if tomorrow's Roadster meeting will produce anything interesting as well.
-wp
The video files had been sitting on my computer, converted to an iMovie-friendly format for the past two months. However, I wanted to wait for Tackawanna to come back from the repair shop before I posted the videos, and after that, I came up with plenty of other excuses not to do it. Oh, I'm too busy. I have to leave the computer running overnight for the video processing. The time spent editing and uploading just isn't worth it for me right now.
Well, this past week I decided that enough is enough, and started editing the videos. I had over fifteen hours of video, and I was able to bring that down to about a third in the below videos. So let's go through each of them now. If you haven't been following my blog long, you can catch up on my August adventure by following these links in order.
This first one is me travelling on the Sanriku Expressway from its starting point off the Tohoku Expressway to its current end in Minamisanriku. The Sanriku was undergoind a piecemeal-style rebuilding; there were expressways in some places and there weren't in others. Half of this distance was a toll road, which was very helpful on my wallet. (It was around 6000 yen to get from Aizu to here on the expressways.)
Next, we have the actual travelling on National Route 45. The only footage of interest was south of Miyako, my first overnight point. Because I stopped for lunch in the middle, the footage has been broken up into two parts, and both are pretty long. You can see exactly what I was talking about when I said that the tsunami cleared everything out. Even five years later, there's not even grass.
I didn't stick to Route 45 the whole way. I also took a detour onto Iwate Prefecture Route 44 to check out the seawall at Fudai.
Finally, this coastal drive on Aomori Prefecture Route 1 was actually in Hachinohe, about an hour before Tackawanna's radiator exploded.
There. Got that off my waiting list. Now let's see what if tomorrow's Roadster meeting will produce anything interesting as well.
-wp
Monday, October 10, 2016
University of Aizu Soshosai 2016
Most, if not all, middle schools, high schools, and universities hold a school festival once a year in the fall. They are usually referred to by two different names: 学園祭/gakuensai/school festival and 文化祭/bunkasai/cultural festival. However, some schools give their festivals their own name. Ours was called 蒼翔祭/soshosai. Various student groups and local vendors set up tents and displays all over campus. A main stage was constructed in front of the student hall entrance, again with many performers from on and off campus.
I participated in not one, but two stage events on day one (Saturday). The first event was the wind ensemble, which did a "mini-live" the day before our regular concert in the auditorium. For this event, we got some additional help. The university's wind ensemble has a partnership with the wind ensemble at the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Eight of those members travelled to Aizu to participate in both this mini-live and for a few songs during the regular concert the next day. They arrived in the morning as we were setting up for practice. We did a quick practice run of the songs and then went out on stage. It was raining at this point, which was definitely not what Tenki was predicting for the day. As a matter of fact, just as we finished the last song, the rain started to pour harder.
After that, everyone was given time to tour the festival. Unfortunately, I did not have that luxury. I had to go straight to the SAISUA tent after the live. SAISUA, or Support Association for International Students of the University of Aizu, was the organization that recently granted me a scholarship. (I should point out for the record that I am not a doctoral student; I am a master's student. UPDATE: It's been fixed.) As part of the terms of accepting the scholarship, I had to assist with the tent during the school festival. They were selling Sri Lankan curry; some of the students serving it were from Sri Lanka. I tried some afterwards, and it tasted way better than the 7-brand stuff I usually eat.
After a few hours at the tent, I headed back to the student hall to setup for the next live. The music group I was with this time was called Sound Baccano. (This was the group that I stayed really late with the past week to practice.) With Kaneta-san as the leader and main organizer, it comprised of some students from both the wind ensemble and the other music groups that usually practice next door. This group played fusion-style J-POP. We got onto the stage while the rain was still coming down, taking refuge along the way from students nearby who held up umbrellas and tarps to keep us dry. They were also there as we got off and moved our equipment.
In both stage events, I got to play a solo. With the wind ensemble, there was an optional ad lib solo for bari sax during the last song that no other part had, so you bet your sweet ass I was going to take that chance. I'm not as good with improv as I used to be in high school, but I still have some of the talent left in me. The solo with Sound Baccano was a written solo, but it was stupid hard, and even with all of the practice effort that I was putting into it, I couldn't get it up to the main tempo. I was a bit nervous when I got on the stage that second time. But then, coming into the first verse of the second song, Kaneta-san's EWI had a malfunction. At that point, I realized that I had wound myself up too much during the festival. I was supposed to be having a good time, and his misstep reminded me that even though the solo may not work out, I was on the stage, with my friends beside me. I ended up messing up the first half of my solo. But I was having fun regardless.
After that event, we went right back to practicing in the student hall for the concert the next day. We got out at around 2000 hrs, and I went back to Somei House to reheat some tacos and pass out. While I was getting settled in, I got a message from one of the members. Apparently, there was an afterparty that night at a local izakaya in town. (Another detail lost in translation.) I changed clothes and drove out to meet them.
By the time I had gotten there, everyone else was already settled in and starting to hit the sauce. I felt a bit awkward at first, especially because I couldn't participate in the passing of the huge shouchuu bottle due to my means of transportation. However, there was some hope left in the evening in the form of the person sitting across the table from me. Her name was Taniguchi-san. She was her wind ensemble's tenor sax player, and I actually remembered her name out of everyone else's because she introduced herself in both Japanese and English. We ended up having a conversation, and we got to learn more about each other. Taniguchi-san was relatively new to music; she had only played the saxophone for about a year. She was an exchange student in Australia for a year in high school. She also wants to go for her doctoral degree someday. At that point, some of the other members started channeling the liquor and interacting with us, and we all ended up having a great time.
Day two (Sunday) was the regular concert. I was able to walk around the festival and see what was going on, though I wasn't able to do much due to time constraints. I arrived at the auditorium a few hours earlier to help with setup and do one last quick rehearsal. I had to wear my suit for the first two "stages", and then there was a third stage with the people from Kyoto again. Turnout was rather light, but we still played very well. (UPDATE: Here's the link to the wind ensemble's Youtube channel.) We had our group photo taken afterwards, and some of the students from Kyoto wanted their picture taken with me. I suppose that they wanted proof that they actually met someone who is 200 cm tall.
It was getting dark after the concert, so we packed up our things and temporarily disbanded. After a brief but amazing fireworks display on campus, it was time to say goodbye to the wind ensemble members from Kyoto. We all went to the bus terminal in town, where they were going to catch a bus to the depot in Koriyama and connect their way back home. We waved goodbye using the "metal" hand gesture, one of the gestures that we had to do for a song we played at the concert. Then we went to another izakaya for another afterparty.
I ended up having fun this weekend, which was a good thing given the stressful week that I'd been having. As for the wind ensemble in Kyoto, some of us are going to take our own trip there in March after classes are finished to visit and play with them. I'm excited and can't wait to go.
Today is a day off due to a national holiday, so I get one more day to recuperate before it's back to work and school. Next weekend is the Roadster Tohoku Meeting, which I will be attending. I guess that October will be the month of making new friends for me.
-wp
 |
| They cut giant banners out in strips... |
 |
| ...and taped them to the sides of the steps. |
I participated in not one, but two stage events on day one (Saturday). The first event was the wind ensemble, which did a "mini-live" the day before our regular concert in the auditorium. For this event, we got some additional help. The university's wind ensemble has a partnership with the wind ensemble at the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Eight of those members travelled to Aizu to participate in both this mini-live and for a few songs during the regular concert the next day. They arrived in the morning as we were setting up for practice. We did a quick practice run of the songs and then went out on stage. It was raining at this point, which was definitely not what Tenki was predicting for the day. As a matter of fact, just as we finished the last song, the rain started to pour harder.
 |
| A tight fit, but we all managed to get on the stage. |
After that, everyone was given time to tour the festival. Unfortunately, I did not have that luxury. I had to go straight to the SAISUA tent after the live. SAISUA, or Support Association for International Students of the University of Aizu, was the organization that recently granted me a scholarship. (
 |
| This is one of the ways that SAISUA can afford to give scholarships. |
After a few hours at the tent, I headed back to the student hall to setup for the next live. The music group I was with this time was called Sound Baccano. (This was the group that I stayed really late with the past week to practice.) With Kaneta-san as the leader and main organizer, it comprised of some students from both the wind ensemble and the other music groups that usually practice next door. This group played fusion-style J-POP. We got onto the stage while the rain was still coming down, taking refuge along the way from students nearby who held up umbrellas and tarps to keep us dry. They were also there as we got off and moved our equipment.
 |
| Kaneta-san got some makeup applied to give himself angry eyebrows. |
In both stage events, I got to play a solo. With the wind ensemble, there was an optional ad lib solo for bari sax during the last song that no other part had, so you bet your sweet ass I was going to take that chance. I'm not as good with improv as I used to be in high school, but I still have some of the talent left in me. The solo with Sound Baccano was a written solo, but it was stupid hard, and even with all of the practice effort that I was putting into it, I couldn't get it up to the main tempo. I was a bit nervous when I got on the stage that second time. But then, coming into the first verse of the second song, Kaneta-san's EWI had a malfunction. At that point, I realized that I had wound myself up too much during the festival. I was supposed to be having a good time, and his misstep reminded me that even though the solo may not work out, I was on the stage, with my friends beside me. I ended up messing up the first half of my solo. But I was having fun regardless.
 |
| A little drizze isn't gonna stop us from getting our jam on... |
After that event, we went right back to practicing in the student hall for the concert the next day. We got out at around 2000 hrs, and I went back to Somei House to reheat some tacos and pass out. While I was getting settled in, I got a message from one of the members. Apparently, there was an afterparty that night at a local izakaya in town. (Another detail lost in translation.) I changed clothes and drove out to meet them.
 |
| This was around round two. |
By the time I had gotten there, everyone else was already settled in and starting to hit the sauce. I felt a bit awkward at first, especially because I couldn't participate in the passing of the huge shouchuu bottle due to my means of transportation. However, there was some hope left in the evening in the form of the person sitting across the table from me. Her name was Taniguchi-san. She was her wind ensemble's tenor sax player, and I actually remembered her name out of everyone else's because she introduced herself in both Japanese and English. We ended up having a conversation, and we got to learn more about each other. Taniguchi-san was relatively new to music; she had only played the saxophone for about a year. She was an exchange student in Australia for a year in high school. She also wants to go for her doctoral degree someday. At that point, some of the other members started channeling the liquor and interacting with us, and we all ended up having a great time.
 |
| Had a great time and made some new friends, too. |
Day two (Sunday) was the regular concert. I was able to walk around the festival and see what was going on, though I wasn't able to do much due to time constraints. I arrived at the auditorium a few hours earlier to help with setup and do one last quick rehearsal. I had to wear my suit for the first two "stages", and then there was a third stage with the people from Kyoto again. Turnout was rather light, but we still played very well. (UPDATE: Here's the link to the wind ensemble's Youtube channel.) We had our group photo taken afterwards, and some of the students from Kyoto wanted their picture taken with me. I suppose that they wanted proof that they actually met someone who is 200 cm tall.
 |
| \m/ |
 |
| That's Taniguchi-san on the left. I look like a giant next to everyone in this country. |
 |
| Metal (groove?) gestures with Ono-san (L) and Kaneta-san (R). |
It was getting dark after the concert, so we packed up our things and temporarily disbanded. After a brief but amazing fireworks display on campus, it was time to say goodbye to the wind ensemble members from Kyoto. We all went to the bus terminal in town, where they were going to catch a bus to the depot in Koriyama and connect their way back home. We waved goodbye using the "metal" hand gesture, one of the gestures that we had to do for a song we played at the concert. Then we went to another izakaya for another afterparty.
 |
| Safe travels, friends. |
I ended up having fun this weekend, which was a good thing given the stressful week that I'd been having. As for the wind ensemble in Kyoto, some of us are going to take our own trip there in March after classes are finished to visit and play with them. I'm excited and can't wait to go.
 |
| Everything turned out great in the end. |
Today is a day off due to a national holiday, so I get one more day to recuperate before it's back to work and school. Next weekend is the Roadster Tohoku Meeting, which I will be attending. I guess that October will be the month of making new friends for me.
-wp
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