Farewell Japan

My Last Week In Japan

Winter had set in and I was using all my layers as I approached my leaving date. I was ready to return to Oz. I just wished that I could take my teacher with me.




The EcoProducts Expo



Eight days before my departure, Kirsty and I ventured forth early in the morning on our way to an area on the Tokyo bay for the EcoProducts Expo. The expo was happening at the Tokyo Big Sight on Tokyo Bay. In it's ninth year, they were expecting more than the previous attendance of 140,000 people. The expo had begun with mostly trade attendance but now has a large general public including many school children. Kirsty had arranged for us to join an English language tour and we ended up with our own translator for a while. There are more photos at my flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_kundan

The Concert

The other big event of the day was a performance of our teacher Kakisakai-senei that evening in Tokyo. The piece was November Steps. Shakuhachi and Biwa with a symphony orchestra. Kirsty managed to sneak the following photos with her large lens camera from our balcony seats. I have borrowed the photos from her site.

For a very well written detailed description of the concert, I am including Kirsty's shak blog url. Her blogs are very enjoyable and her photos are excellent.

http://kirstykomuso.blogspot.com/2007/12/kakizakai-senseis-november-steps.html



An interesting aspect of the piece is that the orchestra is arranged as two mirrored halves.

My teacher wailin'.















The Biwa.

Played in a percussive way.
A dramatic compliment to the shakuhachi.













The concert was followed in true Tokyo tradition by a small group of us students going to one of the little drinks and snacks places under the railway tracks that you find around Tokyo. Knee to knee and bum to bum around a narrow table with beer and sake and various skewered grilled meats and fish and veggies. Flapping plastic panels to keep out the rain. Shouting to be heard. A father and his son getting drunk together at one end of our table and using their fairly good english on us. A memorable experience that will remain unique in my memory and it's occurance.




A Morning of Temples.
A few days before my departure, Megumi took time one morning to show Kirsty and myself around a couple of the outlying temples. A rainy winter's day. No other visitors. Very pleasant.

Below is the 500 year old tree at one of the temples.

















































A raindrop bejeweled tree.

















My two companions.


































My farewell dinner the night before I departed.


Kaoru showing the soba noodles that he made. Besides being a great player and teacher of the shakuhachi, he is a master noodle maker! Take my word for it.



















My teacher in a serious moment.






That's Kaoru's mom on the right. She made the delicious tempura you see and I ate.











By Special Request
I surprised my teacher a few days earlier by asking if as a farewell present he and Megumi could play a duet at the dinner. I'm happy to say that they played a beautiful piece for us.

A different perspective on the duet.
















A 1.6 shak. Shorter than normal because of the range of the usual Koto.




































Two shots to for a better view of the Koto and Megumi's playing.
Notice Megumi setting up the movable bridges. Different placement for different pieces.
































As I say goodbye to my Chichibu-