私は日本に行った!
If you can't read the title of this post it says (dun dun dunnnnnnnn...) I went to Japan!*
EXCITE!
So, earlier this month, the orchestra I play in took part in Asia Orchestra Week, an annual event held in Japan, where a few orchestras from around the Asia-Pacific region are invited to perform. This year, there were 3 orchestras: one from Yamagata (Japan), another from Manila (The Philippines) and us (New Zealand represent!). Amazingly, this invitation included all flights and accommodation for the entire orchestra, paid for by the Japanese Orchestra Association. That's huge!
I had a fantastic time - spent mostly in Tokyo, with a trip also to Morioka in the North on the 300kph Shinkansen (high-speed bullet train), where we performed in a combined concert with the Yamagata orchestra.
Clicky below for some photos! IMAGE HEAVY!
Top left: Ginza, the flashy shopping district in Tokyo. Chanel, Gucci, Prada everywhere you look.
Top right: Tokyo Tower, Japan's ripoff version of the Eiffel Tower. Some nice views from the observatory.
Centre: Mt Fuji. Apparently, you can see it from Tokyo when it's not so smoggy (no luck for us), but I got this shot from the plane from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
Bottom: The little town of Tokyo.
SIGHTSEEING
Top left: A bridge over the moat around the Imperial Palace.
Top right: Cleansing at a Shinto shrine.
Centre left: Saki barrels near a Shinto shrine. The emperor liked to drink.
Centre right: The grounds of the Imperial Palace.
Bottom left: A gateway leading into the Shinto shrine.
Bottom right: Part of the Imperial Palace.
JAPANESISMS
Top left: This table is occupried. A sign on our table at breakfast.
Top right: We are on the SPECILAL ALERT. Should I be concerned?
Centre: Hotel rooms have slippers (with Good-Feeling slipper sheets) for guests.
Bottom left: The Japanese toilet, complete with buttons for seat warmth, bidet and flushing sound.
Bottom right: Moving relaxable space, the definition of a bus.
THE CONCERT HALLS
Top & Bottom: Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, one of the most acoustically perfect halls in the world and a joy to play in. Architecturally interesting too.
Centre: Morioka Civic Cultural Hall.
FOOD
Top left: A cheap noodle dish from an amazing food market where a ginormous array of foods were so beautifully presented.
Top right: An udon noodle curry from a tiny underground eatery where businessmen would come in, eat very fast, then leave. Our Western tendency to make lunch into a lengthy social occasion seemed to cause some consternation.
Bottom left: Mmm. Pasta. A few places offered Italian meals, but often with a Japanese twist - you had Miso soup on the side and you ate your pasta with chopsticks.
Bottom right: These potato chips were delicious. I'm just not entirely sure what flavour they were. Butter, maybe?
ONLY IN JAPAN
Left: Everything in Japan is cute. Everything. Here are some cute lockers at Tokyo Station.
Centre: Kawaii! Regular road cones are boring! Try pink bunnies instead!
Right: Condomania, for all your condom needs.
In summary, a totally awesome experience! Well, maybe not so much the travel time (over a day each way), or the 12 hour flight squished under a large guy who fell asleep on me, or the missed domestic connection in Auckland resulting in a much later flight home, or the jet lag (most keenly experienced when I had to get up for work at 6:30am a mere day after getting home and my brain/body was still on Japanese time, i.e. 2:30am)...
* So, okay. I only know a very few characters of hiragana and can't actually write in Japanese. Google Translate FTW.
EXCITE!
So, earlier this month, the orchestra I play in took part in Asia Orchestra Week, an annual event held in Japan, where a few orchestras from around the Asia-Pacific region are invited to perform. This year, there were 3 orchestras: one from Yamagata (Japan), another from Manila (The Philippines) and us (New Zealand represent!). Amazingly, this invitation included all flights and accommodation for the entire orchestra, paid for by the Japanese Orchestra Association. That's huge!
I had a fantastic time - spent mostly in Tokyo, with a trip also to Morioka in the North on the 300kph Shinkansen (high-speed bullet train), where we performed in a combined concert with the Yamagata orchestra.
Clicky below for some photos! IMAGE HEAVY!
Top left: Ginza, the flashy shopping district in Tokyo. Chanel, Gucci, Prada everywhere you look.
Top right: Tokyo Tower, Japan's ripoff version of the Eiffel Tower. Some nice views from the observatory.
Centre: Mt Fuji. Apparently, you can see it from Tokyo when it's not so smoggy (no luck for us), but I got this shot from the plane from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
Bottom: The little town of Tokyo.
SIGHTSEEING
Top left: A bridge over the moat around the Imperial Palace.
Top right: Cleansing at a Shinto shrine.
Centre left: Saki barrels near a Shinto shrine. The emperor liked to drink.
Centre right: The grounds of the Imperial Palace.
Bottom left: A gateway leading into the Shinto shrine.
Bottom right: Part of the Imperial Palace.
JAPANESISMS
Top left: This table is occupried. A sign on our table at breakfast.
Top right: We are on the SPECILAL ALERT. Should I be concerned?
Centre: Hotel rooms have slippers (with Good-Feeling slipper sheets) for guests.
Bottom left: The Japanese toilet, complete with buttons for seat warmth, bidet and flushing sound.
Bottom right: Moving relaxable space, the definition of a bus.
THE CONCERT HALLS
Top & Bottom: Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, one of the most acoustically perfect halls in the world and a joy to play in. Architecturally interesting too.
Centre: Morioka Civic Cultural Hall.
FOOD
Top left: A cheap noodle dish from an amazing food market where a ginormous array of foods were so beautifully presented.
Top right: An udon noodle curry from a tiny underground eatery where businessmen would come in, eat very fast, then leave. Our Western tendency to make lunch into a lengthy social occasion seemed to cause some consternation.
Bottom left: Mmm. Pasta. A few places offered Italian meals, but often with a Japanese twist - you had Miso soup on the side and you ate your pasta with chopsticks.
Bottom right: These potato chips were delicious. I'm just not entirely sure what flavour they were. Butter, maybe?
ONLY IN JAPAN
Left: Everything in Japan is cute. Everything. Here are some cute lockers at Tokyo Station.
Centre: Kawaii! Regular road cones are boring! Try pink bunnies instead!
Right: Condomania, for all your condom needs.
In summary, a totally awesome experience! Well, maybe not so much the travel time (over a day each way), or the 12 hour flight squished under a large guy who fell asleep on me, or the missed domestic connection in Auckland resulting in a much later flight home, or the jet lag (most keenly experienced when I had to get up for work at 6:30am a mere day after getting home and my brain/body was still on Japanese time, i.e. 2:30am)...
* So, okay. I only know a very few characters of hiragana and can't actually write in Japanese. Google Translate FTW.