I Have Charted A Course To The Vineyard
That was pretty darn cool. Bear is going to be a part of a small Kabuki fight scene. He and several other Americans will perform a theatrical spar with a like number of Japanese. They are learning the art of the dance from a fellow who, until recently, worked for the National Theater in Tokyo. Dude. Tonight, they had practice. I went along to videotape it, so the guys can work on it in between practices. Bando-san (the teacher) and his wife are great people. I can't say I liked their seven-year-old kid at all, but I have to give him some slack. Apparently Koki-chan was very ill with something that paralyzed half of his body and left him a year behind developmentally. Still, he hit and pinched me, ignoring completely anyone who told him "dame desu." Ah well. He also quite politely invited us to drink our green tea after practice.
Bando-san doesn't speak a lick of English, but his wife does a little. (I think her name is Hanayagi.) It's kind of hard for the guys to follow his instructions since they have to go through a translator. Yoko's English isn't stellar, but it's a whole lot better than my Japanese is yet. I also met Hanayagi-san's mother whose name completely escapes me. She's learning English at a local church. Great people, very friendly. Hanayagi teaches Japanese dance; they tried to recruit me. And Bando-san asked The Boy if he'd like to be a Kabuki dancer. It was pretty funny.
Yoko-san invited us to a potluck on Sunday, which is a bit scary. Japanese food is very much an acquired taste. We are encouraged to "bring a lot of food." I think I'll make Snickers cookies and maybe deviled eggs, but I'm not sure what to do for a main dish, yet.
Anyway, a good time was had by all. And I got to practice Lesson 1: Introductions. Hee!
Bando-san doesn't speak a lick of English, but his wife does a little. (I think her name is Hanayagi.) It's kind of hard for the guys to follow his instructions since they have to go through a translator. Yoko's English isn't stellar, but it's a whole lot better than my Japanese is yet. I also met Hanayagi-san's mother whose name completely escapes me. She's learning English at a local church. Great people, very friendly. Hanayagi teaches Japanese dance; they tried to recruit me. And Bando-san asked The Boy if he'd like to be a Kabuki dancer. It was pretty funny.
Yoko-san invited us to a potluck on Sunday, which is a bit scary. Japanese food is very much an acquired taste. We are encouraged to "bring a lot of food." I think I'll make Snickers cookies and maybe deviled eggs, but I'm not sure what to do for a main dish, yet.
Anyway, a good time was had by all. And I got to practice Lesson 1: Introductions. Hee!