karaoke

After the shrine, I boarded the train again to meet up with some international friends I had met. I got off at the Keihan-Sanjo station, walked over the bridge and down to the river bank. There's a path on both sides of the river, popular for walking and biking, and on good-weather nights, drinking and socializing. It was the first warm weekend night and there were many people out. Clumps of people sitting on the bank, or just milling about, even someone in the river itself, wading in the cool water. Some Japanese swinging poi and playing drums showed up, another group stood in a circle singing. Later, the fire poi came out. Good fun, some beer, meeting new people, then it was time and a group of us went off to get some food.

We went to a place called Sunshine Cafe, which served something of a fusion menu. The food was excellent. They also had beer cocktails, which they mixed with juice, there was Pomegranate, Tomato and some others. Tomato was ok, but the Pomegranate was better, almost like a lambic but less carbonation.

After food, we left and met up with some others at karaoke. In the US people normally picture a crowded bar with everyone taking turns on a stage, but the asian version of karaoke is somewhat different. You pay by the hour, and it's all you can drink. You're taken to a small room, just your group of people, with a table, a TV, and seats all around. Very intimate. 2 microphones and an electronic device that allows you to select the songs. Also a phone on the wall, which you use to order more drinks, keep those pitchers coming! It's mostly a sing-a-long with everyone joining in, maybe it was just the crowd, and there was a lot of western music played, but I think even Japanese singers would pick a lot of western songs. Still, fun to try those Japanese, reading hiragana sing-a-longs too. Taxi ride back to Nagaokakyo and call it a night.

伏見稲荷大社

I purchasing some takeout sushi in Kyoto station, then boarded a train south towards Fushimi Inari Taisha. This is one of the most well known shrines in Kyoto, if not Japan, and you've probably seen pictures or heard of it even if you weren't sure what it was. Situated on the side of a mountain, with miles of trails leading above, Fushimi Inari is known for the thousands and thousands of red torii lining the path.

I saw one pilgrim walking the trail and purposefully touching every torii. I walked the path as dusk fell, and into the night. Besides the large torii you walk though, there are thousands of smaller torii situated within a maze of smaller, individual shrines with fox statues and candles and bells. There was hardly anyone on the path besides myself, and I could hear the birds and wild all around me. I even saw some wildlife, a red fox crossed my path and ran away from me, and a pair of raccoon dogs stared down at me from the path above before disappearing.

I followed the paths down, passing countless shrines and through countless torii. I went a different route out than in, so I didn't pass through the main shrine, and instead the neighborhood of houses below slowly merged and replaced the shrine.

Mibu Kyogen

The day started with a train ride into Kyoto. Hankyu line this time, which makes more local stops and doesn't go directly to Kyoto Station. Beyond that it's basically the same and public transportation in Japan is very efficient (though the cost adds up). Kristine and I exited at our station, then navigated to Mibudera Temple where we met a Japanese classmate and were to see Nenbutsu kyogen aka mibu kyogen, a form of japanese theater originating over 700 years ago at this same temple. I didn't know anything about it, and it was only after looking on the internet for more information that I discovered mibu kyogen was different from other kyogen performances. Other kyogen performances involve dialogue, but this was silent pantomime. The performers enter the stage from the left, wearing ornate wooden masks that hide all facial expressions and give then an aura of caricature. Musical accompaniment is in the form of a flute, drums, and a gong. Performers act out the story in exaggerated movements, dance, pauses, and move very gracefully.

It was very interesting to watch, and obviously a tradition as there were many western and Japanese tourists, along with locals. Each story went on for maybe 50minutes, and we stayed for 3 of them, as interesting as it was to experience, it wasn't something that we really wanted to watch for long periods of time. On our way out, a pigeon flew from a nearby roof and landed on my arm, I was shocked, but I'll take it to mean good luck.

After kyogen, I walked south to Kyoto station where I stopped at Bic Camera and purchased an electronic dictionary. I had done my research and found the one I wanted (Canon Wordtank G90). The Jap-English dictionaries, which there are a lot of them in Japan, are mostly designed for Japanese studying English, or Japanese studying Chinese, or Japanese studying Japanese (there are a LOT of kanji with many meanings). So Jap-English dictionaries are mostly designed for Japanese, some of them have english settings, as does mine, but still if you look up a word in english, like 'hair', you're given a definition written in japanese, which can then lead to having to look up the pronunciation of the kanji for hair, if you can even find which kanji in the definition represents hair. So having a dictionary does not mean you can always communicate, but it's a great resource, especially because I can draw unknown kanji to look them up.

の

Language lessons today after school. I was very tired by that point, and had been feeling off for most of the day. Still, went ok, I understand the concepts and can follow them when communicating, but recollection is hard, along with all that vocabulary. Also, Japanese has a lot of words that are almost the same, but mean different things depending on context. はし (ha-shi) is a good example, as it means either 'chopstick', or 'end' depending on the context. It can be written as two different kanji but the sound is almost the same with just an up-note or a down-note of the second syllable. But ya, lots of words sound the same but have different meaning, moreso than just the english their-there-they're.

Ooops

Japanese art history lecture this morning. I had some idea what he was talking about as it involved many slides of european art, then japanese art and discussions (somewhat) about influences between them.

Painting, started working on the background. Matsumoto Sensei for thursdays is very nice, but does not have much confidence in her own english, though she writes very well. So most of our communication is in writing. I learned a lot more about the process of a nihonga painting, gained an overall understanding of all the steps, but at the same time brought about a situation I thought was very very funny.

Up till now, in three of my studio classes I've been working on the same 18"x24" painting, they're somewhat slow showing me things simply because each layer needs to dry before going on to the next and they haven't really explained things in advance. I get the impression that they only expect me to do a single painting through the entire semester, which is what the japanese students are expected to do (though theirs is larger), and I only really see other students working during class time. The mentality in my upper-level classes is very much, work slow, don't take chances, don't make mistakes. That's not how I work, and as part of my stated intent, I'm here to focus on studio work, which involves many more hours than just class time. I've been working slowly and with focus, but I will take chances with some things, as that's the only way I can learn the limits of the material.

Anyway, the funny situation was from miscommunication and japanese indirectness. We were working on the background of my painting, and I was trying to ask questions and gain insight into what was, and wasn't possible as far as color usage (ordering my layers), direction, and brush (as far as different effects). I don't think Sensei really understood everything I was trying to say, along with not wanting to make decisions for me, so I ended up mixing up too dark of a color and at first had striation problems, which I agreed when she told me the striations between my brush strokes were not beautiful, she tried to demonstrate a way of covering these over with fluttering brush strokes, but I didn't have the gentle touch she had and made somewhat of a mess. The look on her face, she was just horrified. Then it got even worse when Maraoka Sensei (who speaks better english) came in and saw how horrified she was. I did my best to explain what my intention had been, and a bit about my own learning philosophy, and it was fine in the end. I'm not about to stop working on that particular painting, but I'll start some others and be more careful now that I know more.

umeboshi

Pickled plums! I was out on some errands and saw a little produce stand (common everywhere), selling umeboshi. These are said to waken the taste buds and to be very healthy for any ailment. They come in different sizes, this is the first time I've seen the larger ones. People have one with breakfast, or with lunch, or with dinner. They're also supposed to be great for hangovers. The first one I had, whoa thats sour! But I've gotten used to them and they're really tasty, expect I'll have some in the fridge at all times.

Painting class (1st year), we traced our drawing, pasted it down, and started working on shading. As I've mentioned, japanese paints are translucent like water colors, so one builds up color and darkness in many layers. Near the end of class, we put an ochre color over top. Starting to understand more the methods to these materials.

shiroy

Painting, learned to mix up some colors, most interesting was white. It's the only color that requires a mortar-pestle to grind, then you slowly add the nikiwa (glue) and work it into a little ball, much like clay. Then you throw it against the sara (dish) many many times. After you're done with this you can press it down into the sara then use water with it much like water color. Japanese paints are a type of tempera paint, and most of them you can let dry out then use water with them again, but the exception is white, which you need to prepare again each day. Sensei spent extra time showing me some of this stuff, and class went over, which made me late for the appointment I had with a language instructor at a cafe near the Hankyu station.

First time meeting her, and I thought it went well, different style and atmosphere than my class on mondays, and similarly priced. Good addition, but I'm not really doing enough self-study the last week in between my attempts at conversation with people. I can do better.

On my way back, went to pick up my phone. I had set up a prepaid handset previously, but didn't have my alien registration card at the time. I was able to get the idea across, and then get an answer to my question regarding email (more in a moment), but it took forever! I don't know what was going on, but I was in that shop for more than an hour waiting for the guy to set things up on the computer. But it's all good, the phone itself is light, thin and sexy. With a camera, video screen, email, very nice. Talking on phones in Japan is very expensive, outgoing that is as any incoming calls are free. That's why people on limited plans needing to call someone, will often ask to be called back, reverse the charges as it were. Data though, is amazing. ¥300 and I have unlimited email from my phone for 30 days, then ¥300 after that to renew. Most people simply email each others phone to communicate. No auto-completing words if you're typing in english though, which is to be expected, so it can take awhile if you're not communicating in japanese.