Japan in Thirty Days

GSE Day 26

11 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by gbesses in Gerald/ジェラルド

GSE Day 26
Continued.
This morning with visited with the Mayor of Hamamatsu, nice guy.

I gave him an embroidered towel and Windy gave him a wine stopper. Lots of pictures.
Then off to the Tukushi dance school, which is across the drive from the Grand Hotel. My driver, today, is Joe Matthew, a San Jose native and Rotarian, who runs a language school in Hamamatsu and is married to a Japanese woman. Very helpful to have a fully fluent English speaker, but, oddly, there are still things he doesn’t know after residing here for twenty years. Still wealth of information. The dance school started with a nine year old boy who did a dance that we are told is the first dance that new students learn all the way through - every step, hand and head motion is choreographed and meaningful - the kid was delightful. Then the sensei and his wife did a number for older, teenagers. He apologized that she was too old for the part at thirty, but she looked the part and is beautiful. Then a still more mature woman came on; it was difficult to believe that she was eighty years old. The sensei changed kimono to a very formal variety and did some kabuki stuff, which I truly don’t understand, but was no less interesting for that. Then we were ALL dressed in kimono. I had three belts on. The women had formal though more virginal costumes, substantially different from the ones worn by the older women who had danced for us. Lots of photos, of course.
Then off for lunch. It was fun to chose our own lunch, though I still took too much, enjoying it all, including the black sesame custard, the salmon, and some things that looked and tasted wonderful but I can’t identify. Oddly, there were no napkins - go figure.
Then to the calligraphy sensei, Dosyu Kanayama. The room in which he greeted us is almost an art gallery as he has a wonderful collection of ceramics, plus some of his own work on the wall. He explained a large piece, though our interpreter, Joe, with a sensibility that fits every artist I have ever met. He said that he was more interested in stirring a reaction in the observer than telling the observer what to observe. He wants the observer to feel something from what he creates and recognizes that that feeling may be different from what he feels as he does his art. Anyway, I was impressed just walking into his place. Then, we did calligraphy, after he described some of shat he does while drawing. His control of the brush and ink is amazing. And, he is able to teach, even without the language. I practiced and he showed me and I practiced some more and he showed me some more and I was able to do the character for “samurai” well enough so Yoshi recognized it without prompting when I showed it to him.
We finished early. The Team had expressed an interest in going to the beach, so we did. Joe says that the area we visited is not visited by natives; they have specific places they go to and this wasn’t one of them; he doesn’t know why. The wind was blowing like stink and I got cold, but the Team walked to the end of a jetty - youth! And, back to the hotel.
Our welcoming party, with hosts. On the 12th floor with a beautiful view. We were each seated with our hosts at a different table - about eight tables and eight people per table. We did our last presentation and I think it was our best, even though Windy and I had no translator. Good time - the meal was excellent, the wine, beer and sake were copious. Lots of pictures. Then, the best - Yoshi brought out his masks and scarves, two masks as gifts for each of us, and we danced into the room and had lots more pictures to a crowd of cheering, as these masks are folk characters that the Japanese all know - fun.
Now to bed. I’m a bit drunk, so even Craig noticed this evening. 3753 steps. The music museum - this is the home of Yamaha after all. and a pie factory tomorrow.