Konichiwa, Readers and Families!
We have been having a great time and I apologize for my inability to blog yesterday - we were very busy celebrating Amy's birthday into the night, singing karaoke. The birthday girl was quite enthusiastic! Joy, Mary, Agnes, Emily - both Emilys (I am one of them), and even some shyer folks - Gemma and Peter - sang. Tim treated us to Japanese lyrics (he is one of our guides). The birthday girl was quite enthusiastic. Kates and Beth and Steve (I may have left someone out (the room was stuffed - so sorry -sumimasen) joined us later for a few minutes, too. In Japanese karaoke, everyone sits around and looks at a screen, the walls have lit images, people choose songs, and eat and drinks, and you are your own audience. Very much fun.
Earlier in the day, we visited Edo Tokyo Museum and viewed models of Japanese architecture and changes after the Edo period (Japan opened up to trade and ideas in 1868). Next, we went to a Buddhist shrine where you put in coins, shook a big shaker, pulled out a drawer, and got your fortune. If you did not like your fortune, you left it there. There was an enormous open-air market, where incense swirled out of one spot and beautiful gates marked entryways.
Today most of the group went to the fish market early in the morning. Others walked around the neighborhood or slept a bit. We spent the morning talking with a Japanese principal and a teacher. They work until eleven p.m. at night! It was a great discussion, and they had some questions for us, as well. This afternoon we braved crazy-hot weather and dripped our way through the beautiful and stately Imperial Garden, hosted by a former Head Gardener. He spoke of having drinks and playing tennis with the Emperor.
And now, thanks to Allison, many of us are off to a baseball game! All are safe and well.
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so what did you sing? your Japanese is pretty good but a song in Japanese, that would be impressive
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, Thanks so much for the info on your blog. It offers me, here at home, a different perspective than what Stephen sends. He is having a great time even though he tells me he is homesick and misses us; his family. I am so glad that everyone is enjoying themselves. You are all so lucky to be having the experience of a lifetime! Be safe. Be well. Have fun. Thanks again, Camille (Steve L's family)
ReplyDeleteCamille- It was fun to discover that Steve is from Chelsea, as I grew up in Malden. My father and I went to Chelsea early Saturday mornings in the '70s for the smoked fish and the water bagels at the place at the fork in the road. We brought it all home for the whole family.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping Steve will come visit our school, as I suspect he and our librarian have a lot in common: big personalities and a love of books. I will tell him you wrote.
We sang almost all American songs with a strange repeating video background of completely irrelevant scenes from San Francisco and London. Abba, Rolling Stones, Jimmy Cliff, Madonna, Journey, REM. Tim's Japanese songs were great.
ReplyDeleteI heard my dad has a habit of getting "lost" in Japan. Ha! So funny! I can't wait to get there!!! Thanks for the blog it is great to see what you guys are doing.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered mobile twittering your trip?
-Anthony (Steve L's son)
Your Dad made a perfectly reasonable mistake! Mobile twittering!? Egad. Another traveler will have to take that on. We are very busy over here. Thanks for commenting!
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