Another Packed Day in Tokyo!

So much has happened since my last entry I hope I can get it straight. Getting to and from our Friday lectures was altered a bit because of a meeting by the Prime Minister, Crown Prince and Princess being held at our hotel. There were lots and lots of dark suits with ear pieces present. I was actually in the lobby at the departure of those dignitaries. It was absolutely silent during their procession! Very different than the way it would have been in the US.

A couple of other teachers and I ventured out to try and find a camera charger at a store called Big Camera in the Shinjuku District. Getting to the area by subway was no problem. We had to ask three different people where the store was. Each time we got a little closer! What jubilation when we actually found it! We celebrated with dinner of tempura and some other stuff we had no idea what it was.

Saturday was our "free day". I chose to go to the top of Tokyo Tower which is very near our hotel and then go to my Kimono Class, Tea Ceremony and Calligraphy Class. I had hoped to see Mt. Fuji from Tokyo Tower but there was a bit of fog in that direction. I'm sure if I had gone up later, I would have seen it as it cleared up to be a very beautiful day. Oh well, it's a lot like trying to see Denali in Alaska. I got lots of pictures of Tokyo from the tower. It really helped give me a sense of how huge this city is.

At noon I took my kimono and obi to the Koomon Cultural Experience Center and had my private lesson on how to put on and wear my kimono. The picture in this entry is using a different obi than the one I have. Mine, I learned, is much too informal for a tea ceremony! I will have to find a book or internet site ("Kimonos for Dummies"?) to help me put on the kimono in the future. It is complicated!

The tea ceremony was very formal, dignified, ritualized, beautiful, and a number of other adjectives. Learning about the philosophy behind every aspect of the ceremony was amazing. The hardest part was sitting on my feet for 90 minutes! I don't know how folks do that for any length of time.

The Calligraphy class was a little later in the afternoon so I went to a big department store called Takashamaya. In the basement is the food department that has an incredible variety and quantity of all sorts of foods. I also visited Maruzan Book Store which has quite a large section of English written books. I was looking for Kimonos for Dummies. Apparently that book does not exist but there are many others about kimono history, etc.

In Calligraphy class, I learned how to write "flower", "peace" and "love" (sort of). Let's just say the Master did not want to keep my attempts to use as examples for future classes! It is a lot harder than it looks.

Today my prefecture group leaves for Tainai, Niigata. We will take the train across to the west side of the island and head a little north. We will stay in Niigata City tonight which is a large city. But then we head for Tainai Park Resort which will be lovely but will have no internet access. I will keep diary entries to post when I get back to Tokyo. During our prefecture visit is when we will go to primary, junior high, senior high and university. We will also meet the mayor of Tainai. I am sure I will have much to report.

Until then, Sayonara.

10/20/2007 : view on map : permalink : add a comment