I haven’t blogged in ages, but STILL the most popular search term for my blog is “Japanese Boyfriend”.

So, let’s give the people what they want.

Happy Birthday my love!

It was a fun day.

We’re practicing so-ran bushi dance in the Japanese Society. Some of the Japanese students and I will perform it on cultural night next Tuesday.

We’ve been practicing really hard so I hope everything goes well!

We also got our t-shirts today. Eriko and Yoshiko made them with all our names on it. I was a bit worried because they gave me some kanji but my name is also there in Irish too so it looks great. I’ll probably put up a photo soon…

I’m really happy that I can be involved with the dance. I could understand if the Japanese students didn’t want me involved because I can’t really show Japanese culture. But it’s a really good experience for me. I like the way everyone speaks Japanese all the time, it’s a great time for me to test myself and to see how much I’ve learned.

Just over a year ago, I knew no Japanese whatsoever, not even hello. Now, in the dance practice, I can understand quite a lot I think. Of course, I can’t understand everything but usually I can follow the conversation. Even if I don’t know the details, I know the idea. Probably kendo helps because some of the instructional vocabulary is the same.

OH MY GOD. I JUST. REMEMBERED. I HAVE TO DO THE TEA CEREMONY. ARGH.

I’d better do some revision…. I did it last year at Cultural Night…and twice in Japan…I’m an expert…(-_-)’

Anyway, back to Friday the 13th.

I think my Japanese is both encouraged and improved by these dance practices. I just with I had more confidence in speaking.

After practice we went for dinner to The Farm. It an organic restaurant on that road perpendicular to TCD. You know the one, just opposite Lemon. It was a bit expensive but the food was delicious. I don’t think I’ll be going back though. The lighting is really cool but the colours change regularly. My epilepsy isn’t photosensitive but any kind of unusual lighting makes me a bit uncomfortable. I probably shouldn’t worry, but I do.

Everyone was really relaxed at dinner and the conversation was flowing. This meant that I understood a lot less. Sometimes it’s a bit strange when I can’t participate in the conversation but everyone is so nice and makes an effort to include me. It’s also more good practice for understanding Japanese. If I’m going to live in Japan soon, I should get used to this kind of situation. Especially understanding the Osaka dialect…

I ended up sitting beside Toshi with Hisa and Yuji opposite. Sometimes I forgot about translating and just enjoyed the Kansai accent. I think Yuji’s became stronger in that company or maybe I’m getting more accustomed to distinguishing it. Anyway, Hisa’s accent is my favourite. It seems the most musical, really nice.

I wish I could speak like Hisa!

After the brilliance of kabuki, the adventure through Ginza and the joy of watching the NEWS CM, our second day in Japan had a lot to live up to. And it got off to an early start…

The previous day, people had been mumbling about the Tokyo fish market. I had firmly said “No” each time – I hate fish and I love sleep. It seemed like an easy decision to make. Did I really want to get up at 4.30AM to gawk at fish carcasses and they weirdos who buy them? Not bloody likely!

Of course, I couldn’t bear to be left out of anything and grumpily found myself in the hotel lobby as the sun was rising. I was missing out on a good four hours of sleep to go to a fish market. ME! I convinced myself that this was a once in a lifetime trip and that I should take advantage of everything. I almost believed myself…

<- Barbara, Pablo, Tom, Evelina, Kristine – Let’s fish market!

The hotel staff were amazing and sorted us with maps and transport. We took two taxis and drove through the streets, which were still empty at this early hour. I did see a few people who were obviously just making their way home after a night out though! The taxi men dropped us at the place they said was the best entrance. We took their word for it and headed in…

 <- “Is this it?” First impressions were not good…

 <- Cats like fish, right? Follow the cat!

<-What the hell is that?!?!

Despite it still being dark and night-ish, we could see that we weren’t in the right place. It seemed almost fish-markety, but not quite. We decided to pick a direction and hope for the best. Besides, there were lots of interesting things to see on the way…

<- Fish market mural: we must be on the right track! (See the men counting the fish?)

 <-An elephant? Maybe we’re not on the right track

 <- A huuuuuuuge park full of motorbikes. I took a brighter photo later, think of this one as the “before”…

On we wandered. Then we started walking through lots of big haulage trucks…it seemed promising. Suddenly this huuuuuuuge open warehouse loomed in front of us. You couldn’t even see from one side to the other. We had come in a side door (i.e. the wrong way) but we could see literally thousands of stalls all squashed together and lots of people scurrying around, preparing to open for business. Foolishly I didn’t take a picture of this, but I have some good ones later, when we were leaving. Anyway, the thing that struck me most about this place was the contrast between the really, really, REALLY ugly people who worked there and the really, really, REALLY hot people who worked there.

What, you expected me to look at the fish?

This guy was the pick of the bunch:

A bit too short and skinny for my tastes but, well, no harm in looking.

<- The hot guy was guarding ice. Actually, the ice was just as interesting! Look how big the cubes are!!!

I did remember to take some fish pictures:

<- My arch-enemy, squid. Not so mighty now, are you?!? HAHA!

<- The eels looked a bit sad though. Sad and delicious.

<- Alive, alive-oh!

With not too much difficulty, we found the the auction site. Actually, I didn’t really know about this beforehand but the tuna auctions are very famous and a real tourist attraction. I always thought tuna was a small fish, like the size of my hand or something. Turns out that they’re MASSIVE though, wait til you see!

  <- Finally!

Have loads of fish photos:

 <-Horrible!

 <- Scary!

Up until now, all the buyers had been surveying the fish. There was a small area that we tourists were kept inside, like a cattle pen or something! Then the auction itself began and all hell broke loose with people shouting and running everywhere. We were told not to take any photos, but I was like “Nyaaaaah!”

 <- And that was the auction! It was worth getting up for…though a bit strange all the same. I don’t know why people find it so interesting to be honest. I enjoyed it because I knew it was a tourist attraction and expected to have fun. But otherwise…

We left the fish market by a different route that took us through more stalls and past more weird fish:

 <- Crabs is quicksand? Battered crabs?

<- Look at the crab second from the top – it’s blowing bubbles!

<- Remember the yard full of bikes from earlier? This is the “after” picture!

 <- Mushrooms for breakfast? No thanks…

 <- I was just walking down the street and was ATTACKED BY MATSUJUN!!!!

 <- You can buy anything in Japan, even giraffes

 <- While we were trying to find the train station we came across a temple…why not?

We had to be back at the hotel in time for some breakfast and to get the bus to where ever we were headed that day. It would have been nice to walk back but we were pushed for time. So we got our first experience of a Japanese train!

<- I am a technological WHIZZ!

 <- Just like Korea, everyone asleep on the morning train

We made it safely home. By now I was realising that we wouldn’t be spending many daylight hours at the hotel, so I took some photos of the area while I could. It was right beside a big temple:

The grounds of Tokyo Prince Hotel were really nice too:

And that was the morning of the fish market! Hope you enjoyed it We got back in time to freshen up and grab some breakfast. Lucky that we did, because it was suuuuuuuch a long day ahead.

Coming soon: Nippon Keiradeidendeiran, University Challenge, Kyudo, Flower Arranging, Taiko Drumming and…KARAOKE!

Heheh, my first JET pun. Hopefully the first of many.

I’m really beginning to worry about it now, the interview is only two days away.

This will probably decide the course of my life.

Oh. My. God. (-_-)’

Today I got a passport taken for my interview card. Why do they need that anyway? It feels like America’s Next Top Model or something. Anyway, the photo wasn’t great. Of course, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the pre-Helsinki passport fiasco photo… *shudder*

This evening I’m going to by a suit in Dundrum. I’ve never bought a suit before…I’ve never worn a suit before! I have a cheap one that I got in France, but that was bought with the intention of doing something glam-rockish with it. Which I did

I suppose I can get something in Zara.

So, back to worrying.

I have a horrible feeling that it’s going to turn out just like Belgium. As in, I am the only one who doesn’t get it. Even though I work as hard as everyone else and want it as much as everyone else…it doesn’t matter. I fail. Everyone else is happy and planning their new life in Japan, but I have to stay here because I did something stupid on the day.

Why do I always to something stupid? Or weird? Especially in important situations.

I can’t let that happen this time.

But I don’t know how.

I think I need a REALLY amazing suit…

It’s been a while!

Welcome back to Shibon no D no Arashi!

If you’re a first time viewer, this is the section where I watch/drool over an episode of D (documentary) no Arashi and report back to those of you who don’t really care!

Sakurai-kun revealed the first topic: “A mysterious blue lake in the depths of a cave”! With an air of authority, it was claimed by Riida and he marched off the set.

*Report Number One*

Ohno approached this dangerous task with a brave face. From the previews it looks like certain death, but at this point he seemed genki. After his semi-success in the forests around Mount Fuji, High-Tension Ohno, appropriately attired in blue, was sent to Chichibu to find a blue lake in a cave. Soon, the first problem appeared. The “path” leading to the cave was in fact not a path…Ohno in the forest part two! Although there were no drugs to be seen this time, Chichibu had its own dangers. As he perilously made his way across an old wooden bridge, he noticed it was decaying up ahead! Be careful Riida!

But a bridge proved no match for the worthy Ohno and after an hour and a half of walking, he reached the entrance to the cave. Waiting for him was Toda Satoshi, the expedition leader (who should take a long hard look at himself for making Riida cross that nasty bridge). As the cold wind from  the cave mouth caressed his bare cheek, the young leader of Arashi was filled with excitement. The party crept inside the narrow entrance and slowly disappeared into the deep abyss…

Ten minutes of belly-crawling brought them to an open space that was stunningly beautiful, but no sign of the lake. As Ohno-kun marvelled at the rockscape around him, Toda-san descended to a lower level. Naturally Riida wasn’t paying attention to the correct way of doing this, so found it no easy task when it came to his turn (much to the amusement of the crew). Suddenly, one of the camera-men took a fall! Haha, you got served. No one jeers Ohno when he’s rock-climbing! Anyway, the fool was unhurt and they carried on.

As they delved deeper and deeper into the cave, eventually they could hear the sound of running water. After an hour spent climbing, they had reached a river – the first sign that there might be a sea in the cave. Unfortunately, the cameraman couldn’t take his equipment across the water so they had to turn back and find a different route. Come on lads, think of what this nasty cave-air is doing to Riida’s skin!!! The “easier” route they found had one small obstacle…A WATERFALL!  But at this stage, Ohno-kun was totally owning the cave and he shimmied up that rock face like nobody’s business. FOR DREAM BABY!

Then Toda-san had words of warning: they had been in the cave for three hours. If they didn’t finish up soon, Riida’s body temperature would drop to zero and he would DIE! OH NO OHNO!!! But he carried on and eventually…he found it. Even though this is an idol variety show blah-blah, I wish you could see this. It was breathtaking. Down at the bottom of a cylindrical hollow, a lake so perfectly blue it almost looked unreal. Apparently the color comes from its depth. It looked like the sky.

Ohno-kun drew a bucket of the water to look at the colour closely…but the bucket was blue too so we learned NOTHING!

*Report Number Two*

Remember how last time Matsujun went to the prosthetics place to see epitese? And the guy was getting a replacement finger so his daughter could meet Matsujun hold his hand? Well, time for the conclusion!

Akimoto-san and Matsujun returned to Meditech to collect the finished finger. When the assistant brought it in, the clever producers pixelated the image…I suppose to build the tension or whatever. That meant that when there was a close-up of Matsujun fingering the finger, I was focusing on his sexy fingers and…well…yes

Then there was a really sweet moment. Akimoto-san requested that the technicians put a mole on the epitese. He said that his wife still remembers the mole and sees it in her dreams. He wanted to make her happy…bless! When they went back to the house, the Akimoto family gathered around the table. In a word: dokidoki! Then came the revelation!

The wife and daughter were really stunned…I don’t blame them. It looked so real! It was a job well done and you could see how happy it made them. The Matsujun said that adding the mole was HIS idea! Haha! Akimoto-san and his daughter finally held hands the way couples do. He was chuffed that his hand felt bigger – typical man!

So, on today’s episode we learned never to bring a blue bucket when looking for blue water. And we learned that men’s fingers are important to them in ways that we women will never understand. Actually, we didn’t learn much today, did we?

In the next episode: Nino investigates the before and after of cosmetic surgery (but not on his lovely face)!

OMG!

Oh this is going to be so good….

DBSK: Korea’s #1 boyband/music group/celebrities/people. Massively popular all over Asia (and the world…). Unlike other boybands (including some Johnnies…) they can sing, dance and write (some of) their own material. They have had unprecedented success in Japan, with a string of number 1 hits under their belts.

BUT

Their releases have always been well-timed to fill the gap in between Johnnies singles. They have never gone head to head with the likes of Arashi, NEWS, Kanjani8, etc.

Until now.

KAT-TUN: The sex-pots of Johnnies. Fronted by the steamy good looks of Akanishi and Kamenashi. They have the best scandals, some of the best songs and arguably three of the best singers (I think Koki can sing!). It’s always much harder to gauge popularity levels in Japan (as opposed to Korea) because Japanese fans are a lot less welcoming of foreigners (like me) wanting a piece of “their” idols. But in my mind KAT-TUN are right behind Arashi, in a strong second place. They recently announced a 7-day run in the Tokyo Dome which says it all really.

Now, on March 11th DBSK’s “Survivor” and KAT-TUN’s “Rescue” are both going to be released. Either DBSK are going to lay the vocal smackdown or KAT-TUN will pelvic-thrust them into oblivion.

I’ve been reading about this predominantly on Korean news sites (see what I mean about Japanese fans being less friendly?) and of course they’re backing DBSK. Personally, I’d put my money on KAT-TUN. I suspect that many of the people who buy DBSK songs in Japan are Johnnies fans filling the void. It makes sense that if you like the boybands of your own country, you’d like the hot and talented ones from another. But when it comes to making a choice between them, you always go back to your first love…

From what I’ve seen, this isn’t making BIG waves on the Japanese music blogs. But you can bet KAT-TUN fans have noticed…

I can’t wait!

This is the DEMO song that DBSK’s Survivor will be based on:

And a clip of KAT-TUN’s Rescue (which is the theme to a drama by the way, which always helps sales…)

Oooooh! O_O

Please my forgive my recent arrogance and constant bragging about being top of the Champions League.

I’m not taking it too seriously, I had good luck in with the draw and in the matches.

I also have the advantage of starting at zero points.

I know that I will be passed soon and that if things were fair I wouldn’t be leading anyway.

But this is the first good kendo thing to happen to me in a long time.

If you’ve read this blog then you’ll know what I mean.

Meh, I suppose everyone who I train with knows what I mean.

It was setback after setback.

So it’s really nice that something good has finally happened.

I’m not getting an ego and I hope nobody feels bad when I make the jokes…

Please let me keep making them a little while longer, it’s only another three weeks anyway

Yours,

Not Seriously Cocky Siobhán xxx

(I have 44 more points than Toru )

Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

The facts of my iPod: 6.58GB of songs, 1176 tracks.

My iTunes itself has more, I just haven’t transferred them over…anyway, lets start!

I think it’s more fun if you hear the songs that I get. They wont all be Japanese boybands…probably…
1 – How does the world see you?
Arashi – truth (Instrumental)

Haha. It had to be! Of course when people think of me, they think of Arashi! As for “truth” itself, it’s a song about obsession and mystery. The lyrics are dark…but this is the instrumental, which is a really fun piece of music! It’s dramatic, great to dance to and was the first karaoke song I did in Japan. So I think its a good choice. Besides, Aiba-kun’s backing vocals are really striking! <3
2 – Will I have a happy life?
An Cafe – Escapism (Shikisai ver.)

Oh God. I don’t listen to An Cafe, seriously, I don’t! (-_-;) Well….maybe just a little bit… I like this song though! It’s not too… Oshare-kei…is it? And that’s the only video I could find with the correct version of the song. Which is also embarrassing…oh well. Unfortunately the song obsesses over a lost love and the speaker sinks into a haze of sex and drugs… But if I had lots of sex and drugs, it would probably be a very happy life!

3 – What do my friends really think of me?
Super Junior – Wonder Boy

This just gets more humiliating, but at least they’re not Japanese this time! Korean (and one Chinese). I think this is fairly fitting. High energy, fun, not too serious but with a good message in its heart. And look at the 13 members dancing so nicely together in the video!

4 – Do people secretly lust after me?
Gackt – Redemption

Oh yes! I have some fierce Gackt-like admirer it seems. Unfortunately I might be dead though. But at least Gackt loves me! Or Vincent Valentine…this song is from his spin-off game. It’s especially cool if my secret admirer is vengeful and angst-filled. Then I can come back and give him…redemption!
5 – How can I make myself happy?
Big Bang – Haru Haru

Now that’s a strange one to interpret…The lyrics directly reflect the way I have respond to every relationship failure in my life. It’s not a good reaction and never makes me feel any better. I could probably make myself happy if I acted differently. Or, at least I could have done…but it’s in the past. ALTERNATIVELY, we can interpret this as “Listening to Big Bang is the way to make Siobhán happy!” and it certainly is
6 – What should I do with my life?
Gackt – Arittake no Ai de

That’s nice. The song is about wanting nothing but to comfort and protect the one you love. To wrap them up forever and keep them safe from all the bad things in the world. I can’t think of a better way to spend my life. And Gackt is soooo cute in the video!!! “Dame, dame…”!
7 – Will I ever have children?
Super Junior – Rokkugo!!!

As this is possibly the most childish song ever, I should think so! The title is the Korean word for “backwards” spelled backwards. Every line is a palindrome so most of the song is complete nonsense. The style of music is trot, which was popular in Korea in the 80s and is associated with parents these days. All in all, things look good for my kids. Watch the video, it’s hilarious! Heechul looks so good as a woman!
7 – What is some good advice for me?
Sugizo and The Spank Your Juice – Super Love

I should find my Super Love? I’m bloody trying you know! Or maybe I should dress in a pimped out white suit like Sugizo and rock out…yeah!
8 – How will I be remembered?
KAT-TUN – Lips

That’s fair enough, I’m a great kisser

9 – What is my signature dancing song?
Hey! Say! JUMP – Your Seed

Well, unless it had the words “Seishun” and “Amigo” in the title, this was never going to be right. But “Your Seed” is a good call! Look at the moves in the video!  The kung fu-ness is fantastic. Yeah, I can work this.

10 – What do I think is my current theme song?
Arashi – Ashita ni Mukatte

Ahahahaha! I can’t believe this came up! This was an Arashi song that I never listened to much before a couple of weeks ago. Since then I can’t get it out of my head, especially the “I’M SO FEEL!” chorus. Sure the best mis-use of the English language ever? This answer is spot on. Just listen to the first 40 seconds or so ^
11 – What does everyone think my current theme song is?
Miyavi – Kabuki Boys

Fair enough, if you read my last blog then you know I’m obsessed with kabuki. And I love Miyavi, especially this song. This is another good answer!
12 – What song will play at my funeral?
Lee Hyori – U-Go-Girl

Hah, ok, why not. That would be hilarious! Gives a new meaning to “you go girl” anyway. And I’d like to go out with a bang so the attitude and energy in the song would be great. Can you dress me in Hyori’s outfit and have backing dancers too? And Nassun doing the rap??? This will be the greatest funeral ever!!!
13 – What type of men / women do you like?
ON/OFF – Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi

This is so unbelievably true. The group are a Japanese boyband, specifically they’re hot twins.The song is the theme tune to season one of Vampire Knight. And you know me and vampires. Kaname-sama, Kiriyuu-kun, Idol-senpai, Akatsuki, Ichijo, Shiki…Kaien! Ichiru! Argh! Too many to choose from! I kind of like Rima and Ruka too so the men/women thing is spot on
14 – What is my day going to be like?
Rain – Love Story

Oh. That’s a bit depressing. Another song about missing a lost love. It starts at 1.25 on the video. But I do loooooooooove this song. And I do looooooooooove Rain oppa sooooooooo much! So probably I’ll spend the whole day watching “Full House”, the drama he did a few years ago. Ok, I hereby declare it “Rain Day”!

This one is dedicated to Lena. Thanks for being so pushy and making me finish it

The report on Shibuya will come soon, I promise! <3

For now, let’s look back at our trip to see a kabuki performance and then what happened afterwards.

To re-set the scene, the previous day we had arrived in Japan. Now, it was the afternoon of the first day and we had already been to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diet of Japan. Due to Olga’s disappearing act we were running a bit late and were hoping to make it through Tokyo traffic so that we could arrive at the theatre as close to 4pm as possible.

Do you know what kabuki is? Without going into too much detail, it’s a traditional form of Japanese theatre. In its current form it often belongs to specific theatres, such as the Kabuki-za in Tokyo. Its actors are exclusively male and belong to “houses” or families. When an actor reaches maturity he takes his familiy name so you end up with names like Bando Tamasaburo V (my favourite <3 ). Tamasaburo is a living legend, some call him the greatest onnagata (actor who specialises in female roles) ever. I had fallen in love with him before I found out that he was born in…1950. Eeeek.

The style of kabuki has lots of interesting elements. Some of it is a bit like a western musical, as the action moves through sound and some of the lines are sung. There is a narator accompanied by a musician who sets the scene and moves the action forward. The stage, the costumes and the make up are all elaborate. If you imagine what a stereo-typical Japanese traditional performance might look like, you’re probably not far off kabuki.

Dancing plays a huge part in kabuki. This video is the last part of Tamasaburo doing his trademark performance, “Saigi Musume” (Heron Maiden). It gives you a good idea of what you can expect from a kabuki performance. Towards the end you can hear a little bit of dialogue and the voice of someone cheering for Tamasaburo from the audience (this is what you’re supposed to do). There’s a narrator to explain what’s going on:

Isn’t it amazing? I’ve been obsessed with kabuki for a while now, ever since the singer Miyavi started doing his Kabuki Rock style. It wasn’t the most conventional way of getting into the artform but it worked! I watched so much on Youtube, I wrote my own play and composed my own dances (heh heh…kind of…). It was all a bit of fun really, I never expected to have the chance yet to see it in real life! This was the first “dream come true” of the trip…I was so excited.

So you can understand that I got a bit stressed when I heard that we were going to be late! Kabuki goes on for ages, but I couldn’t afford to miss a second of it! I still managed to take some photos on the way though:

  <- I don’t know what it is, but I like it!

<- You travel half-way around the world and what do you see on the first day…?

 <- This was supposed to be one of those “wow, look how big and amazing Tokyo is!!!” pictures, but it didn’t really work.

<- An ad for “Scandal” a Japanese drama that would begin soon

On the way our guide, Keiko-san, told us that a) traffic was unusually light so we would get there on time (hooray!) and b) we would have the honour of seeing one of the most famous kabuki actors that day. She couldn’t remember his name though! I was thinking “Please Tamasaburo, please Tamasaburo!” She mentioned that he specialised in female roles. I screamed in my head: PLEASE TAMASABURO, PLEASE TAMASABURO!!!!! She checked her notes and said….”Ah… his name is…Tamasaburo!” I screamed and started freaking out! I had seen an idol on the first night and now I would see Tamasaburo! How could things get better???? Anyway, we were almost there…

<- My first sight of the famous Kabuki-za theatre!

<- So close!

<- Right outside. We had about five minutes to get in, get our seats and get settled before it began…but everyone was so slow getting off the bus!

<- So I took some photos of the ads while I waited. In reverse order (right to left) these were the three performances that we would see.

<- Nice art work, don’t you think?

Finally everyone else was off the bus and we (slowly) walked over to the entrance. I was hovering behind Keiko-san, trying to nudge her forward. She went inside and I was half a second behind her. Fortunately she had rang ahead so the staff were ready with our tickets and pamphlets. I grabbed everything and ran. Of course, I had no idea where I was going. The Kabuki-za is a confusing place and I had to dodge past lots of slow-moving kimonos. Then met a couple of others from the group and we got a member of staff to show us to our seats (which would have been the clever thing to do to begin with).

We were in time! The curtain hadn’t risen yet! We got into our seats which were, unfortunately, Japanese-sized. Ouch. Luckily, one seat on the left of each large section didn’t have another seat in front of it. Thanks to my pushiness about getting in ASAP I had gotten the first ticket assigned to our group. Yatta! I got the leg-room! I felt a bit bad for the others, especially Tom who is very tall. But I justified it by telling myself that no-one else was going to appreciate kabuki like I would, so I deserved it….maybe it was true… (-_-)’

We were given earphones that had an excellent audio commentary that followed the performance. I missed the start of the commentary because I had run off without seeing them in the foyer. But I didn’t mind…I didn’t need any words to enjoy it though. A note on the language of kabuki, everyone had warned us (the two of us who could speak a little Japanese) that it was a very old form of the language that we wouldn’t understand. Throughout the evening however, I managed to pick up quite a bit. I suppose things like nouns and the base forms of verbs don’t change that much. Watching the taiga drama “Fuurin Kazan” might have adjusted my ears to it either, I don’t know.

Anyway, the schedule was play – interval – short dance – interval – play. Or maybe there was only one interval, I can’t remember. The first play had me in tears twice. Two brothers were at war and the young son of one was captured by the other. The three women involved are the brothers’ mother and each of their wives. The young boy is in a position where he should commit suicide…but I won’t spoil the story. Anyway, it was better than I had dreamed and the child-actor was stunningly good.

<- Then the first interval and lunch/dinner!

 <-How good does this look?!?!

 <- Myself, Christina and Barbara sitting on a flower pot in the corridor. There weren’t many seats. Some of the “proper” kabuki patrons looked disgusted with us, some didn’t mind.

 <- Some of the stuff for sale. Mochi-licous!

 <- This is only a small selection of what you could buy. There was a huge market downstairs. I thought I’d wait until after the show, but it had closed by then. That’s my only regret of the night…of Japan???

 <- Nice, but I don’t know what it is

 <- I waaaaant!

The short comic dance was next. This is the traditional filler between the two plays. It has two roles, filled by a father and young son team. This particular one was a servant (father) trying to catch a mouse (boy). It mocked traditional courting motifs and ended with some hilarious role-reversal. Even the other people in the group were laughing, not just me!

The third performance was another play. This was a comedy and was great, but I prefered the historical drama of the first. Besides, this comedy didn’t have Tamasaburo as hot girl. I loooove cross dressing. Anyway, the story was part of a series about the wily employee of a lord, and his adventures. In this one, he had to rescue a girl who had been taken by another lord who wanted to…well…you know. There was much mirth in the mind games and hijinks that ensued.

I think most of our group was a bit bored by the end, it really does go on for aaaages. But I was happy

Afterwards, the schedule for the day was finally finished. Looking back, I wonder did everyone enjoy it… It was all politics followed by kabuki. Not everyone’s cup of tea…

<- I was trying to take some nice pics of the theatre at night as we left

<- Bit of a disaster though

<- We all piled back on to the bus and prepared to go back to the hotel

 <- I was trying to squeeze in as much as possible before we left…

As the bus started moving, Keiko-san and Yajima-san started having this dramatic looking secret conference in the front. I strained to hear what they were saying…but couldn’t make it out. Then came their announcement: there had been some requests that we be allowed to make our own way back to hotel.

Through Toyo.

At night.

Unsupervised.

YES!!!!!

Unbelievably, some people stayed on the bus and went straight home. WTF?!?! Seriously. I mean, we were all tired, but how can you pass up an opportunity like that? I didn’t expect everyone to be as into Japanese stuff as me, but that was just crazy.

So the rest of us set off through Tokyo, making our way from Ginza back to the Tokyo Tower. In theory we were looking for a bar or something but generally we just wandered back. We spent hours walking because we didn’t really want to go home and people broke off into smaller groups all the time. I got to practice some Japanese by asking for directions now and then. Go me!

 <- This was just by the Kabuki-za, in Ginza

 < – Fusion!

<- Let’s Tokyo!

<- Halloween chocolate! Taken to prove to Lee that there is indeed chocolate in Japan

<- Eeeew

<-KinKi Kids!!!! Giant Johnnies on a big screen in the middle of the city!!!!! I started jumping with joy…how could things get any better?

<- I looked away for a moment to recover my senses after seeing KinKi Kids. When I looked back at the screen…

<- ARASHI!!!! GIANT SEXY LOVELY ARASHI!!!! I was screaming and jumping and singing and dancing…well you can imagine how I reacted. I think this was when I decided to move to Japan. Any country that has larger than life Arashi like this is just perfect… and of course there’s Aiba-kun in the middle, waving at me

<- Next was TOKIO, who I have never seen the point of…

<- Then we met a real life idol! Not really, but he was a really friendly guy and didn’t mind chatting to us and letting take photos. We  probably should have given him money… Look, he had a bag from Claire’s. I used to work there!

<- One of these cr-aaaazy pachinko places I had heard about. Quite overwhelming…

<- Hordes of men just sitting around gambling…so gay

<- We tried to go to this bar, but they were closing (or racist)

<- Kimonos were still a novelty at this stage

<- That was pretty funny, I liked it

<- So touristy but really, I liked it!

<- This was one of my favourite pics from the whole trip! I loved these signs, they make you so happy just by looking at them!

<- So many pretty lights!

<- I want this soooooo much

<- Ginza has lots of cool – and expensive – fashion shops. We never had any free time while they were open though

<- MOAR chocolate!

<- Some funky looking graffiti (probably!)

<- Cute or scary?

<- Genius, sheer genius! Why can’t useful things be cute too?

<- Useful and cute

Finally we got home, having lost several people along the way. I can think of worse things than being lost in Tokyo though… So I went back to my luxury room, had a nice hot bath and turned on the TV…

<-WAHHH!!! Nishikido Ryo!!! The Sexy Osaka Man boyband member who likes to bite girls, remember?!?! The Snapper Prince! This is the CM for his group NEWS’s promotion of bubble bath stuff. This night was really just an idol-overload

<- Then a music programme was on. This is Morning Musume’s “Pepper Keibu”….but who cares?

<- Actually, I did care at the time, but I’m not a fan

<- Next up was GLAY with “Aka to Kuro no Matadora”

<- It was cool to see them, I’m not a huuuge fan, but I like them

So I took photos of the TV into the early hours of the morning.

And day one was complete!

Next day: Fish Market! Matsujun! Nippon Keidr..Keid..Keidra…Business place! University Visit! Kyudo! Ikebana! Ikemen! Taiko drumming aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand KARAOKE!

And Roppongi