Tuesday, 3 June 2008

Another visitor!

Last month was a little busy! Because...I had another visitor! Kieran came for about two weeks and great time was had by all! We stayed in Tokyo for one week, during 'Golden Week' (the name given to a group of national holidays all squashed together, making one long holiday! Unfortunately this year was a bit rubbish because the holidays fell 0n a weekend!) One week was a pretty long time, but it meant that we could check out lots of places at a leisurely pace! One particularly nice place was 'Yanaka' - sort of in the centre of Tokyo, and yet an older more traditional place with a quiter atmosphere, more traditional looking houses and a peaceful and tranquil graveyard, one of the largest I think I've seen in Japan so far.

On one of the days I was lucky enough to find out about a piano Masterclass that was going on in a neighborhood just a bit away from Shibuya. Somebody had informed me about it by email. One of the piano professors from the Royal Academy of Music had come over for a few concerts in Tokyo and was asked by a Japanese friend who graduated at the college to give a masterclass. There were about 20 or so Japanese people, me and some old German academic woman who wasn't particularly friendly. Anyway, it was a really lucky opportunity for me, as I got to have a one-to-one chat with him over a cup of coffee (he was a really nice guy), and then I was actually able to understand first-hand his discussions and explanations during the masterclass, rather than rely on the translator who I think sometimes had a bit of difficulty really interpreting what professor Andrew West was trying to say.

On one day we went to Yokohama, to the very impressive and vibrant Chinatown. It had some really colourful and interesting temples and shrines, and on another day, we visited Nikko - a place North of Tokyo with some amazing landmarks and temples.

Me and KC outside one of the colorful temples in Chinatown, Yokohama.


After the week was over, Kieran joined me back up in Nanyo to get a taste of the real Japan. I made my first visit to Yamadera, one of the celebrated landmarks of Yamagata (meaning Mountain Temple, which is literally up a mountain!) and there were SO MANY STEPS to climb up! However, the views were beautiful - and we went on a nice day with low lying fluffy clouds skimming the mighty mountains.

We also sampled some of Japan's more crazier and modern spectacles like Puri-Kura and Karaoke, which Kieran (I do believe) enjoyed very much!

For the second week, I (finally) started making school visits again, and so Kieran had to entertain himself. Readers, you must give him a round of applause though, because he managed to work out the train system by himself, visit a few places around Yamagata and also get a bus up to explore Mt Zao (not easy things to do when you don't know much Japanese!)

Enjoying the view of Okitama (Southern Yamagata) up on the site of Nanyo's Skypark, used for para-gliding and hang-gliding.

I think Kieran was so impressed with Japan that he would like to come back again! I don't think Japan was a country he really wanted to see in the first place, but seen as I was here it was a good idea to check it out while he had a good opportunity to. Now, I think his attitude has changed, just like my grandparents did! Maybe he's seen all there is to see of Yamagata(!), but coming back to Japan in Autumn is a completely different picture, plus Kieran has yet to explore the southern side of Japan, the 'Kansai' area of Kyoto, Osaka and Nara - all beautiful and interesting places!

Kieran took most of the pictures with his fancy camera (mine was still broken :( ) so I only have two that he sent me!


3 comments:

Monica Jo said...

Glad to hear that you two had a good time. Impressed that he got around so easily! I once was trying to go to Yamagata and ended up in Oguni!

FunkyChicken said...

Glad you had a good time!

But if he didn't go to Shonai then he hasn't experienced all of wonderful Yamagata! ;)

Yokohama looks cool. I can't wait to go there in July!

motownjunkie said...

Aw I didn't get to meet him! But hopefully there will be another time. Aren't visitors great?!

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