Dazaifu, Day 27 - Some new experiences

My first chore this morning is to try to get as much stuff in my suitcases as possible. I will need to bring them to school tomorrow so that they can be shipped to Tokyo over the weekend, and I need to be sure that everything will (more or less) fit. Most of the stuff does go into the two bags, but one of them is quite a bit heavier than the other.

Hmmm...I will have to rearrange some things tonight, and I also have to do a last load of laundry so that I have mostly clean clothes when I get to Tokyo. But at least I've proved that I can make it all fix, so that's okay.

(UPDATE: Make that just barely - I've definitely got to repack when I get to Tokyo, and check the weight as well, or I will be paying overweight charges - yuck!)

I have one last package to ship today - a kimono for one of my sisters. After I bought the kimonos earlier in the week, I took pictures of each of them and sent them to her, asking her to choose a favorite. I've got her choice sealed in a mailing envelope and will take it to the post office mid-morning. (At least now they've gotten to know who I am, so the ritual questions are easier for both of us to handle.)

A few more pictures to take - the cicadas are very noisy this morning (it's a bit cooler than in previous days and it's not raining, so they've started early), but every time I try to find one for a close-up shot, the leaves get in the way. Maybe I'll go up the front stairs and try some pictures from the second-floor landing......

Lunch is with a 7th grade class, then during the free time after lunch, I join the music teacher in one of the meeting rooms. He asked me yesterday if I played recorder and I told him yes, both soprano and alto. So today he would like to play some duets.

Our first choice is actually one that I've played on soprano recorder in the past - a Morley canzoneta. I'm playing alto this time, so I have to rethink my fingering for a minute, but I get comfortable very quickly. Then we try some other well-known pieces - "Edelweiss" (which is a favorite of Japanese students; they usually learn it during 4th grade and then work on ensemble parts in 5th and 6th grades), recorder arrangements of the opening theme from Vivaldi's "Spring" concerto and Smetana's "The Moldeau", and finally finish with some popular Japanese pieces.

Ishii-sensei has been running a video camera for the entire time, so he has a complete record, messed-up fingerings and all. But it was still a lot of fun, and I was glad to get to try something special with the school's music teacher.

I've got MTP reports to work on during the afternoon, and I find out in a side conversation that Ishii has reports to type up as well. (Glad to know I'm not the only procrastinator in the crowd.....) However, he has to finish his grades first; the first term (semester) ends next Wednesday, and report cards will be given out then. Since he will be joining me in Tokyo for the last of the joint MTP meetings next Tuesday and Wednesday, he must get his paperwork finished by tomorrow night..

The evening finds a group of us at a great restaurant - it's a farewell party in my honor, and I appreciate both the sentiment and the wonderful food and drink. I am always intrigued by the creative ways Japanese chefs find to serve what Americans consider to be mundane or 'home garden' foods such as pumpkin (which is a favorite summer vegetable here, picked while still green and served steamed) or okra (tiny pods, thinly sliced and tossed in a lettuce salad with sesame dressing). And they have zucchini - done up tempura-style, and it's delicious!

It's a great end to the day.