PLINK! Plink, Plink Plink...PLINK!

Last Tuesday was the Summer Concert with the Classical Japanese music club. Both Colleen and my koto teacher were there to see me; it wasn't the big "enso-kai" that will be in November. I am not even sure if I will be able to perform in that because I am not going to the training camp this August (and you have to go to training camp so that you can get better and learn more), but as I told my koto teacher, I am NOT changing my plane ticket. I can't - me being a TA this fall starts in September because the study abroad program goes on the American calendar, and I got my ticket even before I knew about the training camp.

I want to go home. And I was thinking about stopping the Classical Japanese Music Club - it's fun, but I am going to have other things to do this coming semester: TA, class with my advisor (which I told him that even though it was difficult, it helped me get me going with my research) applying to grad school, etc. Plus, these will be my last few months here (Midge: actually, I go home next March - the trip this summer is just vacation) so I want to enjoy them and make the most out of Kyoto.

However, this concert was fun, if not that many people came. We all wore yukata, or the cotton summer kimono. I got my yukata in yellow, with a blue and green obi; everyone liked it, and I was able to put the whole thing on by myself with a little help on the obi to make it nice and snug. Because the performance started right after my undergrad class (the one where I don't have to take the final) I actually went to class in my yukata; I think I got a lot of stares from the Japanese students, and some outside the set-up room for the performance where our koto were stored were actually surprised at the sight of me.

I ran around Kyoto the night before trying to find geta (wooden sandals) that fit my feet and turns out when my group performed we were barefoot, so I was a bit mad at that - 1700yen down the drain! But I figured I can use them for garden shoes or something back home, since it's a summer shoe and that means it goes home with me this August (I am making a list of things I plan to bring back). I messed up a bit in my performance - mainly losing my place - but I think I did pretty well. Colleen took video of me, but I do not know how to embed video from YouTube into my posts. When someone tells me to do that, I will upload it here. In the meantime, some photos of the Hogakubu (I still have to get the shots of me from Colleen, she took video with my camera, and photos with hers):



And of the shin-nyusei, or the new students. As you can see, I really stick out. I have a feeling that the popular yukata/obi color combos are blue yukata or pink obi or just alot of pink. I was the only one in yellow.