On the second day, we visited Hwaseong Fortress after breakfast with our guide.
Hwaseong Fortress was very large, so we moved around to some places in Hwaseong Fortress by car.
Unfortunately, it started raining and it became cold, however we still enjoyed the famous sight-seeing spot.
After we visited Hwaseong Fortress, we ate Korean-style beef ribs at a special restaurant which had also been reserved for us in advance. Because it was so delicious I ate too much.
After lunch, we visited a Korean folk village. It also was very large, however this time we walked around with our guide.
She explained about Korean history and tradition to us while we were walking.
Fortunately, we were able to see a traditional Korean wedding ceremony there.
After visiting the folk village, we separated into two groups. One group went to a Korean style massage salon. The other group visited Insadong, a popular cultural area where there are many galleries, small handcraft shops and cafes.
When I visited Korea 3 years ago, I liked Insadong, so I guided the others around there and we enjoyed shopping, visiting galleries and chatting at a cafe.
After we had finished looking around Insadong, we moved to Myeong-dong by taxi, and joined the other group where we all enjoyed window shopping for a while. After window shopping, we went to a restaurant in order to eat dinner.
After dinner, we went back to the Hotel. We had been given both single and twin rooms, and I was staying in a twin room with the oldest geisha sister.
Actually she and I both like drinking, so we enjoyed drinking at the Hotel together on the first night.
On the second night, we went to a convenience store and bought some beer and snacks.
However when I finished drinking the first can of beer, I felt like vomiting.
I can usually drink a lot, so I couldn’t understand what was happening in my body.
I did my best not to attract the attention of my geisha sister as I went to the bathroom.
I think I had just eaten too much for lunch and I was feeling very tired.
On the final day, I couldn’t eat breakfast with my geisha family at the Hotel.
I continued sleeping right up until the time we would go sight-seeing, so my condition became better.
All of us, including the group who didn’t come on the second day, went to Insadong again, and enjoyed shopping there.
The final day was a completely free day without our guide.
After shopping in Insadong, we moved to Myeong-dong again and went to a Lotte supermarket to buy souvenirs.
After we finished shopping, we met up with our tour guide again and went to the airport together.
I really enjoyed that trip even though I felt 3 days was very short.
Sometimes I want to travel alone, however sometimes I’m happy to travel with friends.
2011年11月20日日曜日
My trip to Korea with my geisha family Part 1
I travel somewhere with my geisha family 1 or 2 times a year.
Last Dec, we went to the Spa Resort Hawaiians and stayed one night.
This time we went to Korea for 2 nights.
At first, we visited a small travel agency run by our regular customer in order to seek his advice.
We didn’t have much time in Korea, so we decided to visit only Seoul and Hwaseong Fortress which is a famous sight-seeing spot near Seoul.
To tell the truth, I visited Korea 3 years ago by myself, and stayed in Seoul for 3 nights, so I didn’t need a tour guide.
Actually I usually travel alone because I can save money, talk to the local people and most importantly I can try my survival skills.
However my geisha mother and most of my geisha sisters thought that they needed a guide in case they wanted to ask questions.
Several weeks later, the travel agency suggested a travel plan, and we discussed about it.
The travel plan was different to what I did 3 years ago, so I was relieved. However it was very expensive.
On the day of the trip, we gathered at Haneda airport in the early morning and ate breakfast together. In the airplane, we ate breakfast again and enjoyed relaxing.
Only 2.5 hours later we arrived at Gimpo International Airport. We soon found our tour guide and moved to the Hotel in a big car which had been prepared for us.
After we left our suitcases at the Hotel, we went to a famous restaurant which our tour guide had recommended to us. The restaurant was very crowded, but the lunch was very delicious.
After lunch we enjoyed window shopping in Myeong-dong and went to a foot massage salon which our tour guide had already reserved.
The foot massage was very good and not so expensive, so I was very satisfied.
By the end of the massage, I started really relaxing into the trip.
I started to think that a customized package tour was not so bad after all and eating meals with other people was fun.
After the foot massage, we met our tour guide again and went to a restaurant which our tour guide had also reserved for us. The dinner was also very delicious.
After dinner, the time which I had been really looking forward to finally came.
We went to the Nanta theater.
The Nanta show is a very famous non-verbal modern performance which includes acrobatics, comedy, magic tricks and improvised music and is performed everyday at some Nanta theaters around Korea.
The standard of their performance was higher than I had expected.
The story of Nanta was very funny and the performers looked like they were really enjoying the performance.
When it finished, I burst into tears. I highly recommend you see it.
After the Nanta show we came back to the Hotel, and that night we went to bed early.
I’ll write about the second and the third day in my next diary.
Last Dec, we went to the Spa Resort Hawaiians and stayed one night.
This time we went to Korea for 2 nights.
At first, we visited a small travel agency run by our regular customer in order to seek his advice.
We didn’t have much time in Korea, so we decided to visit only Seoul and Hwaseong Fortress which is a famous sight-seeing spot near Seoul.
To tell the truth, I visited Korea 3 years ago by myself, and stayed in Seoul for 3 nights, so I didn’t need a tour guide.
Actually I usually travel alone because I can save money, talk to the local people and most importantly I can try my survival skills.
However my geisha mother and most of my geisha sisters thought that they needed a guide in case they wanted to ask questions.
Several weeks later, the travel agency suggested a travel plan, and we discussed about it.
The travel plan was different to what I did 3 years ago, so I was relieved. However it was very expensive.
On the day of the trip, we gathered at Haneda airport in the early morning and ate breakfast together. In the airplane, we ate breakfast again and enjoyed relaxing.
Only 2.5 hours later we arrived at Gimpo International Airport. We soon found our tour guide and moved to the Hotel in a big car which had been prepared for us.
After we left our suitcases at the Hotel, we went to a famous restaurant which our tour guide had recommended to us. The restaurant was very crowded, but the lunch was very delicious.
After lunch we enjoyed window shopping in Myeong-dong and went to a foot massage salon which our tour guide had already reserved.
The foot massage was very good and not so expensive, so I was very satisfied.
By the end of the massage, I started really relaxing into the trip.
I started to think that a customized package tour was not so bad after all and eating meals with other people was fun.
After the foot massage, we met our tour guide again and went to a restaurant which our tour guide had also reserved for us. The dinner was also very delicious.
After dinner, the time which I had been really looking forward to finally came.
We went to the Nanta theater.
The Nanta show is a very famous non-verbal modern performance which includes acrobatics, comedy, magic tricks and improvised music and is performed everyday at some Nanta theaters around Korea.
The standard of their performance was higher than I had expected.
The story of Nanta was very funny and the performers looked like they were really enjoying the performance.
When it finished, I burst into tears. I highly recommend you see it.
After the Nanta show we came back to the Hotel, and that night we went to bed early.
I’ll write about the second and the third day in my next diary.
2011年11月14日月曜日
My stage debut of traditional Japanese dance
On Oct 16, my dance teacher’s annual dance recital of traditional Japanese dance was held in Hachioji.
My teacher’s students are predominantly Hachioji’s geisha and we had been preparing the dance for the recital for about half a year.
She also teaches the Nagauta (長唄) shamisen, which is a type of traditional Japanese music, to various students.
Her students’ Nagaura shamisen recital was also held on the same day.
I have been practicing the “Hagikikyou (萩桔梗)” dance, which is a Hauta (端唄) song, for 3 months.
Hauta is also a type of traditional Japanese music, which is generally less than 10 minutes in length.
The theme of Hagikikyou is a painful love story and the dancer has to deeply express the female character of the story, who is falling in love.
The Hagikikyou song is slow and poetic so it’s very difficult for beginners to dance.
I started practicing the Hagikikyou before August, however I couldn’t dance it well without a lot of hard work.
Indeed it was my first dance recital, so I didn’t have any knowledge about what I needed to do.
So I had to ask my geisha mother and sisters about some details. For example, what kimono should I wear on the actual day and which style of Japanese fans would be suitable for the Hagikikyou dance in the recital.
At first I asked my geisha mother about the kimono, and she agreed to my request to borrow her kimono which has a design suitable for Hagikikyou.
I also asked my teacher about the Japanese fan.
My teacher said to me that she was not able to decide before seeing my kimono, because the harmony of the kimono and Japanese fan is important.
When my teacher and I were talking about that, my geisha sister, who is from a different okiya, overheard our conversation. Several days later, she lent some Japanese fans to me. My geisha mother also lent me her Japanese fan.
I took those Japanese fans to my teacher’s place for the final dance lesson before the recital.
My teacher selected some of them and said to me that she would decide the best one on the actual day of the performance when she saw which one best matched my kimono.
On the actual day, I went to the okiya at about 8am, put on my geisha mother’s kimono, and went to the hair salon.
Even though several days before the recital, we had rehearsed on the same stage, I gradually became tense.
On that day, I also had a rehearsal for a shamisen recital on Dec 5.
The shamisen rehearsal was scheduled to be held from 10am-4pm which clashed with
the dance recital that was scheduled to be held from 12am-5pm.
So I consulted both of my teachers about that, and asked my dance teacher to make my turn as early as possible.
My shamisen teacher said to me that he wanted me to attend the shamisen rehearsal after my turn at the dance recital as finished.
The dance recital was held in Hachioji, and the shamisen reherasal was held 15 minutes on foot from Asakusabashi station, which is about 1 hour by train from Hachiohi station so thought that I would be very busy travelling between the two places.
At first I thought that it would be better to change my kimono before the shamisen rehearsal, because I didn’t want to get my geisha mother’s beautiful kimono dirty.
While I was worrying how I would do everything efficiently, my geisha mother suggested to me to wear her kimono to the shamisen rehearsal, which would make everything a little easier.
This year’s dance recital was smaller than last year.
Last year I helped with the operation of the recital even though I was not a pupil of my teacher at that time.
However since starting to study under my teacher, my role has changed and there were some different things I need to do when helping with this year’s recital.
This year we used recorded music instead of live shamisen music for some songs.
For my song, I also used a recorded music so that I didn’t need to pay extra for professional shamisen players and singers.
This year my teacher called only 2 professional Nagauta singers for some of the songs.
I think it’s more expensive for the performers whose songs needed professional Nagaura singers.
30 minutes before the opening of the recital, some people starting arriving to watch our recital.
When I saw them, I became more tense.
My turn came soon.
I thought I would not be able to dance well, however as soon as my turn had finished, my teacher run up and hugged me. She praised me because I was able to dance calmly.
I was very glad.
After my turn, I apologized to the other performers that I would not be able to stay and support them, and left there in a big hurry.
By the way, the closing party of the dance recital was being held from 6pm, which my dance teacher had asked me to attend.
I thought it’s very tough to move between two places in one day, however I really wanted to attend the party so I also left the place where the shamisen rehearsal was held in a big hurry, and was able to arrive at Hachioji station at 5:40pm.
I was relieved.
My dance teacher was surprised when she saw me at the closing party.
I saw her tears in her eyes. She delightedly introduced me to two professional Nagauta singers.
I imagined that the reason why she was so glad was that I had never been absent from her lessons even when I was sick.
I really enjoyed that closing party, and I was able to meet and talk with some Nagauta students.
I think the studying traditional Japanese culture is more than just study of the subject.
We can also learn traditional Japanese manners and develop personal relationships through such study.
My teacher’s students are predominantly Hachioji’s geisha and we had been preparing the dance for the recital for about half a year.
She also teaches the Nagauta (長唄) shamisen, which is a type of traditional Japanese music, to various students.
Her students’ Nagaura shamisen recital was also held on the same day.
I have been practicing the “Hagikikyou (萩桔梗)” dance, which is a Hauta (端唄) song, for 3 months.
Hauta is also a type of traditional Japanese music, which is generally less than 10 minutes in length.
The theme of Hagikikyou is a painful love story and the dancer has to deeply express the female character of the story, who is falling in love.
The Hagikikyou song is slow and poetic so it’s very difficult for beginners to dance.
I started practicing the Hagikikyou before August, however I couldn’t dance it well without a lot of hard work.
Indeed it was my first dance recital, so I didn’t have any knowledge about what I needed to do.
So I had to ask my geisha mother and sisters about some details. For example, what kimono should I wear on the actual day and which style of Japanese fans would be suitable for the Hagikikyou dance in the recital.
At first I asked my geisha mother about the kimono, and she agreed to my request to borrow her kimono which has a design suitable for Hagikikyou.
I also asked my teacher about the Japanese fan.
My teacher said to me that she was not able to decide before seeing my kimono, because the harmony of the kimono and Japanese fan is important.
When my teacher and I were talking about that, my geisha sister, who is from a different okiya, overheard our conversation. Several days later, she lent some Japanese fans to me. My geisha mother also lent me her Japanese fan.
I took those Japanese fans to my teacher’s place for the final dance lesson before the recital.
My teacher selected some of them and said to me that she would decide the best one on the actual day of the performance when she saw which one best matched my kimono.
On the actual day, I went to the okiya at about 8am, put on my geisha mother’s kimono, and went to the hair salon.
Even though several days before the recital, we had rehearsed on the same stage, I gradually became tense.
On that day, I also had a rehearsal for a shamisen recital on Dec 5.
The shamisen rehearsal was scheduled to be held from 10am-4pm which clashed with
the dance recital that was scheduled to be held from 12am-5pm.
So I consulted both of my teachers about that, and asked my dance teacher to make my turn as early as possible.
My shamisen teacher said to me that he wanted me to attend the shamisen rehearsal after my turn at the dance recital as finished.
The dance recital was held in Hachioji, and the shamisen reherasal was held 15 minutes on foot from Asakusabashi station, which is about 1 hour by train from Hachiohi station so thought that I would be very busy travelling between the two places.
At first I thought that it would be better to change my kimono before the shamisen rehearsal, because I didn’t want to get my geisha mother’s beautiful kimono dirty.
While I was worrying how I would do everything efficiently, my geisha mother suggested to me to wear her kimono to the shamisen rehearsal, which would make everything a little easier.
This year’s dance recital was smaller than last year.
Last year I helped with the operation of the recital even though I was not a pupil of my teacher at that time.
However since starting to study under my teacher, my role has changed and there were some different things I need to do when helping with this year’s recital.
This year we used recorded music instead of live shamisen music for some songs.
For my song, I also used a recorded music so that I didn’t need to pay extra for professional shamisen players and singers.
This year my teacher called only 2 professional Nagauta singers for some of the songs.
I think it’s more expensive for the performers whose songs needed professional Nagaura singers.
30 minutes before the opening of the recital, some people starting arriving to watch our recital.
When I saw them, I became more tense.
My turn came soon.
I thought I would not be able to dance well, however as soon as my turn had finished, my teacher run up and hugged me. She praised me because I was able to dance calmly.
I was very glad.
After my turn, I apologized to the other performers that I would not be able to stay and support them, and left there in a big hurry.
By the way, the closing party of the dance recital was being held from 6pm, which my dance teacher had asked me to attend.
I thought it’s very tough to move between two places in one day, however I really wanted to attend the party so I also left the place where the shamisen rehearsal was held in a big hurry, and was able to arrive at Hachioji station at 5:40pm.
I was relieved.
My dance teacher was surprised when she saw me at the closing party.
I saw her tears in her eyes. She delightedly introduced me to two professional Nagauta singers.
I imagined that the reason why she was so glad was that I had never been absent from her lessons even when I was sick.
I really enjoyed that closing party, and I was able to meet and talk with some Nagauta students.
I think the studying traditional Japanese culture is more than just study of the subject.
We can also learn traditional Japanese manners and develop personal relationships through such study.
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