Home

Ah, I forgot to mention that I am home now!

The story of getting home was fairly ridiculous. We were trying to transport 8 people and lots of luggage and taiko gear purchased in Japan, which slowed down every move we made.

The journey to get back to St. Louis started at around 2 pm Tokyo time on Sunday (around midnightish Saturday US Central). Flight 3 hours later from Narita took about 13 hours to get to Chicago. Once in Chicago (now it was Monday), we learned that the next flight to St. Louis had been cancelled due to rain.

Seeking another route home, we investigated renting vans and cars to get us and our junk home -- none to be had. No trains. No Megabus. American Airlines was not interested in subsidizing our hotel costs overnight in Chicago, either (I understand they don't do that anymore after the airline bankruptcies). We got set up with some alternate flights the next day from Chicago --> Des Moines --> St. Louis.

(I'll elide over lots of cuss words.)

Since we were mostly immobile, the only choice was to pay for rooms at the Quality Inn near the airport and crash. After some pizza dinner mostly everyone just passed out asleep til...

Tuesday morning we learned that budgeting 2.5 hours of time at the airport was not long enough to get everything processed and onto planes. At this point, it was every (wo)man (and his/her checked baggage) for him/herself.

Four of us somehow got *different* flights directly from Chicago to St. Louis. The rest of us, your author included, got on the original flight to Des Moines after booking it through security and down many hallways, just barely making the flight.

Sat in Des Moines for 2 hours and then learned that American cancelled the Des Moines --> St. Louis flight, and that I was going back to Chicago.

Back to Chicago on the tiny pencil plane, only to have just a few minutes to spare finding the *next* plane that would take us to St. Louis!

And thus I finally arrived, exhausted and fresh outta cusswords, around 8:30 pm Tuesday! I am so happy to be home! And I kind of unreasonably hate Chicago and American Airlines now, although I hear it's technically the control tower's call what flights get cancelled, and that Chicago doesn't actually control its own weather.

Annnnd we got some more Tokyo for you

(pictured above: awesome Tokyo hair)

Today was the return from Okaya to Tokyo. One night left in Japan, and no better place to spend it! Just a couple of random shots.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must head back out into the neon night!

More more more

How do you like it? How do you like it?

Okay, sorry, couldn't resist!

More Okaya pictures. Be sure to check out the 500 Taikos of Power videos!

Okaya pictures!

Here is a gallery of some random pictures of Okaya/Suwa activities this week!

One more performance today, later this evening, but the rest of the day is unscheduled and mine to explore! I think I'm going to wander around Okaya a little and enjoy the weather. Tomorrow morning, it's slow trains all the way back to Tokyo (the Japan Rail pass that got us on the shinkansen was good only for one week, the first week). One evening in Tokyo, and then we fly back to St. Louis!

Okaya!

Oh my heavenly mercy it has been a busy time since we arrived in Okaya! It's been a whirlwind of practice and meeting with Suwa Daiko folks and performing and touring around a bit and meeting the Okaya mayor and being taken out to eel dinners and karaoke with people I cannot communicate with at all. Yesterday was 8 hours of taiko practice, and then a wonderful visit to the laundromat!

Today we have two performances, one a Oguchi Sensei memorial concert and the other is, I think, the 300 flaming taikos of insanity gig.

Photos will be posted as soon as I can!

Earthquake?

Nope, I did not feel any earthquake. When it happened, we were at the Suwa Daiko dojo in Okaya, so we were experiencing the usual taiko vibrations anyway!

St. Louis Osuwa Taiko is now ensconced in the city-let of Okaya (which is right next to the city-let of Suwa, sister city of St. Louis), where we will be up to our eyeballs in taiko practice and performing. Pictures to follow as they become available. Guess who forgot to charge the camera battery last night?

Highlight of the day: sitting in a Denny's in Small Town, Japan, and hearing Steely Dan come on over the Muzak. Bring back the Boston rag!

Nozawa and Kiriya Ryoken

Today was a travel day out to Nagano prefecture to the little town of Nozawa. This is Maki's hometown, and as she says, it is indeed about the size of Chesterfield Valley's parking lot! Only with hills and mountains and very cute buildings and winding roads and hot sulphur springs, and therefore many times better than a parking lot.

We stayed the night in her parents' hotel, Kiriya Ryoken, and were treated royally with wonderful food and hospitality and hot sulphur spring soaking!

I would write more but I must go out and locate the place that sells soba ice cream before we leave...man have I eaten good on this trip. Tomorrow, though, starts the hardcore taiko practice and performance section of the trip. So next time you hear from me I'll probably be moaning about how I can't use my arms anymore.

Go see some pictures and videos from the day!