Culture Overload . . . in a good way

Good Evening All,

This past week started with an eye-opening walk through "The Exhibition of Paul Binnie: Continuing the Japanese Tradition-Woodblock Prints from a Western Perspective". Since the show was on campus I was able to see it during one of my long breaks between classes. This allowed me to liesurely roam around the exhibition, read all the captions of the prints, flip through Binnie's book that chronicled his life in Japan and elsewhere, and really appreciate the rarity of what was presented before me. I suggest any and all to browse Binnie's website and take a look at his work, which ranges from oil paintings of lanscapes to Japnese style woodblock prints of the most infamous Kabuki superstars: http://www.paulbinnie.co.uk/.


Nakamura Ganjiro in Sonezakishinju

The day I saw the Paul Binnie was the same day of my Japanese Research class' field trip to a paper making store in the heart of Kyoto. The set up of of the paper making process was such that only one person could make paper at a time, so there was a lot of waiting involved-I chose to meander around the storefront stalked with some amazing paper light fixtures. The process of paper making is quite simple: mix water, paper fibers, and unidentified gooey stuff in a large bucket; firmly grasp wooden frame with fine copper mesh and submerge the frame in the fiber mixutre; raise the frame out of the water and proceed to tilt the frame back and forth and side-to-side allowing excess water to fall through the fine copper mesh; bring the frame with a layer of condensed fiber and drag it over a high power vacuum (this is obviously the coolest step); once most of the excess is water is sucked from the moist fiber, bring the frame over to the dying table and apply the desired colours to the thin layer of still damp fiber-add more dye than you think you need; after repeating the vacuum step to remove the excess dye, flip your frame around and give one of the top corners a hearty blow, like the big bad wolf (this is the second coolest step); peel the sheet of fiber from the copper mesh very slowly; after fully removing the fiber sheet from the frame, apply, with a dry brush, the sheet to a heated steel panel; wait roughly 5-8 minutes to dry; and enjoy the fruits of traditional Japanese labour.


The Store Front

This past friday was actually one of the funnest nights in Japan thus far. On the week of Halloween the Study in Kyoto Programme (SKP) Buddies (students from Ritsumeikan who help out exchanged students at school) threw a little party for the foreign students. I dressed up as one of the resident tree trimmers on the Ritsumeikan campus, fully equipped with Tabi (or ninja shoes shoes to most foreigners), baggy cargo pants, and white gloves. Half way through the party I noticed a swath of people pulsating around the boombox; this was no unfamiliar site to me, this was a rap session. I dashed over to the circle and sure enough there was rappin' a'happnin', mind you most of it was in Japanese. I contributed as much as I could in Japnese and continued in English until the circle broke. At that point I was approached by a stalky, poofy haired, young, Japanese man named Natsuki.
"Call me Natsu, have a ticket to my concert this weekend, I'm DJing, I'm so glad you like Hip-Hop."
So on friday I headed to Jigen-ya, a tiny venue, with tinier drinks, and a non existant policy for not smoking in doors. Once the first act, a fairly impressive Red Hot Chilli Peppers (レッチリ, in Japanese) coverband, closed their set a semi-Reggae/Hip-Hop MC assumed his position on stage behind the mic-stand. A few songs into to his set a number of random audience members, who later had sets in the show, were shoved on stage and added lyrics to a few courses of old, remixed reggae records. Without warning I, too, was thrust up on to the stage, a warm mic shoved into my hand. I did what I had to . . .
"皆さん、英語でいいですか。わたしはアッシャー、シアトルから来ました。” (Minasan, eigode iidesuka? Watashiwa Ashya, Shiatoru kara kimashita."
The first two lines of my freestyle were in Japanese, the rhymed and the crowd went wild. I continued in English with continuous positives vibes from the crowd of around 30 Japanese youth. Call it my debut, MC Takai Gaijin (Tall Foreigner).


Rapping at Jigen-ya

A genuine shout out to my Kathy and David, my Aunt and Uncle in Phoenix, Arizona. Love you guys, miss you more. Additionally, I am overjoyed to here of Kathy's persistent health.

Until Next Time.