Arigatou Ni Takahashi Chikuzan.

We get on a train for Aomori. We decide we don't want to drive this time because we are heading somewhere downtown, and it's not a fun place to park a car.

We arrive at the train station, and immediately head outside and walk down the main strip of the city. Our eyes are on the lookout for "Cleopatra Cafe", since we were told that our destination was right next door.

I am familiar with these streets, and I have a decent idea of where I am. However, I have never seen this particular cafe , so we stay vigilant with our eyes open. It's raining lightly, despite this, there is still a young lady singing on the sidewalk along with a guitarist.

3 or 4 blocks later, we spot a Egyptian statue sitting on the sidewalk, mildly resembling Cleopatra. Lo and behold, the next building is the small space where the event is being held: "Arigatou ni Chikuzan" in honor of the famous and influential Shamisen player, Takahashi Chikuzan.

The place is practically filled already, and we have to squeeze down in the front row and sit off to the side. Good thing though, because we have front row seats this way!

We wait around until a woman named "Nishikawa Yoko", sits down with a shamisen, along with an old man and the MC.

The basic idea of the whole thing, is that she was a student of Chikuzan. She plays his shamisen, and talks about his style, what he was like, and how it was learning from him.

We can't understand most of what she says, due to the fact that she is speaking in Tsugaru (north western Japan) dialect. She notices us and speaks to Kevin a few times. She asks us if we have any song requests and about where we are from. I suppose we are somewhat of a novelty, seeing how most of the audience is filled with old Japanese people.

Anyway, once it's all over, we get up and talk with her outside. Kyle even gives her his book he wrote (about building and playing your very own Shamisen).

After the small intermission, we sit back down. However, the only thing that happens for the rest of the time, is the passing around of old pottery and ceramic figures... apparently the old man mentioned earlier has something to do with them.

Once that concludes, everyone gets up to leave. Suddenly. though, a few staff people run out from backstage with big white trays. Upon closer inspection, we realize that these vessels are filled with pound cake.

And as if that wasn't enough, they hastily begin pulling out slices of the stuff, and insisting it upon anyway nearby (including us). It tastes good, but it leaves my hands sticky.

Our business wrapped up in Aomoro City, we make our way back to the train station.

Along the way, we encounter two long rows of school girls on the sidewalk. However this time they tell us "my heart for you!" as they pass us their fliers. Silly ladies.

Before we hop on the train, we decide to break out our Shamisens for a little bit and play...

however no one actually seems to be interested at all and it's cold, so we pack up pretty quickly and bail out.

Making History Fun For Everyone!

The night previous required a quick rehearsal, for what, you ask? Well, we had a performance lined up. Yes, that's right. You better believe it.

::

It's the the Sannai Maruyama historical site in Aomori. The place is significant due to the fact that it is the location where an extremely ancient and well preserved Japanese village was unearthed (wow).

We had actually played there 3 years ago, and they had been requesting for us to return ever since.

One twist on the whole setup though, is that not only Kevin, Kyle, and myself are heading over there, but also a local young gun Shamisen player named Baily! He's American too!

So with our spirits high, and our ranks boosted, we drive off!

Our journey tours us past quite a few different distinct areas.

At first we hum along through rural farmlands. Then, cut through low, tree-covered mountains speckled in the awakening greens and pinks of springtime. After emerging from the windy mountainous roads, we skirt along the ocean and through the small seaside towns beside it.

Eventually, we pull over at a convenience store and meet up with one of the museum staff. He gets in his van and leads us to our destination.

We transfer our gear from the parking lot into the museum. We are introduced to some of the other staff people, and are allowed access to a conference room to warm up and rehearse.

Unfortunately, we really don't have much time to go over any of the material; the stage and microphones are already being set up for us. This is especially annoying for Bailey, who didn't have practice from the night before.

HUTEMERGEAILYHUT

Despite all, we descend the stairs from the conference room, and man the stage. There are a surprising amount of people in the audience.

We have our set list already worked out from last night, and we go down the list. Everyone is pretty rusty - for Kyle and I, this is the first time we have really played Shamisen at all since we got off the plane. Even this is the case, the crowd really enjoys us, and the energy is good.

THE FIRST SONG OF OUR PERFORMANCE

Kevin speaks inbetween songs. He talks about how we flew out from America just a few days ago, how we are competing in the Hirosaki tournament, and that Kyle made his own Shamisen (they really loved that part).

After we wrap everything up, people ask for our autographs and take pictures with us (we did it! We're stars!).

The crowd disperses. We put our instruments away, and head over to to the cafeteria to grab some lunch (provided by the museum, free of charge). I got some Udon, where as Kyle got a really big meal modeled after traditional old style Japanese food.

With our appetites sated, we were ready to play for the second set.

We played the same songs, and we did much better after having the chance to warm up. However, the crowd was small, and hardly as excitable.

It wasn't until later, once we finished, and the audience came up to talk to us, that we realized a large number of the crowd were what you would call... mentally handicapped.

Later on we took an outside tour of the archeological dig site and the surrounding huts and buildings that were constructed in order to simulate a village from the ancient time.

Our guide is boring, and speaks a dialect that even Kevin can barely understand ... so ... we leave early.

On our way home, we stop by the Takahashi Chikuzan (an extremely influential and famous shamisen player) museum, located on the second floor of a supermarket.

... after that disappointment, we continue our journey to Misawa.

We drop Bailey off, hang around town for awhile, and when it gets around 9 or so, we head over to the "Live House", Wood Company.

When we show up, they are just opening things up. Kevin is greeted warmly by the staff and the owner; he has been coming here to play since he was in his early teens.

We slam down a shot of Tequila (because it's Abbott family tradition), break out our instruments, play a few songs, and screw around for awhile. The 4 people in the audience are as excited as they can be, and it's a good time.

Other than that, we go home and get some shut-eye.

YouTube Attack!

Here are videos that we have posted since arriving in Misawa.

I am making this short and sweet.

Goodbye.

Wood Company (a local bar)

Gaijin Invasion!

Museum Performance (we played here 3 years ago, and they requested another show)

Messing around (what we do in Japan when we're bored)

The Horse Experience (this does not need an explanation)

Kyle & Kevin (playing a song by Yoshida Brothers.. which I haven't learned yet)

Goodbye Chiba, hello Aomori!

We all agreed on waking up early and meeting at 8.. but that doesn't make it any easier. I have to pack all of my things back up, because I am leaving town later on..ugh.

I go for a walk, since I wake up before everyone. I choose no direction in particular, and stroll down the various avenues and take in the glorious vistas of Kashiwa. One thing I do notice, is all of the power lines constantly over my head.

Eventually, I end up grabbing some coffee, and making a visit the ATM

(Interesting side note: When I come back to my room and check on my computer's battery level, it is still very low. This leads me to wonder if my adapter, battery, or even the wall outlet is bad. I don't realize this until a little later, but the entire hotel room's electricity is linked with a switch near the door where you insert your key. It's kind of weird, but when you leave the room, and take your key with you, the circuit shuts off, and there is no power. I ended up just using a toothbrush as substitute to keep my power on. but I thought it was a clever, power-saving innovation as far as hotels go).

Once we are all assembled, we attempt to find a breakfast spot that agrees with everyone. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Jason and his wife grab some McDonald's. Amanda and I opt to starve.

Jason pulls out his trusty subway map. Today we plot our course for Harajuku; Tokyo's fashion headquarters.

We ascend from the tunnels below, and emerge above ground on a strip of road, dotted with trees. Fortunately, this is a familiar sight, and I lead the pack onward to our destination.

It doesn't take long time locate the main shopping area of Harajuku, and the Japanese definitely don't go out of their way to hide it.

The avenue is cramped, worsened by the presence of so many umbrellas. Amanda and I are still very much hungry, having not eaten anything earlier, and keep our eyes open as we shuffle through.

She spots a stand that makes crepes, and being that this is quite the novelty, we stop there get a couple.

I can pretty much say that the rest of our time there is just spent looking through (well, mostly just the women looking through) clothing shops and strolling around. We try to find more food later, but completely fail and just decide to remain hungry. Feeling satisfied we finish up our experience in Harajuku and go back to Kashiwa.

We collect our things from the hotel and then go our separate ways. I, to Ueno station to meet Kyle, and Jason plus his gang off to train once more. I am sad that I cannot accompany him, due to the fact that he was going to train with the Grand Master, Masaaki Hatsumi. Although, I plan to return next month and meet him then.

It's a short and sweet train ride to meet up with Kyle, and it is a station in Tokyo I have visited many times before. I have no trouble in locating our designated meeting spot.

He's not hard to spot; a crane standing in a flock of chickens. Shamisen case sticking up above his head and sandals.. not many people are equipped with such things.

I go into the Andersen bakery to get some tabemono (food), while Kyle watches all of the stuff.

Once loaded up with supplies, we buy our tickets to Misawa on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and head off.

Unfortunately, just as we reach the platform, our train (departing at 6:02pm) is leaving the platform... Now, imagine that; a train actually left exactly on time.. where are we? Japan?

We aren't exactly sure when the next train is about to leave, but we manage to form a jumbled hypothesis from the overhead marquees, and decide to bide our time. One issue though, is that the train we missed, had reserved seats for us, and as far as we could tell, the next had reserved seating only. This may be interesting..

As the train pulls in, we do our best to locate a car with as little people as possible to increase our chances of sitting together. We hop on, load our belongings onto the overhead racks, and wait.

The train is remarkably smooth in it's acceleration and deceleration, and at it's peak, goes somewhere around 150km/hr. Going this quickly, you would expect a lot of noise, but it is very quiet and peaceful. Also, periodically, a woman with a snack/drink cart rolls through the aisle, which only adds to the tranquility.

It's dark by the time we leave, so they isn't much to look at out from the window. I opt to sleep and read.

Miraculously, we only have to move once, and we just move back a row. Suckahs!

We arrive in Misawa. The contrast from Tokyo is immediately apparent; the air is crisp and cold. Misawa station is much smaller, and as we pass through the turnstile, there is no machine to run your ticket; just a man with a hole puncher.

Yup, we made it.

We wait for a few minutes at the front of the station, and then suddenly surprised to hear some yelling off to our left. And of course, the alarming sounds are coming from none other than the mouth of Kevin Kmetz.

It's been a long time; we all exchange greetings and give our salutations, but do not hesitate to get our bags inside and move along.

At this point, Kyle and I are almost completely exhausted. However, tomorrow morning, we must leave bright and early to perform a show. So, rather than getting some much needed rest, we break out our Shamisens and do a once-over of the material that we will play. This is particularly comical, due to the fact that we all haven't played together in 6 or 7 months. Talk about preperation...

After that, we both get settled into our rooms and pass out.

Shibu-Yeah!

I open my eyes.

What time is it? All the lights are on, and I'm still in my street clothes. I haven't even managed to get underneath the sheets?

More tired than I thought I guess..

The clock sits above my pillow, built into the bed frame;

5 o'clock.. so much for sleeping in.

Is it light out? I can't tell .. there are no curtains, and the cover to the single window is slid shut.

My head still hurts.. let me rest my eyes for a moment...

It's now 9 this time.. I should probably try to get out of bed.

Sitting up, there's a groggy feeling in my head; brain still trying to escape through my eyes. I look at myself in the mirror: my hair is messy.

I stumble into clean clothes, and prepare to visit Jason's room.

I approach the door cautiously, not sure what to expect. I don't hear any screams, so I decide to take the leap. I knock.

I hear a stirring, and the man himself, Jason, answers the door. He goes on to dutifully inform me that his wife must begin preparations for hotel departure, which means that we should probably go and grab some breakfast in the meantime. Amanda appears from the neighboring room and joins us on our quest.

We spend a good amount of time surveying all of our possible options, however Jason seems to have a certain place in mind.

A walk through a long mall, and a couple side streets later, we arrive at our destination.

Inside, there is seating at a long bar, and to our immediate right are two curious machines covered in buttons.

After closer inspection, (being that I am no stranger to these sorts of things), they quickly reveal themselves to me as the units that dispense food tickets. Knowing this, I fish around my pockets for coins.

Each button is accompanied by a picture and a price. Most of them seem appetizing, and it is at this time that I realize we have walked into a curry shop.

I ask Jason what he thinks is good, since he happens to be the connoisseur. He shows me the one he likes, puts in a few hundred yen, pushes the button, and like magic, a little white ticket appears out of the machine. I waste no time in doing the same and taking a seat down at the bar with him.

Jason mentions to me that he has never had to wait more than 60 seconds for his food. A clock is conveniently mounted on the wall directly ahead of us, and the countdown begins. However, before we can even begin to question the staff's efficiency, there are already three bowls of miso soup down on the counter.

I take this to be a double edged sword. Yes, it is good to have your food quickly, but most likely it is just sitting in a saucepan on low heat. Personally, I would rather wait a while for my food, and have it be made to order.

It wasn't bad though.

After we chow down, we mosey over to the hotel and pick up Michelle (Jason's wife).

At this point, we really have nothing particular planned, so the ladies insist that we go visit a small toy store.

Shortly thereafter, we arrive at said toy store. Michelle particularly shows Jason some things she thought he would be interested in, and I go wander off. I end up gazing at the wide array of Airsoft Guns available on display. Mid thought, Jason comes up next to me, and points out that he actually has a couple of the guns on the wall. Not fake plastic ones, but the real deal. He goes on further to tell me that he actually occasionally teaches a course in gun safety and handling. I'm pretty much completely ignorant when it comes to that stuff, so I told him to sign me up for the next session.

We spend some time cruising around Kashiwa and enjoying the sights. It's raining a bit, and the wind picks up, so we don't stay out too long.

Jason and I grab our gear and head off to train once again.

I've been told that the Honbu Dojo is usually packed full of people, and that half of the training there is avoiding all of the other people and their stray punches, however due to the poor weather, and luckily for me, there are even less people training today; maybe 15 or 20.

As we get warmed up and chat before class starts, a young guy named Ben from St. Louis, whom I talked with a bit the previous day, approaches me and asks if I would be his training partner. I am somewhat surprised that he'd ask me all of all people (maybe it's my hair, or just my good looks), and he goes on to say that he is wanting to take every opportunity to train with new people that he can. Complimented that he would waste his time with a newb such as myself, I gladly accept his offer. Coincidentally, moments later, Jason asks me if it's okay if he trains with someone else today (funny how things work, eh?).

Nagato Sensei bows us in and then asks Jason to demonstrate a technique. After watching it a couple times, he tells us to go for it.

Now for me, this here is one of the main reasons why training in Japan is so different. Nobody is there to tell you how, or if you are doing the technique wrong. It either works or it doesn't, and you just have to do it.

After a few minutes Sensei steps in, and then shows everyone how a pro does things. He make a few points, and then tells us "Okay, go!". Again, at this point, my mind is usually melting, attempting to digest what was just displayed, and how to replicate it.

This series of events repeats many times. Hopefully that gives you an idea of how things go.

Later on, there is a break. We all sit down, Sensei drinks tea. He asks me where Santa Cruz is. I tell him it's near San Francisco, so, naturally, he asks about sharks, etc. We talk about all sorts of stuff. Eventually the subject gets turned to endangered species, whales, and even tuna. (It's all very relevant, trust me.)

We train for a half hour or so, and finish up.

Before heading out, Sensei gives me a "Ganbate kudasai!" which pretty much means "Give it your all!".

Shortly after we rendezvous with the ladies once again back in Kashiwa. The plan for tonight is Shibuya, the heart of Tokyo.

In preparation for the epic journey, Jason reveals a thrice folded map from the inside of his jacket pocket. As the captain of our humble pedestrian ship, he plots the course along the many subway and train routes. Myself having never been there, I take his word for it.

30 minutes later, we're off the train and ascending a flight of stairs. We pop out in a small square filled with people. A bronze statue of a dog sits nestled amongst some trees not too far away. Jason tells us the history of it, and says its a popular meeting spot. This is obviously true, do to all the lonely people waiting around nearby.

Once finished with the dog, we step over to the corner of the main intersection, which is just absolutely jammed full of pedestrians. Our eyes and ears constantly being assaulted by the giant television screens mounted on the buildings above..

When you think of Tokyo, this is it.

Once the light turns red, the levee breaks, and the humans flow freely into the street.

As if walking through all of this people isn't hard enough on it's own, each one of them (including you) is holding an umbrella.

Once we land safely on the other side, our first order of business is getting dinner. Again, Jason has a particular place in mind, so we head in its direction.

However.. it's under construction..

Plan B:

Walk around until we find something.

After much debating and just about as much walking, we settle on a place called "Saizeriya", which services "Italian" food. I don't particularly know which is more authentic; the name or the cuisine..

The place is packed, but there just enough room for us to squeeze in.

The menu is large, and everyone finds something that they are happy with. They've got melon soda on the fountain, and you can't beat that.

Garlic bread, pasta, mini pizzas. Not quite like how I'm used to, but the food is pretty good.

After dinner, all we do is pretty much stroll around and soak it all in (somewhat literally since it's still raining).

Other than the train ride back home, which was super crowded, that pretty much wraps it up.

[.. I need to stop writing so much and get to the point..

Ja ne!

Kashiwa..

Woke up early. Couldn't sleep in.. damn jet lag.
Head hurts.
Asked the front clerk where some good breakfast was, he pointed us to the corner building across the street.
Took a look at the menu out front .. couldn't read it .. too expensive.
Walked down the street a ways, found a case with fake plastic food in it; some of it looked good -- logged it away in back of head -- in case we wanted to come back.
Looked around a bit more; didn't find anything else - went back to plastic food place.

Walked inside, waiter showed us out the door and pointed at a menu in english.. half of it was rubbed off and illegible. Obviously no one has rewritten it since they couldn't speak english.
Went back in, he sat us down. Asked us if we wanted coffee, we said no. He walked off, and never came back. After looking around at the disgusting floor, and trying to see through the grey haze of cigarettes, we decided that this place was bad news.
We up and left.

We saw a Denny's when we first got off the train, so we walked all the over to the train station and located the familiar site.
Went in.. we were greeted warmly by a cute girl. Clean, bright, warm.. picture menu.. what else could you ask for?
We ordered the classic Denny's favorite (Udon with a bowl of rice).
Kyle took one bite, and had to go to the bathroom... looks like his stomach has gotten the better of him.
Went back to hotel. Relaxed.
10.. check out time.
Handed over our keys and walked off to the metro.
Went through the turnstile, Kyle got on a train going the opposite direction. Wished him luck and told him not to get lost.
Took train to Kashiwa. Tried to find the hotel. Wandered around for a minute: found it quickly. Asked for Jason (my friend from the Santa Cruz Bujinkan dojo where I train), the clerk thumbed through a pile of passport photocopies - found him, noted that he was in another building, and then they walked me over. They informed that I couldn't check in because it was too early. However, they would hold my baggage (thank god) until then. I begin to sort out my things, wondering how in the world I am going to find him, and then lo and behold, he strolls up.
We exchange pleasantries, I note that I am very glad that he was still in the hotel. We get some food, and go up to his room to hang out.

A little later, his wife Michelle walks into the room. She wants to get ready after a shower, so we go outside. He occupies me a tour of Kashiwa,(bigger than I imagined. We go by all the various shops and malls, and he tells me about some of his various experiences while staying there.
1 o'clock, and it's already time to head out to the dojo.
Before departing, I ask Jason about where to buy tabi and the likes. He mentions a couple places, but informs me that the hip place to go is a little shop in Atago about half a mile from the Honbu. Being that I am in the market for such things, we leave an hour early.
The train ride takes about 25 minutes from Kashiwa, and goes by quickly with the good conversation.
We step off the train and head down the street over to the Atago Tabi Headquarters. It's a small, nondescript place, but it has tabi and socks of all styles and sizes, catering to the prolific amount of gaijin Bujinkan members that routinely visit the area. I stock up on a few things, and we journey on over back near the train station, down a large alleyway of bikes, and over over to the Honbu.
As we arrive at the small building nestled parallel to the railroad tracks, a man emerges from a vehicle parked nearby, and unlocks the front door.

Inside, I am blanketed with paintings, photos, and all manners of framed artwork dedicated to Hatsumi Sensei. Obviously almost all of this likenesses have been donated and given as gifts to Hatsumi over the years, and it is very neat to see all of the different things on the walls. Aside from all that, straight ahead, all along the forward facing wall, is an amazing host of candles, charms, and various small shrines. Needless to say, the energy is palpable in the room, and you can tell how much history the place has.
Training there is no different. Most of everything that goes on there is beyond me, yet just by being in the aura of the place, I feel more at ease.
Jason and I are training partners. He does his best to humor my inexperience, and we we go all with the class; Nagato Sensei demonstrates a technique, and then we repeat what we see. It's a lot different from in Santa Cruz, where we have time to ask and even break down the movements of the same techniques. Here, you just do it. And it forces your body to feel the movement and the balance.
In the middle of class, Sensei takes an interest in me.He asks where I am from, how long I am staying here, etc. Somehow he finds out that I play Shamisen, and asks me where I play. Coincidentally, he is wearing a t-shirt that says "Misawa, Japan" on it, so I point to him (what a small world...). He is a bit surprised, and goes on to tell me that there are people on the airbase who train Bujinkan and urges me to meet with them. He even asks how long I have been training Bujinkan, and goes as far as to say "you are good". I can't help but feel quite the contrary, nonetheless, it is encouraging.
Throughout the class, Nagato Sensei comes to help me with techniques and asks me about my Shamisen playing.
Too soon, everyone lines up, we bow out, and class is over.
Jason and I wait outside until Sensei departs, and then we too make our way home.

We meet up with Jason's wife and their friend Amanda, who I meet for the first time. We grab some dinner and go out for drinks after, at a bar called "Hub".. kind of a weird name if you ask me.


Anyway, that's pretty much it. Yeah.

Let's get started!

Ahhhh yeah.

Here we are again, the land of the rising sun.

(I sit here now, in our hotel lobby, basking in the glow of Japanese television, assailed by news and current events that I couldn't even attempt to become concerned with.)

The flight went surprisingly well. I never thought that I might get used to such a thing, but sitting down for 11 hours can go by pretty quickly. It also helped that this airline (ANA) equips each seat with it's own little theater system, complete with a controller, games, and wide selection of "Hollywood", "Japanese", or "World" movies to pick from. Needless to say, I easily kept myself busy.

[Oh my god -- there is a commercial for the Shamwow on right now... and they dubbed over the creepy guy's voice.. this is hilarious!]

At one point, after we got out bags, and were over at the currency exchange (after a failed attempt to withdraw from the ATM), I heard female squealing and yelling come from the other side of the terminal. When I turned my attention, to the direction of the disturbance, I saw a massive swarm of people and the flashing of cameras. Obviously some sort of pop star was in the building. I almost wanted to go over and join in, but I recognized, ironically enough, that I probably would have no idea who the person was or why they mattered. Once finished, we descended into the lair of the trains and boarded one towards the city.

My Sensei's mother, Yoko, had gone to the trouble to book us a hotel. Unfortunately, it was in an area of Tokyo I have never been to; so it turned out to be a bit more confusing than I would have liked, what with carrying all of my bags and all .. in the rain.

Eventually, we make it to the train stop closest to our hotel (the directions to which I had readily availible in my email still). However, despite the fact that we had made it to the correct area of Tokyo and all ... we still had no idea what the direction we needed to go. After consulting a newstand clerk (who politely ignored us), we went ahead to consult a map posted on the wall for a good 5 minutes.

A couple back alleys, and a pedestrian bridge later, we stumbled into the lobby of the Maru-chuu hotel.

We check in, drop our shoes in little lockers, slip in some uncomfortably cozy slippers, and head into the cramped green elevator (which became even less spacious with all of our baggage).

The rooms were quite spacious..(relative to a coffin), and came equipped with a futon, table, TV, alarm clock and even a balcony!

After dropping our things off, we went out onto the street in search of some food.

We spotted a rice bowl shop on our way to the hotel, so we gravitated towards it.

We stood outside the shop door, racked with indecision.. seeing how we couldn't read any of what was on the menu, we were forced to make our move on a whim.

Inside we were greeted by the gentle cascade of a radio playing the news. A man sat in the corner, reading a book. He stood up to greet us. We ordered a couple of bowls and hung out while he cooked it in front of us.

It tasted pretty good, and we even got some miso soup with it too.

After we ate up, we spent most of the night walking in the rain; sponging up the small alleys and store fronts.

At one point, we turned a corner and come upon a covered shopping mall (which are a very common sight in Japan). As we walked down it's along avenue, we couldn't help but notice the small groups of people around, and that every homeless person in the area had set up camp right underneath, all along the closed storefronts.

Obviously, we were pretty beat after flying 11 hours and lugging all of our baggage with us through Tokyo, so we headed in for an early night's sleep.