From now on, I will try to post every day I have classes in order to give some credit to my words about being a student. These posts will likely be a matter of going through the motions,but I will try to infuse them with some life and keep them brief.
Before going into mundane daily reports, I'd better give a gist of what's been going on these last several weeks. I'm alive but just barely. I never knew a three-week hangover until now, but I am taking a much-needed break from drinking. For at least another day or two. While I had a few less-than-shining moments on the three week binge of drinking, the experience overall was worth whatever damages to my reputation or brain it might have done. Pardon the blunt embellishment on this academic blog, as well.
The last three weeks two friends of mine from Tacoma stayed with me in what used to be a spacious apartment until the piles of luggage and futons covered the floor (I made sure it was alright with the apartment managers for them to stay beforehand). At the beginning we behaved like scheduled human beings, but the staple foods and meal preparations soon faded from the shopping bags (leaving space for more booze, of course). Through good connections that until then I hadn't been totally aware of and some good planning the first two weeks were culturally enthralling for both of my friends. One had been to Japan before through a Japanese girlfriend, the other a shaky virgin moving into the open arms of the rising sun (I guess he was a bit more nonchalant than shaky, but it paints a better picture). After the first couple of weeks, though, it became more about fun than culture, and it didn't come with many complaints. My friend who's formally a member of the Folk Song Club (whom I will now refer to as Mr. K for the sake of explanation), who introduced me to Jam Jam Cafe, and the other places, became fast friends with my American guests and showed us around Osaka and Kyoto. They also came to school with me every day I went, and managed to learn about Japanese teaching if their eyes weren't fixated on the countless pretty young students. They saw the Folk Song Club in action, even slept through some of my practice sessions.
There was the school festival, too, a small summer festival that had students arrive in yukata, or traditional Japanese summer garment, pictured below (I hope I can't lose credit for looking like a prick):
There at the festival I did a show for Folk Song Club in the most rock and roll way I could imagine, in that I don't quite remember performing the whole set. The rest of the night was a blur.
Over the weekend we saw a performance by Mr. K, who played a small set in an Italian restaurant in Sannomiya. His music consisted of one cover song that he sung and the rest his instrumental songs. There were some other acts too and it was a truly inspiring night for music. Seeing Mr. K on his guitar makes me understand why he left a club where even senior members will struggle their way through an Oasis guitar solo.
The next day was the Summer Concert by Folk Song Club. It was pretty much the same as I explained in the other entry about the Spring Festival by Folk Song Club. However, it was the first show that the new club members played in the club, including myself. While I performed at the school festival with the Folk Song club, it wasn't as official in terms of the mechanics of the club. I performed in an Oasis cover band and it went off well.
So the next day my friends left back to the States, and I'm now trying to salvage what remains of a normal life in Japan. More to come soon!
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