Chapter 20 – Thursday 3rd - Friday 4th July 2008
Today we met up with ‘Katie’ at the ‘BIG CAFÉ’, she sang at our first workshop and we had wanted to meet up with her and learn more about her. She is Californian and has lived in Japan for 20 years. She teaches English and does acting and voice work. She laughs and says that they have not figured out that they are paying her for doing something she really loves!!! She is going to visit her parents for 3 weeks and Brian is taking her English classes while she is away.
We are just manifesting all sorts of wonderful contacts. Katie introduced us to Peter in Kyoto who we are going to do some workshops with so we have been supported by the ‘7 gods of good fortune’. Blessings, blessings many blessings. Katie took us to a little theatre just at the back of our apartments just past the ‘terraced gardens’ (see past photo). We had to walk up the mountain a bit….very steep. We were going to meet ‘Gerald’ who runs a theatre group that does most of their plays in English. Unfortunately he wasn’t there but we will go to the play on Sunday and meet up with him. His students will be interested in voice training and performance presentation so we are keen to meet him being so close to home.
I went exploring today in ‘Crown Plaza’ floors of cafes and dress shops and one whole floor of antiques (set up like a market!!) I had a great time looking at all the old Japanese artefacts and old Kimonos and fabrics. I found the most wonderful (short Kimono) that is reversible – very unusual and made in the 80’s (would you believe that is considered ‘antique’ now!) When I got home I paraded it for Miyuki and Aki and made them guess how much I paid. Knowing my ‘BARGIN QUEEN’ reputation, they racked their brains trying to guess what I paid and came up with 5000 yen ($50) they figured that was cheap. As Kimonos are genrally very expensive at the best of times. ”No!” says I. “Rower?” says they (they have trouble with the “Ls”!!!) “$15”. says I. Well were they impressed!!! ‘”NORREEN BARGIN QUEEN – NOREEN BARGIN QUEEN!” They chanted as I am spinning around in my ‘Kimono’, feeling very proud of myself. They want me to take them shopping as I find all the ‘specials’!!
We travel on the trains (a lot) people do have cars and there are lots and lots of taxis but most people travel on the buses and trains. You can get a single ticket but it is best to get a ‘credit card’ and top it up. You cant cheat either cos the gates close on you if you try to walk through without paying and it registers when you enter and doesn’t take the money off your ticket until you get to the other end. Very good if you change your mind mid journey (like we did) very flexible. The buses work well too you can only get on from the back door and exit through the front past the driver and you use your ‘credit card’ and put it in the slot or pop coins in the hole and the right change comes out. The driver wears gloves (they all do) and he doesn’t really touch the money its all done by machine. Very organized. We met these lovely ladies on the train (see photo), they had made space for Brian on the seat, so we gave them a little kangaroo key ring and boomerang key ring. They were so sweet they gave us a gift (just happened to have one on them!!!) of a jar of plum wine with the pickled plums in it!! That’s the drink that Brian really likes too! We then gave them another gift of postcards of Noosa. Lucky our stop came or we would still be there bowing and exchanging our underwear (we would have run out of gifts by then!!!)
Well another episode bites the dust.
Stay tuned for “MARTINNNNNNNNS INNNNNNNN JAPANNNNN!”
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