Himitsu

Hey all! I've got such exciting news.

I went to taiko tonight and I've got a ton of awesome cultural stuff lined up for the next week or so.  Here's how it looks:

Thursday (tomorrow): Go see Kyoto Geijutsu Daigaku Taiko club

Friday: Go see Taiko Center of Kyoto

Sunday: Go on the walk of Genji Mono Gatari (aka Tale of Genji) with some people from taiko

Tuesday: A day of taiko on a mountain from 9am to 5pm

Wednesday: Taiko practice as usual

Saturday: A separate taiko event to teach you how to play for Matusri held at an Elementary School

the following Sunday: Matsuri where the taiko group I've been playing with will be performing! (and Jen's birthday)

WOO! That's a lot of taiko, but I'm ridiculously excited. The people are all really sweet. I was a little nervous going to practice today because I felt so lost last practice, but everything was fine.  I think they're warming up to us all more.  I've got one song down about 80%.  It's a betta song and so much fun. The miyake song still eludes me, but the teacher commented on my kata today and said that I had wonderful posture! 

I can't wait to bring all these back and teach Senryu! I'm getting some ideas about what we should incorporate into new songs, too. There are some really cool vocal things they use in songs here, like call and response and rhythmic kakegoe.  Their movements are great too! There's this one part in one of the songs where they're repeating a pattern, but where there would be a hit, they replace it with ma and do this kind of hop-stomp.  It looks really good.  I also like the multiple people on one betta idea.  It makes for a much more festive and together feeling.  

I'm really glad Nellie introduced me to the AKP kids. I probably still wouldn't have taiko if not for them.  Besides that, they're a great group of people.

In other news, I tried Azuki Pepsi.  Azuki is the red bean that gets used in a lot of Japanese cuisine.  It's kind of sweet, so it went well with the pepsi.  It tasted a little like pomegranate and cranberry mixed together with some Pepsi flavor.  Not bad.  It's probably the first soda I've had in two months.  

I need to do laundry. There's just too much fun stuff, so my clothes keep piling up! I forfeit doing clothes last weekend for washing sheets and blankets.  They're nice and clean now... to MY standards.  I feel more comfortable snuggling in them now.  

I'm not doing anything for Halloween.  There's a cosmo event, but it's kind of pricey.  I'd much rather save my money for traveling over spring break... or a shakuhachi.  

Lots of good things lately. I hope this streak continues! 

I miss you all! I can't wait to share these new things with you when I get back. 

Love until later,

Caitlin D.

p.s. P90X... it hurts so goooood.