OSU Wind Ensemble Japan Tour 2012

June 24 – Satsumasendai

Our warm and sunny day from two days ago was replaced with wind and pouring rain. It wasn’t a typhoon, but still pretty strong. Once again, the park was our central meeting place for everyone. More hugs, more tearful goodbyes. One of the homestay families accidentally locked their keys in the car – including two of our students’ luggage! A locksmith was called, and although they didn’t make it to the bus, they were able to meet us at the ferry. Yes, a ferry! It is faster to travel by ferry than go back across the bridge and around.

Highlights:

* Arrived at the Satsumasendai Concert Hall. Met the host families, who took the students’ bags for the time being.

* Ate bento box lunches provided by our hosts.

* Rehearsed for an hour. Dr. Chapman ended the rehearsal with “Carry Me Back” and asked the seniors to listen from the audience. Very moving and tearful.

*Dressed in concert attire, took a group photo under out concert banner!

* Full rehearsal with all groups for the finale number, “Sing Sing, Sing.”

* Concert (actually a festival) began at 4:30 pm local – Taiko drum group, elementary band, community band – all were fabulous!!!

* 2^nd half – OSU’s final concert was incredible!

* After festival party for all the participants and host families – lots of fun, good mix of food, but very loud!

June 22 – Amakusa

We awoke to a sunny, warm day. We had breakfast at the hotel, loaded the luggage truck and coaches, and departed for Amukusa. We stopped for lunch at a service area. The best way to describe a service area is a mix between a truck stop and a rest area. We hit the highway again, stopping a while later to tour Kumamoto Castle. We had 90 minutes to tour various parts of the “castle”, which served as a garrison for soldiers during feudal Japan. We had another stop at an awe-inspiring service area, which included a koi pond, waterfall, and a huge statue. The owner of the shopping area turned out to be a horn player, and was disappointed that we could not attend our concert the next day.

Finally, we arrived at Hondo Junior High School in Amakusa. The students were ushered into the school for a brief concert, then snacks with their host families. The welcome party was much shorter than the one in Iizuka, but just as enjoyable. Soon, the students left with their new hosts.

June 23 – Amukusa/Ushibuka

We met up the next morning at a local park. Each host family brought their students there so that the entire OSU group could travel to the concert hall together. The concert was taking place in another town further south by the name of Ushibuka. The band rehearsed from 10-12, enjoyed bento boxes for lunch, and then got dressed and warmed up for the second concert of the tour.

The concert went extremely well! Each piece was well-received, including the three encores! Again, be packed up our things and loaded the coach. As we waited to leave, a group of children inside a building next to our bus began singing. We realized that they were singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” to our students. The OSU students joined in as well. We returned to the park and all went our separate ways for the rest of the night.

Rehearsal began at 10am, but first, the students had to get there. Some students rode in their home stay families’ cars to the high school, while others traveled by train – with their luggage and instrument. It was an adventure for sure. The rehearsals ended at 12:30pm. We then traveled to another Aeon center to get lunch and some snacks for dinner time. Next, we visited the former home of Daemon (sp) Ito. He was a coalmine millionaire whose home and garden have been turned into a museum. The architecture and design were amazing. I hope the pictures can do it a little justice.

Finally, it was almost time for the main reason we’re here – the first of three performances. The students changed into their concert attire. We posed for a large group shot of both bands together, and then joined the audience for the beginning of the concert.

The concert was such a spectacle! Iizuka High School started the show with their marching band onstage – literally marching and performing including colorguard. They had a colorguard feature, drumline feature, and then ended with the full ensemble. While the stage crew set up for OSU, Dr. Chapman was interviewed in Japanese, and the trombone choir performed “A Prayer for Japan”. OSU then took the stage and performed beautifully. If you were able to attend the June 10^th concert, you’ll remember “Star Wars” and
“Rhapsody in Blue”. They also performed Alfred Reed’s “Armenian Dances” under the baton of guest conductor Teppei Suzuki. For an encore, the OSU Steel Band played, as well as a full ensemble encore. Iizuka High School featured a woodwind quintet while their concert set was prepared. Next, Iizuka performed, including an anime piece with actors, props, singers, and dancers. One more interview was given by Teppei-san as the stage was set for the combined ensembles. All in all, a fantastic evening of music! Mr. Hatanaka has promised to send us a DVD of the full performance.

The toughest part of the trip thus far came next – saying Good-bye to our new friends. Mr. Hatanaka presented the OSU students with the Godzilla figurine they had used for their anime piece. Many tears were shed by the OSU members and their host families. One student said, “Do we have to say goodbye?” Another declared, “They [my host family] are my family now.” What made it even more difficult was the realization that they would be meeting and leaving two more families.

As the bus pulled away, some of the Iizuka students chased our coaches, waving as they ran. Soon, they were behind us, and we were headed back to Fukuoka for the night.

This has been tough to do – trying to keep everyone updated. Internet access has been erratic, so I’ve been keeping a journal of sorts on the laptop.

Here’s the latest entry:

June 20 – Iizuka

The staff had a traditional Japanese breakfast at the hotel
– fish, rice, miso soup, raw egg, and natto (fermented beans made into a paste
and put on the rice). We pretty much stayed to the fish, soup, and rice. We
then transferred to the high school, where we met up with the OSU students.
Their first comments about their home stays: “We got there, and there was more
food”; “Complete and total culture shock.”

At 9:00, the students visited English classes, where they
were taught origami. It quickly turned into USA v. Japan in an airplane flying
contest. No reports were made as to who won. Meanwhile, the staff and a few
students (Alyssa Aamodt, Angelina Boesch, David Meeker) walked over to the
kindergarten down the street. It is more like what we call a preschool. They
have rooms for 0-1, 2-3, 4, and 5 year-olds. I’m sure you saw the adorable
pictures. David Servias even gave an impromptu concert to the Panda Room. I’ll
post that video as well. We met one of the English teachers, Taro, who told us
he had seen our concert commercial on TV. We had a commercial!!!

After the school visits, both Iizuka and OSU students loaded
the small school coaches and headed to Cosmos Hall. We used the time in close
quarters to share pictures from our phones – including a shot of Hatanaka-san
asleep on a band trip J
The OSU party dropped their things in our assigned dressing rooms, and then
loaded the coaches for lunch. They took us to the Aeon shopping center. At this
point, McDonald’s and KFC were a welcome sight for some stomachs. Students also
made sure to purchase fans since many places were without air conditioning. It
turned out to be a wise purchase.

Our rehearsal began at 4pm and went until 9pm,
with a break for dinner provided by Iizuka parents. It was very warm on stage
especially since the air conditioning was turned off. Our students were
troopers and had a great rehearsal – the first one since June 14^th.
During that time, the two bands rehearsed their combined pieces, and some OSU
students were recruited as dancers. Finally, Iizuka finished their final
rehearsal at 9:30pm, and the staff said goodbye as the students left with their
home stay families.

June 20 – Iizuka

The staff had a traditional Japanese breakfast at the hotel – fish, rice, miso soup, raw egg, and natto (fermented beans made into a paste and put on the rice). We pretty much stayed to the fish, soup, and rice. We then transferred to the high school, where we met up with the OSU students. Their first comments about their home stays: “We got there, and there was more food”; “Complete and total culture shock.”

At 9:00, the students visited English classes, where they were taught origami. It quickly turned into USA v. Japan in an airplane flying contest. No reports were made as to who won. Meanwhile, the staff and a few students (Alyssa Aamodt, Angelina Boesch, David Meeker) walked over to the kindergarten down the street. It is more like what we call a preschool. They have rooms for 0-1, 2-3, 4, and 5 year-olds. I’m sure you saw the adorable pictures. David Servias even gave an impromptu concert to the Panda Room. I’ll post that video as well. We met one of the English teachers, Taro, who told us he had seen our concert commercial on TV. We had a commercial!!!

After the school visits, both Iizuka and OSU students loaded the small school coaches and headed to Cosmos Hall. We used the time in close quarters to share pictures from our phones – including a shot of Hatanaka-san asleep on a band trip J The OSU party dropped their things in our assigned dressing rooms, and then loaded the coaches for lunch. They took us to the Aeon shopping center. At this point, McDonald’s and KFC were a welcome sight for some stomachs. Students also made sure to purchase fans since many places were without air conditioning. It turned out to be a wise purchase.

Our rehearsal began at 4pm and went until 9pm, with a break for dinner provided by Iizuka parents. It was very warm on stage especially since the air conditioning was turned off. Our students were troopers and had a great rehearsal – the first one since June 14^th. During that time, the two bands rehearsed their combined pieces, and some OSU students were recruited as dancers. Finally, Iizuka finished their final rehearsal at 9:30pm, and the staff said goodbye as the students left with their home stay families.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we unloaded our luggage, checked into our rooms, and headed off to find some dinner. The hotel is across from the train station, which also has a shopping mall with many shops and food options. Some students headed the opposite way and found restaurants near the hotel. It was interesting to hear about their dinner adventures – they were not always sure what they were ordering, plus they were getting used to the Japanese Yen.

The staff had dinner at a restaurant down the street from the hotel. It featured a pot of chicken broth that cooked at the table. This meal is very specific to the Fukuoka region. Different parts of the chicken would be added to the broth to cook and be eaten, including breast meat, hearts and livers, and meatballs. Vegetable were also added. At the end, they took the remaining broth and made a type of rice pudding. It was very delicious and
filling.

After dinner, we were all ready to sleep. The rooms are smaller than at American hotels, but set up very efficiently. They provided us all with robes and slippers to wear in the room. The slippers didn’t fit many, but it was still fun. A few students had a “photo shoot” in their robes – all “G-rated” of course. We learned that the proper way to wear a kimono is left side over right.

June 19 – sightseeing and Iizuka

We had a leisurely morning which included breakfast at the hotel. We could choose from Western and Japanese food items. Then we loaded the luggage truck, popped onto the buses, and headed out for a little sightseeing. We first traveled to Fukuoka Tower, and observation tower that overlooks the ocean. It was a bit cloudy, but we still had an amazing view. We also visited the Love Sanctuary on the third floor. You could purchase locks to attach to the display, sealing your love for your significant other. The students used
this as a photo opportunity for sure!

Then we drove to the Canal City Shops. We had a wide variety of lunch choices, plus an opportunity to find some souvenirs. The shopping center of course featured a canal with a water show every half-hour. It was reminiscent of the dancing waters at the Enchanted Forest back home.

Now, it was time to head to Iizuka. We drove through some very beautiful countryside to get to the high school. Once we were within a mile of the school, we had to transfer buses. Our tour buses were too large to manage the small roads surrounding the school. Upon our arrival, our students were greeted by Iizuka students holding signs with the OSU names on them. They were taken inside to meet other students, while the staff met Mr. Hatanaka, the band director, and the school principal. We were a bit early, but the school
adjusted and they were prepared to start.

They prepared a HUGE meal, featuring fruit cocktail, fried chicken (chicken is a local feature), and sushi. We ate, and ate, and ate. The students ate at tables by instrument sections, standing up. Then there were speeches by the school principal, Dr. Chapman, Paul Dunsmoor, and an Iizuka student. Our saxophone quartet performed, and their band performed. Then gifts were presented on both sides. We were given a Hakata doll, which is very fragile and beautiful. We have kept it wrapped so we can get it home in one piece, but we will have it at school for everyone to see when we return.

To be continued…

I will blog about the last few days in the morning, but for now, enjoy the many pictures!

Robyn \<^o^>/

Ohayo!

I apologize for the delay. I had difficulty getting connected to the internet 😉

Pictures will be forthcoming, but we have a short time before we depart for the school, and all the picture files are too big for the site. Ah, technology!

We arrived in Fukuoka as a typhoon passed us in the ocean. No danger, just lots of wind and rain…and humidity! We felt a bit sticky, especially after a bus ride and two plave rides. We met our tour guide, Harumi, our guest conductor Teppei, and as a special surprise – Tad Suzuki. He was Dr. Chapman’s (and my) conducting professor at UNLV, and guest conducted the Wind Ensemble in November 2012. We traveled by two small coaches to the hotel. It took some time to get adjusted to driving on the left. I would flinch every now and then as we turned.

A short ride later, and we arrived at the hotel. We were all happy to take showers, change clothes, and get some food that wasn’t prepackaged. It was also nice to know that we could finally sleep laying down after two days of travel.

Ooo, the cars are here to take us to Iizuka High School. We are meeting English classes and a Kindergarten. I promise to finish later the afternoon!!

Sayonara for now! Robyn \<^o^>/

The Oregon State University Wind Ensemble departs for Japan on Saturday, June 16. Make sure to check this blog for the latest on the band’s tour.