Saturday Kuniko got up early and headed into Kobe to get ready for the concert, and I followed shortly thereafter, arriving a little earlier at a station called Rokkomichi. I was pleasantly surprised with the area. It had a nice feel to it, and it was in the shadow of Rokko mountain so there were lots of trees and hills nearby. It might be a place to look at someday to live.
I took a short hike on faith and managed to find the music hall, and since I had a little time I went to a nearby restaurant for some okonomiyaki, since I had heard that the concert could last almost three hours. I didn’t want my stomach growling during that time, so I ate a nice lunch and then headed over.
In the lobby of the concert hall I met up with Kuniko and was introduced to her students, both current and last year’s students. They all seemed really nice, and I think they were excited about the show.
I went inside and sat with two of Kuniko’s foreign students – she is teaching them Japanese. They are exchange students from overseas – Haley is from Canada and Jess is from Australia. It was my first time meeting Jess, but she seems like a smart girl and I think they are really enjoying their experience in Japan.
The concert was divided into three parts, and each one lasted about 40 minutes. The students did great – I enjoyed the show. The last part was an orchestra type arrangement, with almost twenty people playing various instruments, mostly the mandolin guitar.
At the end of the show they had a little tribute for two members of the club that are approaching graduation. It was their last concert, so there was a lot of tears and emotion.
Once the show wrapped up I headed back home, and Kuniko headed to Okayama to catch the tail end of a wedding party for one of her friends. In the evening I headed to Denya for some yakitori and had the chance to chat with one of the regular’s brother-in-law, who was a really nice guy. He bought me a couple of beers, and then put in a call to his daughter who came bearing a photo album. They pulled out a picture of me with his brother-in-law, and gave me the pictures. He was a really nice guy, but I had a hard time understanding his Japanese. The master was put in the position of being the interpreter. He translated the very colloquial local tongue into standard Japanese for me – a Japanese to Japanese interpreter.
The yakitori also had a new item on the menu, a steak. He grills up the steak just how you want it, and then serves it cut into strips. The price is right and the flavor was awesome. After the yakitori I headed over to IY and discovered some interesting things on the third floor. Bugs are really popular here in Japan, and they had a temporary wooden cage built and it was filled with insects – giant beetles – crawling around. Kids can buy them and they use them as pets.
Kuniko got home at a reasonable hour thanks to her sister, who drove her back from the wedding party in Okayama. We get a chance to sleep in on Sunday, so that is something to look forward to!
