March 1997
- Tonight I started
an introductory taiko course at the
JCCC.
The instructors, Chris Kano (R) and Randy Kayama (L) are members of
Yakudo, a local taiko group
(You can see them in Suzuki car and truck commercials currently showing on Canada television).
They keep the atmosphere light and enjoyable. The class has twenty or so students, almost evenly split between males and females.
I am still in awe of the taiko and hit it very quietly. Where is my kiai? If I am to be successful at this, I must overcome my reserved Canadian nature!
(19 Mar 97) - This afternoon I attended a U of T CME seminar on "Needs Assessment Techniques".
(19 Mar 97) - Today I went snowboarding for the first time at
Blue Mountain.
The hill beat me up pretty badly at first-- I was wondering whether I should have worn my hockey equipment (especially my helmet!).
By the end of the day, I was putting together series of turns on intermediate runs, thanks in large measure to my coach for the day,
Yujiro from Gifu City in Japan. Next time: the halfpipe!
(16 Mar 97) - This afternoon I took in the Edvard Munch exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The show features
the famous painting "The Scream", and numerous drawings and wood block prints. The wood block prints use dark colours which are
well suited to his melancholy subject matter. To me, they recall
Japanese prints (ukio-e).
(15 Mar 97) - I went to hear rakugo-ka Kawai ya ringo at the JCCC this evening.
Rakugo is Japanese stand-up comedy,
but it is performed while sitting down on a zabuton (floor cushion). This was a very funny show, with meandering story lines,
rubbery facial expressions, wild gestures and a typical rapid-fire delivery.
The advertisements billed Kawai ya ringo as a "sarariman"; I thought this was just his stage persona,
but he explained in an interview after the show that he actually is a sarariman, for Kirin Beer in Tokyo!
Rakugo has been his hobby since his university days, and now he spends his holidays going here and there to give benefit performances.
Prior to tonight's show, his "Sekai rakugo tsuaa (World Rakugo Tour)" played in Los Angeles and Sao Paolo, Brazil,
two cities with sizeable Japanese communities. His next engagement is at a Japanese restaurant in the French Alps near Lyon (!).
(10 Mar 97) - I popped in to Ye Olde Brunswick House (Brunswick and Bloor) this afternoon for the first time in quite a while.
The City of Toronto's smoking ban for restaurants and bars went into effect this week, so I was interested to see
how it would affect the weekly country music matinee hosted by Mary Dekeyser and Melody Ranch.
Rancher alumni (you know who you are!) will be glad to hear that the seats were full up to the second-last row.
The set list is intact, and Mary is as personable as ever. The talented band of Chris Whiteley (pedal steel guitar, guitar, harmonica, trumpet),
(Big) Dave Tufford (rhythm guitar, accordion), Dennis Pendrith (stand-up bass) and Ed White (drums)
were supplemented this time by guitarist Danny Marks, a fiddler, and a second pedal steel guitarist.
Special guests included Paul James, and one of the musical high points of the show was a "call-answer" guitar solo
by Marks and James on "Bebop-a-lula". As for the smoke, it wasn't completely gone, but one didn't need a knife anymore to cut through it!
Melody Ranch appears every Saturday at the Brunswick House from 1600 h to 1900 h.
(08 Mar 97) - This afternoon I attended the 15th Annual Ontario Japanese Language Speech Competition at
Northrop Frye Hall on the University of Toronto campus. About 40 people gave 3- to 5-minute talks on a wide
range of topics, mostly related to interactions with Japan and the Japanese. The contestants included students from the U of T, York University, the University of Waterloo,
the Toronto Japanese Language School
(and probably other schools-- affiliations were not announced so as not to bias the judges).
Their ability level was impressive, even in the Beginner category. The experiences they related were interesting and enlightening.
(01 Mar 97)
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