Once Upon a Time...

...there was a weekend. The weekend was just another ordinary weekend, but it started with a idea. Then the idea grew to become a plan. The plan was to go to Osaka and attend yet another publishing party. Only this time, a small group of us would be wearing kimono. Now, I've worn Japanese clothing countless times, usually samue for zen or hakama for martial arts. But I'd never worn kimono. I like the layered look that you can get with it, fashionable as well as funky. And I'd wear the style everyday if I didn't feel like such a gaijin poser. Yet MatsuMiki's logic was that since this pose is something that only gaijin can pull off, why not do it? So it was that we bought second-hand kimono at Tenjin market last week, and toted them to south Osaka to Yayoi's wickedly cool, pseudo-Santa Fe artspace.
But the rain had other ideas. After an hour or so of tea and all-around pouting, we gave up on the kimono idea and followed the twin iron rails awhile to get to the party. The event was held in honor of Hide-san's having published his most recent children's book, this one about orcas. It was a nice couple hours, where the rich conversation made up for the bland food. Since we were in Esaka, we went over to Crayon House to browse the organic foods and unusual collection of kids books. Then nearly a dozen of us packed into a grungy Chinese restaurant for a cheap supper. And back to the Kyo again, squeezed into a train of Saturday night revellers, one gender weighted down by pre-holiday shopping bags, the other by Bon-enkai booze.

The next day it was Yayoi who reversed the order by making the trek up to my place. Her husband, Yamamura Seiichi was playing a gig just down the hill from me. He is one of Kansai's best drummers and tours internationally. Tonite was the Kyoto debut of his new steel drum thing. After a quick, multi-ethnic meal of fajitas fried up in a nabe, we went to see the show. Unbelievable. Maybe one of the best gigs I've ever seen, played with mutual joy on the parts of the musicians and the crowd. I've never seen a band smile so much, or the Japanese dance so hard. Rather than the usual Milgrimesque para para moves, these guys actually began to pogo! I was off to one side of the stage, bantering with bandleader Sei-chan in my role as manzai, English teacher heckler. The band will play again March 16 at NegaPosi in Kyoto. I demand that you attend...



On the turntable: Bedrich Smetana, "Ma Vlast"
On the nighttable: Mark Z. Danielewski, "House of Leaves"