Off and Running

Well, we're off on another trip to the Land of the Rising Sun (say that to a Japanese person and they'll most likely look at you funny).

Despite constant loud laugher and occasional screaming from what sounded like a middle school slumber party in a nearby room at our hotel, I was exhausted enough from the combined end of the semester, trip to the Origins Game Faire, thesis work and trip preparation that I was up, well-rested, at 5:30 ready to go.

Sumi got to sleep around 3:30. She was a tad less ready to go.

Nevertheless, we were at the shuttle on a rainy, Chicago morning heading to O'Hare or the first leg of the trip. With summer construction underway, many of the terminals were restricted to small vehicles, so we were dropped off a good ways away from the terminal. There was a helpful, if slightly late, sign *on the bus* telling us to leave 15 minutes earlier because of this. We usually give ourselves two hours for international flights, so we weren't too concerned.

Getting to the airport, it was very quiet, especially for O'Hare. No line for automated check-in, no line for security (!) and, we ended up taking part in a pilot program for the TSA. They are "testing" a new, experimental security screening process that allows you to keep your shoes on, keep your stuff in your bags and not get biometrically scanned. In other words, the way we used to get screened fifteen years ago. They think this program just might speed up the security lines and improve customer satisfaction, but they will have to study it for several months before they can be sure...

As a result of the lack of crowds and the miraculous new security procedures, we were sitting at our gate almost two hours before takeoff. The O'Hare free wifi is, as usual, not working, so Sumi got on her iPad and logged into work (she has a LOT of work to get done before the 1st. Happy vacation!) and I got to blogging.

We are not doing a cycling trip this year, and as a result are only bringing carry-on luggage. This is, of course, quite convenient, but has the added side-effect of making us constantly feeling like we've forgotten something. We are, instead, taking part in a week-long intensive Inadani Taiko workshop in Iida city, a small city in the middle of several mountain ranges, southeast of Nagano. The workshop starts next week, is six hours a day of instruction and rehearsal and culminates in us giving a performance at a local Taiko festival. During the workshop, we will learn technique and maintenance on taiko, as well as some introduction to koto and shakuhachi (which I am very excited about). Combine intense taiko workouts, mountain air and marathon training (started up again last week), I will most likely be a quivering blob of jelly at the end of each day, and am anticipating sore muscles and blisters, but looking forward to it, nonetheless.

This does give us a full week in Japan before the workshop starts, and we plan on being more typical tourists that usual during that time, spending some time in Tokyo, of course, visiting the historical mountain area of Nikko for a few days and finally, if we're lucky, seeing the Ramen Museum in Yokohama. Sumi also found out that Kodo will be performing at the Taito-ku Community Theater, the same small theater we saw Taro Kobayashi perform in last year. As the theater is walking distance from our hotel, we picked up some tickets for a matinee on Monday. After seeing them at the Chicago Symphony earlier this year, it will be quite a change seeing them in a theater on the second floor of a public library.

That is the plan anyway. In any case, we are off!