Sometimes You Just Gotta

Good beer man. Not gonna lie.

No MOM, I am not turning into an alcoholic in Japan.

Temple Con't

uh..........I take what I said before back. I think this dog guards the praying site! The ropes hang down from a bell that you ring when offering a prayer.
The prayer site. There are lit candles there (it's hard to see) and the smell of incense is everywhere. Very therapeutic, actually.
This was the roof--so ornate and beautiful!!!
A large lantern with Japanese writing.
There was a little Japanese man inside.....perhaps I will go back one day to offer a prayer:)

My Favorite Temple (so far!!)

Stumbled across another temple in downtown Matsumoto today. I was immediately struck by the bright colors and smell of incense. This was the entrance.
Once you get through the entrance, this is what you see...incense is burning inside this urn.
I looked to my left and right and saw these characters--they look like cats of some sort and lanterns hang in the back. These cats are perhaps guarding the site where one prays?

Day 6

Another free day!
Lazy morning.........this is starting to be like a vacation:) I think I'm liking it!

Will take another walk I suspect and explore all of the sidestreets I haven't yet seen. But for now.............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

SUSHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE sushi. Tonight Quinn Kelsey and I (he's a fellow colleague of mine from Chicago and singing the lead role of the Forester in the opera) went to a fantastic restaurant called Kura. The food was YUMMY, to say the least.
This was a five-piece sashimi appetizer.
This was my dinner--an 8-piece sushi "surprise" type of meal. So good.
and we both topped out meals off with a delicious cup of Miso soup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My first sushi in Japan!!!!!!

The Way to Go

Okay, so I HAVE to talk about this. The toilets here are amazing! The one on the right is the toilet in my bathroom, fully equipped with "automatic douche"! I know, I know. The button panel on the left not only has the automatic douche, but a seat warmer!!!! It's definitely the best way to go:)

Courtyard

My camera battery died before I was satisfied with all the pictures I wanted to take, so I may go back! But here are some pics of the inside of the courtyard. While I was there, a mailman delivered a package to one of the sliding doors (with the rice paper). So I think people live in there!

A bell---maybe they used to ring it as an alarm? I don't know...but it was HUGE.

More Findings

I turned down a side street on a hunch, and ran straight into a cute little elderly Japanese man. I saw there was a graveyard, and asked his permission to take a look. I'm not too sure if these are actual graves, or if they are just the stones as a memorial. In any case, they certainly were beautiful to look at.
I walked a little further and saw the entry way into a courtyard of sorts, kind of like what you see in those Japanese movies!
Another pic of some gravestones and a funky tree:)
Do you see that row of statues in the lower left corner? It's so funny, they are all wearing red cloth hats and bibs! I only wish I knew what that was all about.
This was the entrance to the entire courtyard--really amazing!

Day 5

I didn't have rehearsal today, so I decided to explore a little more of Matsumoto on my own:) The top two pics seem to be the "town square" I'm guessing. Matsumoto is small, so you really can't get lost. However, the town itself if filled with many interesting people, restaurants, shops, etc. And biking is HUGE. Everybody rides a bike!

I have also taken notice of how extremely polite and accommodating people are. The town is clean, there is no trash anywhere! In fact, I haven't even seen any public garbage cans! On main streets there are speakers every couple blocks or so that pipe in classical music:) Lots of flowers and decorations. One can tell that the Japanese put so much care and pride into what they do and how they do it!
I am also amazed at how westernized the town is. Maybe it's because Matsumoto is a vacation/tourist area, but you can find America in many places:)
This is a drug store called "American Drug," for instance. You can get just about anything! The labels are in Japanese of course, but it's all there! Look Mom, Renu!!

What I'm Eating

So I went to the supermarket. The weather here has cooled down a bit and there is a very nice breeze. I decided to eat at the supermarket--it's kind of an all-in-one stop!
This dish is very tasty-noodles, pork, mushrooms, seaweed, a fish cake and a yummy broth with a kick:)
On the way back I had this view--very colorful!
Very tired.....I don't think I am over the jet lag just yet, although I am doing pretty well for only a couple of days. I mostly notice myself starting to fade towards the evening now. I can't believe it's a 14 hour difference from Chicago! The body is truly amazing in its ability to adjust! Especially for a singer!

It's the Little Things

Saw this flower on my way home from rehearsal today and thought it was pretty. We sang through the third act today--some of the most beautiful music in the opera, which includes another love duet between the Fox and Vixen. The cast is really a great bunch of musicians, and that's a gift because the score is very tricky!

It's another scorcher today as far as the weather!!! And now, off to the market for some snacks and dinner:)

Japanese Alps

So here is a little taste of what the city of Matsumoto is surrounded by---these mountains are truly breathtaking!!! I am hoping to get better pictures when I travel outside of the city later on in August:)

And now for some Japanese Entertainment

Of COURSE I did!

My first Hello Kitty purchase..............hee hee. I'm such a dork. But old habits die hard! LOL.

Day 4

So here is the rehearsal space. The Performing Arts Center is really amazing and very modern in its construction. I have also included the costume sketch for the Vixen, which isn't my character (I play the male Fox), but it's basically the same costume:) I believe we have to wear masks which include ears, the nose and come down around the sides of the head--I will know more with my first costume fitting!!! Had my first rehearsal with Isabel Bayrakdarian (Vixen), director Laurent Pelly and Pierre Vallet, the conducting assistant to Ozawa. Amazing artists!!!!! Isabel is a fantastic singer/actress:) She has graced operatic stages all over the world--and now I am very privileged to work beside her! We staged a chunk of our "love scene" in Act 2, but my work on the actual set to make all the action work properly. The set has a foxhole, and a ravine that we can jump in and out of!! What fun!

Matsumoto -Downtown, Castle

Hotel Buena Vista

Here are some pics from my lovely hotel. The lobby area, one of the many restaurants in this enormous place, and a couple of my bedroom!!! It's all very comfortable and the people are extremely welcoming and polite:)

Day 3

So, I got up today feeling a little less jet lagged. Had some coffee (and something to eat Mom) and decided to do a little exploring on my own.

This is Matsumoto Castle! Matsumoto is considered the "gateway to the Japan Alps," which I will try to get more pics of later! It is the oldest five-tiered kept castle in Japan (1593), and the walls and moat were built in 1504. It was used as a place for defense with weapons during wartime. There was also a Matsumoto City Museum which I peeked into--very interesting with lots of history and artifacts. On the right is one of the displays I saw--I don't really know what the heck it is, but it sure is interesting!!!

It's also incredible hot today. Beautiful sunny weather but very humid and HOT!!!! Time for sunglasses, much water and air conditioning!!!!!! Have rehearsal later today so I will blog more in a bit!:) Sayonara!

Extra

Look, a Bonsai tree!!!!!!
Had to show you!

Day 2

Well, here is a picture of one of the first beautiful things I have seen so far in Japan. A Temple. Saw this on my way to our first official rehearsal. It was just right there in front of the performing arts hall!!!! Amazing.
Our first rehearsal was really great--got to see all of the friends/colleagues that I performed this opera with four years ago at The Lyric Opera of Chicago! Now we are heading into a brand new production--different costumes (this time I REALLY look like a Fox!), a beautiful set and new cast members that come from France, Armenia, Italy and of course, Japan!

Day 1

So here I am in beautiful Matsumoto, Japan!!!!
So unbelievable. I feel so blessed!
We arrived yesterday --a 12 hour flight that was a piece of cake thanks to the wonders of travelling in Business Class!!! Wonderful gourmet food and service, movies at your request on your personal t.v. screen, a computerized seat that can go into "relax" mode, massage your back or collapse into a full bed---amazing. The plane ride flew by! Unfortunately, the plane only brought us to Tokyo and in order to get to Matsumoto we had to take a 5 hour van ride. Ugh....brutal, to say the least! However, we eventually did arrive at our destination: the beautiful Hotel Buena Vista in downtown Matsumoto. This lovely place is what I will call home for the next month!
I am SO excited to start what I hope will be the adventure of a lifetime!!!
But now..........must sleep.............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz