In Kyoto

Day 3 (Jan.8)

Right after the China Town tour, we took the night bus to head to our second destination - Kyoto.
The bus was freezing cold, and the only thing that could really keep us warm was a blanket that was supplied in the bus. As you can see in the picture below, the rest station that the bus stopped at was getting covered with sheets of snow. Fortunately, the inside of the station was fairly warm and there was a small food court with a few souvenir stores... perfect for killing time!



We arrived in Kyoto at 7am in the morning, and after a short coffee break, we headed to Osaka to watch Takarazuka (a musical theatre performed by only females).
It was actually the first musical I've ever watched. I was astonished by the dynamic outfits, and the amazing set. Before the show, I happened to be reading a book about what distinguishes good musicals from the bad, and in the book, it mentioned that good musicals make smooth transitions from the plot to the songs.
I could really see that in the performance. I felt that musicals have a lot of things in common with band shows. Kind of like how successful shows make smooth transitions from one band to another... something that we have constantly been working towards.



























































At night, I met up with a friend who has taught me a lot about music, over some okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) and beer in Kyoto.
We only meet and talk every once in two years, but everytime I meet him, we have something to talk about. Currently, he is the vocal/guitar of the band, The Lions, and he also hosts many band shows for other bands in the community.
Recently, their band released their first mini-album on a cassette tape, and has been successful in having their copies sold at local indie shops.






















After a brief conversation, I was quite interested to find that success is only a matter of perception and nothing concrete. I have always thought that in order to be successful in music, you have to get your music known. In order to get known, I have thought of many methods, such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and other social networking sites.
However, he mentioned that his dream is to explore various mediums and for his next album, he mentioned that he wanted to release it on vinyl.
















Even though he is now married and is a full-time worker in Japan, he still continues to play music to accomplish his dream. On weekdays, he works. On weekends, he hosts band shows, drives his band, writes songs, and leads the band.
For me, I find that a lot of work, and if I was put in the same position, I probably wouldn't be able to last a month. I asked him how he could handle so much work, and why he puts so much time into something he cannot earn money for. He simply answered "the band is what I live for."

I somehow felt that this was the answer I had been waiting for.














After being enlightened for the night, I realized that I had just missed the last bus....
I ended the night having to catch the taxi and being locked out from the hotel for an hour =(