Archery Rocks

So this regular updating isn't going to well, is it. I am going to keep trying though! がんばります！


This time I'm going to talk about kyudo, Japanese archery.

An archer in full uniform

I began asking about Kyudo in late summer last year and with the help of my coordinator and the board of education began attending Kyudo once a week starting the last week of November or so. It's difficult but i really love it.

Kyudo is a very traditional Japanese sport so you have to follow a long process before even touching a bow but I got to speed it up a little bit. Most of this is for the build up of unused muscles and the practice of muscle memory. There is a specific line of motions you must follow when shooting.

The general positions of kyudo

First you begin with a rope the has knots for your hands to slide into position. Next you move to "gomu" or rubber practice to build your muscles, at my kyudo club I first used a regular "gomu" and then a thicker, stronger one. After that, I began practice with the bow and know arrows. I then used and arrow but without releasing before practicing close range with a hay target. During this time I was allowed to release at the target a few times but was given the okay for regular release two weeks ago.

The reason it takes so long is that there are a lot of little things to get right but the process is incredibly enjoyable. Because you must focus so much on your movements and the target the time spent at practice really clears your head. 

Every time I leave kyudo I feel refreshed and relaxed. It's amazing. 

I also really love my club. They take time out of their own practice to help me out, check my stance, give advice and one of the women even bought me an adorable cloth cloth for under my leather one (it's got bunnies on it!). 

I don't have any pictures because ... well, I practice at practice. I really like it and hope that when I leave Japan I'll be able to continue. It's one of the absolute best things I've gotten involved with since coming here.

'Nuff Said,

Crysania

An Odd Place to Start

After deciding to post about my favorite things, I came across a problem - where would I start?

There are many things I love about living in Japan. The people, the food, Arashi, my amazing kids, the scenery, Arashi, the comic/anime culture, the temples, Arashi, the sports on TV, the adorable things to buy ... and the adorable pop idol group, Arashi.

After thinking about it, I decided to start with places I spend quite a bit of time (and money) at - the convenience store - or コンビニー (kon-be-nee).

It is absolutely no lie that the convenience stores in Japan rock. Seriously. My 2 favorites are 7-11 (recently 7 and i holdings) and Lawson.

7-11

Lawson

The reasons for this love of convenience stores are thusly.

1) Convenience - I'm not sure about other states but where I'm from there really aren't as many 7-11's or Circle K's around any more. There are convenience stores everywhere in Japan. Whether is be a 7-11, Lawson, Family Mart, Sunkiss, Yamazaki, Daily Mart or other, you will likely easily be able to find one when necessary. I live out in the countryside and have never had to go too far for one. You can even purchase tickets for live events, fax, print, makes copies, pay your health insurance, or ship packages from many of them as well.

2) Food - I am not talking about snacks you can buy like back home. I mean the food for lunches, dinners and substance. It's not only edible, but better than some fast food places. It's not just nachos and hot dogs either. There is a plethora of food and bread to choose from - including fresh fruit even at the smaller stores.When my cousins visited in November I got them dinner at 7-11 and not only were they shocked that I would suggest it, they liked it.

3) Bread - Okay, this falls under food but the breads at the convenience stores are awesome. There are sweet breads, breakfast bread and sandwiches perfect for something quick. They're about $1 and so, so good.

Sanji recommended French Toast bread

4) Sweets and Pastries - The Japanese convenience stores actually compete for the best sweets. The Lawson "Uchi Cafe" is particularly impressive with famously good roll cakes. 

5) Campaigns - Whether it's a seasonal campaign or a long running one, you can buy some really cool stuff only at the convenience stores. Lawson has a deal K-On!, and had a Dragon Ball campaign in the winter and 7-11 has an awesome One Piece one running right now. You can get limited items there that are of good quality and really cool.

Sanji Lemon and Honey Tea from 7-11's current One Piece Campaign

The cutest Zoro in the world! Bought at 7-11

6) Quality - The quality of not only the food but the clothing and special goods is always high. I could list examples ... but I don't really want to.

I can not say enough good things about convenience stores. When I leave Japan I will really miss these amazing places. For now, though, I am really enjoying them.

'Nuff Said,

Crysania

"I'm an Odd Soul"

I am so much more excited than I though I would be for MUTEMATH's newest release "Odd Soul"! These guys ... I love them. They are always so refreshing and I seriously adore Paul Meany's voice! I really do.

I was surprised when I first heard this track as it is quite a change from their normal sound (which I also love) but it's still very much MUTEMATH, especially when it comes to the lyrics. I am definitely looking forward to hearing a more bluesy sound coming from them and am hoping they may also add a little more jazz (as they gave us a bit on their last album "Armistice").

It's definitely different, but I dig it the more I listen to it.

Something else that is very cool is that if you click http://mutemath.com/oddsoul/ you can remix the song! The band has broken the video and the tracks into 6 pieces (drums, bass, guitar, vocal, synth and background vocals) so you can play with it both musically and visually! I think that' pretty awesome.

Here's the vocal visual stem to give you an idea of what I mean ... and because it shows off Paul Meany's fantastic voice which, like I said, I adore.



Enjoy!

'Nuff Said,
Crysania

It Might Get Loud ... Kickass!

I didn't get to the Dodger game Saturday ... and, for once, I'm glad. That game kind of hurt to watch. Ouch. But they did win Sunday and take the series! Over the weekend I did watch some cool movies though.

First, I saw Kickass. It was funny, cool and an overall good superhero type of movie. I enjoyed it ... and I'm very much thinking about being Hit Girl for Halloween.

The other movie I saw was It Might Get Loud. It was a very cool movie. I loved it.

It's a documentary featuring The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White about how they got to where they are and mostly about their guitars. It's a really cool, well-made movie with some really interesting points of views from three very different artists who have this one thing in common. It's insane to hear Edge talk about how much fun he has with using technology to change simple riffs into something amazing and complex and then hear Jack White say technology kills creativity. It shows their differences as artists yet it is clear they respect each other. And who wouldn't want to jam with Jimmy Page?

There's this scene where Page starts playing the riff for Whole Lotta Love and The Edge literally gets out of his chair to get a closer look and Jack White leans forward. They share a grin like two kids being amazed by this riff for the first time. Another part I loved was listening as Edge played early recordings of Where the Streets Have No Name from when U2 was trying to figure out how to structure the song. You can hear Bono sing the beat as Edge reminisces how the song came together. It was also insane to watch Jack White play on stage until his fingers bled!

The movie gives a unique look at the guitar and the artists behind it. My favorite scene was hearing Edge talk about his inspiration for Sunday Bloody Sunday.

I'll admit I am a bit biased. My dad and aunt have always loved Led Zeppelin so I grew up with their music around and I've seen U2 live twice and adore them (I'm also reading U2 by U2 right now and really am enjoying the book and loving The Edge more every chapter) so I knew I'd enjoy them. I've liked stuff I've heard from Jack White but never appreciated his love for and dedication to music until I saw this movie.

All three artist light up like little kids when talking about their guitars or songs that inspired them, it's nice to see that. If you love rock, blues, the guitar or any of these artist check it out. You probably won't nerd out like me, but I think you'll enjoy it.

That's all for now.

'Nuff said,
Crysania