English Blog
It has been already a week past since 2010 started! Happy New Year! It is a tiger year in our Japanese calender. How is your new year going?? I spent for 5days in Indiana visiting my husband’s family in December (We came back just in time to celebrate New Years’ Eve. Huh– there was a bottle of […]
We had a piano studio recital at Occidental College last night, and I was so happy to hear everyone playing wonderfully! I have 16 students this semester, and I enjoy working with each student, and seeing their progress. Occidental College is a liberal arts college, not a conservatory. So music study is not competitive. It is […]
I had a wonderful day yesterday, writing an article for Japanese Newspaper, practicing piano, doing chores around our house, seeing a good movie, and working out at the gym. But the evening was the best part. On the way to play for a cello recital in Long Beach, my ears caught a familiar name on KUSC, […]
I have been curious about this movie, and I had free hours yesterday before the concert SO I went to Playhouse in Pasadena to see it. I forgot the actress’ name, but she is just cute! The story is rather simple, and the script is well-written. I enjoyed the conversation in the movie. But I […]
I had a chance to hear this powerful cantata at our church few weeks ago. The performance was fantastic in both instruments and vocals. It was 1st time for me to hear this cantata, and was deeply moved. It is obvious that this piece was written for the funeral, possible for his uncle? The music […]
I went to Lang Lang’s concert last night at the Disney Concert Hall. I heard him playing several years ago, and that concert was almost “fingers from hell” program. He was pretty good with that kind of repertoire. I was impressed by the machine like playing !! I liked Tan Dun’s Eight Memories in Watercolor which […]
I have been interested in seeing this movie, and I was so glad to have time to go to the theatre today. I have read about her interesting personality, and I was curious to learn more. This is a French movie, and I love to hear French language. It is beautiful! Through the movie her […]
I went to Perahia’s Concert last Tuesday at Disney Concert Hall. His repertoire was Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin. His playing was very refined and thoughtful. In his Schumann “Kinderszenen” I heard his interesting imagination. Each piece has own title, and he showed us his imaginative pictures according to the titles. Chopin Mazurkas were my favorite […]
I have been always interested in food. One of my college friends from Toho Conservatory in Tokyo, who is a trombone player, told us one night that each dinner is very important because we will eat only about 25,000 dinners for the rest of our lives. We were 20 years old, and that was his […]
９月の日本での様々な経験については、折を見て触れて来ました。新政府の出発進行も、ちょこっとながら、経験。国民の熱い期待と、厳しい目をひしひしと感じました。新総理が、選挙前より掲げていた「友愛」の心について、感じた事があったので今日は一言。 東京では相変わらず、セカセカと、周りの事に気を配る余裕もなく、そしてお疲れが顔に滲み出ている方達を沢山見ました。蒲田の駅で、駅員さんにどの電車に乗れば良いか聞いたところ、親切に教えて下さったのですが、その電車が各駅で、更に定刻より２分遅れという事をおっしゃった時に、この世の終わりのような感じで謝られてびっくりしました。そんな事大した事ないのに、きっと皆さんセカセカが板について、こういう事でも駅員さんを叱ったりするのかなあー。別の駅で、主人のデイビッドが、女性が階段を大きな荷物を持って苦労して上っているのを見て、手伝おうとしたら、仰天され恐ろしいものでも見る形相。それでも、真意が分かった後は、とても感謝されていましたがーー。数年前に、私が女性の同じ立場だった時には、もちろん誰も声をかけてくれませんでしたけどね！別の日に、国内線の飛行機の中で、降りる際に、席から通路に出ようとして誰も出してあげなくとまどっている女性がいて、私が「どうぞ」と言ったら、何が起きたか分からない！という感じで、深く深くお辞儀をして、感謝されてしまいました。又、あるスーパーでのレジで。前にいらした中高年の男性が、マスクをしている店員さんを叱り、かつビニール袋のサイズが小さい事を叱り、カリカリ。毎日の暮らしが、きっと大変なのだなあと、思いました。 街中では、奇妙なマニュアルしゃべりが溢れ、一見すると丁寧なようだけど、慣れてないと私なんかとても変な気分。デパートでも、コンビ二でも、飛行機の中でも、もうありとあらゆる場所での現象ですね。もうちょっと普通に自分流の話し方をしたら良いのになあーー。っという訳で、表面のマニュアル礼儀に惑わされて、根本の人間のマナーが失われていると思いますけど、皆様どう思われますか。そして小さな日常の気持ちの持ち方が、一番大事だと思います。そういうゆとりを持てる様な国。庶民には、大それたスローガンは必要ないんです。