The third floor of Khaosan International Hostel Fukuoka was almost empty when I got up. It was eight thirty when I opened my eyes. I was happy that I could chat with a friendly roomate for a few minutes. She is from the Philippines. She came to Tokyo three days ago. She plans to stay at Khaosan for another two nights. She asked me what I thought of Beppu. I recommended her to visit Mount Aso and Nagasaki for two days. If she decides to stay for another day. Sarurajima is worth visiting, especially Tsubame Shinkansen is awesome. The rapidest train in Kyushu passes many tunnels in a swift. With a 21 days JR Pass, she will surely be exhausted by the time her JR Pass expires.
Having a late breakfast in the kitchen, I got a chance to talk with a young man from Germany. He is in Fukuoka on business for a week or so. While we were chatting, a young lady walked in and started working in the kitchen. She is from Venice, Italy. She will be working for Khaosan Fukuoka for eight months. I recommended her to visit Otaru in Hokkaido to see a Japanese city by the sea, famous for glass works. As she speaks English fluently, I hope she can become a member of Fukuoka Toastmasters Club.
One Week JR Pass
My JR Pass expired yesterday when I took the train from Imari to Hakata in the evening. I was lucky to get the hostel information in time before the Fukuoka Information Center closed for the day at 8PM. I checked in Khaosan at 8:40 and hopped on the 9PM bus for Haruyoshi. After taking a stroll along Nakagawa and had a big bowl of Ramen, a big bowl of Oden, a glass of plum wine, I hit the sack with a big satisfied smile face and my legs felt like two big rocks. I had a sweet dream, but I couldn't remember anything about it.
Yahoo Dome--The Biggest in Japan
I'm not a sports fan, to be honest. But after visiting the Sapporo Dome last November with a lady sports fan, I became interested in the interior and exterior designs of different domes in the world. And I make it a plan to visit all five domes in Japan. I left Khaosan at ten. Before I got on Bus 44, I tried a takeout box of Fried Chicken from Hotto Motto around the corner. It was yummy! I was full in stomach and I was ready to venture to Yahoo Dome in Fukuoka, the biggest dome among the five in Japan. After arriving at Yahoo Dome, I could only walk around the skirt, because I needed to rush to Hakata station before noon for my lunch rendezvous with D76 Division E Governor Mohri Yoshiko. Even though I had a brief stop at Yahoo Dome, I learned that people in Fukuoka have the reasons to be pround with both professional soccer and baseball teams, the Avispa and the Hawks. I will be a fan of the Hawks from now on, because of the Manager Sadaharu Oh (王貞治). He is a hero among Taiwanese.
Strangers became Friends
It didn't take me long to wait for the bus to Hakata Station. Actually all buses pass Yahoo Dome seemed to head for Hakata Station. As I was the last in the line, I saw two foreigners forget to take their numbered tickets. Out of my good will, we began our conversation on bus. They are a group of three, the leader is Korean, the other two are from Turkey. They are in Fukuoka for business. Kim san speaks Mandarin, Japanese, English and Arabic. The two Turkish spoke no English. We took photos of one another and changed our email addresses. Time flied on the bus back and Hakata station was at sight immediately!
Cafe' Veloce in Fukuoka
Division E Governor Yoshiko Mohri waited for me in front of the Information Center of Hakata Station. She was eager to take me for lunch, but I told her I perferred a cup of latte at Cafe' Veloce near the train station. Mohri told me that she would begin her work as the Secretary General of Interpreters association in Fukuoka for the coming two years, she would take a recess from the toastmasters, but still remained as a club member. But I am sure she will still find time to visit Taiwan as she promised she would come to the joint anniversary party of Success and Kumamoto Toastmasters clubs in October. The City of Fortune and Happiness--Fukuoka
Chinese love Fuku. Chinese name their children, their servants, and their pets with the names of FUKU. On New Year Day, birthday parties, we paste "Fuku" in Red on the walls and doors to welcome the fortune and happiness to our homes. Fukuoka has fuku, too. In Fukuoka, you can also find fukuhama. After Governor Yoshiko Mohri walked me back to collect my luggage at Khaosan Fukuoka, she saw me off at the platform of Hakata station. I was ready to bring fortune and happiness from Fukuoka to my fellow toastmasters members in Dazaifu.
Dazaifu--City of Ancient Culture
From the name of Dazaifu, we can imagine how important it was in the past politically, economically, and culturally. The moment I saw it, I was besieged by the magnificent Dazaifu relics. It was not hard to imagine the grandeur of its past. From the feng shui point of view, it is a sacred site full of energy (qi) from the mother earth. Hiromi san encouraged me to enjoy a stone bath on a huge ancient rock. I felt so much recharged to see the treasures of Kyushu National Museum.
Kyushu National Museum
The Avant-garde architure of Kyushu National Museum was impressive. The streamlined blue roof is the logo of the museum, easy to identify and remember. When Hiromi and I entered the museum, Watari Masuo and Kishima Akiko from Dazaifu Toastmasters Club were already waiting for us. They greeted me with the museum pamphlets in Chinese and their lovely presents. I felt honored. The Evolution of Emaki in Japan
Kyushu National Museum is showcasing the National Treasures EMAKI from Kyoto National Museum from March 22nd till June 1st. I was excited to see the special exhibition of many precious scrolls from Nara Era in the 8th century till Muromachi Era in the 16th century. The precious Emaki spanned a period of eight hundred years, from Chinese characters only in standard script in the 8th century, to mixtures of Japanese kana and kanji in cursive script in the 12th century, we could get a picture about the evolution of Emaki as well as the Japanese language. The exhibited Emaki are mainly about religious stories. One scroll of Muromachi Era caught my attention immediately, the love story of Anchin and Kyohime of Doujouji Temple.
A Snake or A Dragon
I didn't hesitate to purchase a handbook of the special Emaki exhibition with an aim to study the story of Doujouji in depth. As I plan to perform a Japanese dance solo Doujouji next year. There are many versions of Nihonbuyou Doujouji. My Japanese dance teacher uses a huge snake as a prop. But in the Emaki of Muromachi Era, Kyohime turned into a dragon of three claws. If snake is evil, dragon is power, is love a snake or a dragon?In Chinese history, there are many romantic stories about monks and beautiful women. Lady White Snake is one of the four famous legends in China. As the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, the 8th of June (the fifth day of fifth month of lunar calendar) in 2008, it is a good chance to share their love story taken place on Dragon Boat Festival.
Emaki, Blog, Manga
Emaki is about a story with paintings and words, like Ehon today. Books are more convenient than scrolls, because they could be read from the beginning, from the middle, or from the end. While sitting in front of my desk top blogging, I can't help scrolling the screen up and down. Isn't it another version of e-Emaki? In stead of shaking our head in a horizontal direction reading the emaki, I keep nodding my head scrolling the articles up and down. Reading Manga is another version of head movement? Can you tell what people are doing from their head movements, reading emaki, blogging, or reading manga?
Matsuya Tea House
After an easy stroll in Tenmangu in the sunset, Watari san escorted us to the Matsuya Tea House for the plum cakes--the most famous delicacies in Dazaifu. We were so contented that we began the haiku practice to share our feelings about the Japanese garden in lush green with Victorian garden furnitures. We didn't leave Matsuya until the closing time 6PM.
太宰府の旅の記念 平成二十年五月二十三日吉時
新緑の 松屋の縁で 梅ヶ枝の餅 李 向慈
楠の木の パワーをいだき 幸せだ 杵島 昭子
額紫陽花 梅雨の来ぬ間に 梅ヶ枝の餅 瀧川 浩美
シェリーさんと そぞろ歩きの 菖蒲園 渡 満寿男
Vegetarian Buffet Dinner at Ivy Hotel
Upon Hiromi san's recommendation, we walked in the Ivy Hotel for vegetarian buffet dinner. We were given a private room, Toastmaster Yumiko Nakano also joined us after work. At dinner, Masuo Watari san asked me about the marriage life in Taiwan. I replied that wives in Taiwan are in general a little happier than their counterparts in Japan. In stead of division of labor (intelligence)--men outside, women inside, cooperation of labor is more or less the common practice in Taiwan. Women and men share the family affairs and win respect from each other. Take myself for example, my husband encourages me to participate in community activities to lead a more positive life. The communication and leadership skills are applied at home at first in Toastmasters!
Jazz Factory Nishimura
When Hiromi came to D67 Spring Convention 2008 in Taipei in April, she praised Jazz Factory Nishimura in Dazaifu to the skies. That is one of the main reasons I reserved my last day in Kyushu for my favorite Jazz music. I didn't fall in love with Jazz at our first encounter. After four years graduate study in New Orleans, it is hard not to fall for Jazz being a regualr patron in French quarter on weekends.
Friday evening, after the sumptuous dinner, I joined Hiromi Takigawa, Masuo Watari, Yumiko Nakano, the three toastmasters members from Dazaifu Toastmasters Club, to enjoy a lovely evening at the famous Jazz Factory in town. It was the first night I walked into a Pub in Kyushu. The owner Nishimura san is a middle age Jazz connoisseur. His two-stories jazz factory was like a huge exhibition hall full of paintings of flowers and Jazz LPs (long playing microgroove records) and CDs. For the entire evening, the beautiful Jazz music he selected was awesome in a bluish dimly-lit jazz pub. I thank Hiromi for sharing with us her secret garden. Before we left the Jazz Factory, Nishimura san told me that I looked like Ou-Yang FeiFei. What a compliment! I felt much flattered!
In love with The Empress Yang Kuei-Fei
『天長地久有時盡，此恨綿綿無絕期』 ~長恨歌 唐 白居易
Only three Chinese characters are on the drink list of Jazz Factory Nishimura, all the rest are in kana. No time for deciphering カタカナ, I ordered Yang Kuei-Fei 楊貴妃 (Yokihi in Japanese pronunciation) for myself. When she was placed in front of me, I was amazed by her greenish transparent appearance, the champagne glass was like a precious jade. The first sip was sweet, sour, tempting, arousing, I was spellbound. After the second and third sips, I was captivated by her beauty, flavor, fragrance helplessly.
The Empress Yang Kuei-Fei is one of the four beauties in China. Her death is still a myth in Chinese history. Maybe she did flee to Japan in 756AD with the help of embassy to Tang Dynasty. Maybe one of her descents is now a toastmaster in District 76.
Haiku Practice at Jazz Factory Nishimura
I love haiku, be it in Japanese or in English. While drinking to the Jazz music, I solicited Dazaifu toastmasters members for a piece of their thoughts in Haiku.
A Friend from Taiwan, How happy we are all here, Surround by nice Jazz Yumiko Nakano
Talk and Listen, To spark our life, Toastmasters! Hiromi Takigawa
A lovely lady she's, Iris is in full bloom, On our way to the shrine Masuo Watari
Jazz Plays in the Air, Toastmasters in Dazaifu, Feeling blue tonight Sherry Li
Talents among Toastmasters
Incoming President Masuo Watari gave an impromptu Jazz guitar show at the Jazz Factory before we called it a night. While he played the guitar and sang All of Me, Hiromi recorded his awesome performance. I was so impressed that there are many talents in the big Toastmasters family. I hope one day we could have a chance to have a debut duet in Toastmasters either in Taiwan or in Japan. Masuo told me that he would work on the country music from now. I was thrilled to hear the good news. Just imagine seven golden ladies clogging toastmasters with Masuo Watari from Dazaifu and Masao Inuzaka from Nagoya on stage, what a splendid troupe we are, something to look forward to in the future. Have a look at photos of Day 8 in Fukuoka and Dazaifu with D76 Division E Governor Mohri and Dazaifu Toastmasters club members.
No comments:
Post a Comment