Good morning blog! 

Despite it being a travel day, we still managed to squeeze in a fun activity. We started the day by bringing our suitcases and carryons down to the lobby where they were held while we went to the Samurai Museum.

The suitcases were loaded onto a van and driven to Hamamatsu. We will see them in three days. (Godspeed!)  

At the museum, we had a very interesting lesson on the history of the Samurai. Including but not limited to: Japanese battles with the Mongolians, the revolutions the Samurai endured to gain power in Japan, and the downfall of the Samurai; where their main form of weapon (the katana) became illegal. 

Fun fact: after carrying a katana became illegal, many samurai became police officers in order to maintain their beloved sword, as they were only allowed to be carried by the officers. 

Additionally, since Ninjas and Samurai went hand-in-hand, once the Samurai fell, so did the Ninjas. After their fall, Ninjas joined militaries and started the first group of spies in the Japanese militia. Our guide was very funny and made the lesson much more interesting

After the history, we got to have some fun of our own. We were taught how to throw a Shuriken, also known as a throwing star or ninja star. Once we got the hang of it, we had a friendly competition to see who could throw the best bullseye. I am immensely sad to say that while Chloe and David put up a good fight, Scott had the overall best shot. 

(Click here for a quick video of the competition, showing Scott’s bullseye throw!)

Afterwards, we were able to try on traditional samurai outfits. It was fun to watch our friends get into character and really feel the power of their clothes.

Afterwards, we were able to look around the street that the museum was on. It was an old stone path that had some shops along the way. However, we needed to quickly return to Kyoto Station, so that journey was short lived. 

We collected our carryons from the hotel and brought them with us back to Kyoto Station.  We then bought lunch and snacks to keep us occupied on our journey along two bullet trains. The first one we were all together, but the second one was too crowded, so we were split across three separate cars. During this 2 hour long voyage, we were able to play video games, read books, listen to music, and (cough cough) write the blog (😉). 

After getting off the trains, we found our hotel, got checked in, and were given free time until curfew.

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the more interesting cultural parts of Japan. 

First, there is a significant amount of etiquette involved in every interaction. It plays an essential role in social settings. For example, at the local convenience stores, which are called “konbinis”, bowing is utilized as a sign of acknowledgement and respect. 

Many doors here are smaller, specifically in certain shops, with the intent of encouraging the person entering to bow as a sign of humility.

Recycling and trash are also important considerations. There are very few trash cans out in the cities— a stark difference from New York City! And yet, there is not a lot of litter. Here, it is very common to take your trash home. But don’t worry! If you are in a quick pinch, a local konbini will always have a can. 

Furthermore, we recycle a lot more here into many different categories. There’s a difference between combustible and non combustible waste! For example, it would be improper to throw a plastic cup into a paper cup waste bin. 

Finally, etiquette on the trains and subways is of the utmost importance. You can’t hear a pin drop while the New York Ringers are on the train. However, even on a crowded rush hour train, silence is palpable. It is extremely fascinating to see how social norms carry on through generations and how they present themselves in Japan.

Signing off for now,

Noreen & Jordan 🌸

Lovingly edited by Rachel

With contributions from Judith 

Praise Be 

It was the second day of our stay at the Vessel Hotel in Kyoto today. We ate breakfast as usual, and loaded up on the first coach bus of the trip.

Our first stop was the Golden Pavilion, “Kinkakuji”, a zen temple whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. It also houses Buddha’s ashes, and serves as an important spiritual site. 

From there, we took a brief bus ride which was supplemented by an origami session. Led by our guide Nobu, we made samurai hats, as seen below. 

We arrived at Arashiyama bamboo forest where we explored a sea of deep green built almost entirely of bamboo stalks. The forest also featured smaller features such as fountains and small shrines. We were also able to cool slightly due to the shade provided.

From there, we took public transportation to Fushimi Inari Taisha, a Shinto shrine which boasts approximately 10,000 torii gates which lined the paths up the 233m tall mountain Inari. At this point, the heat was pounding and there was little respite in the form of shade or AC. The views while ascending were unique and impressive, and midway through the trip we found smaller attractions, such as a stone that is said to predict the ease of achieving one’s wishes. After following the path up and down the mountain.

Afterwards we took public transportation home, and after a long day of enriching cultures we all had free time. At this point the group split up and took trains to shop or go back to the hotel to get some much needed rest.

Isaac & Andrew

It’s day 5 of our trip and we made it to Kyoto! Our breakfast this morning was different from the last hotel. The same buffet style as the last hotel, but many more choices. The food required you to make it yourself, and gave more room for customization.

We had a guide today, whose name was Nobu. Instead of a train, we took our first public bus. It was unfortunately just as crowded. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of a shopping street with a temple at the top. We passed many shops on the way up the very long hill, and arrived at the temple stairs. At this point many of us were very tired, but we trekked on. There was an area of the temple wh

ere you had to take off your shoes to walk on the floor, and see the artifacts of the temple. It was very expansive and had many ups and downs. The view from the balconies were great. At the bottom of a flight of stairs were 3 waterfalls representing love, success, and longevity. If you washed your hands with one, that wish would become true.

After around an hour of exploring, we went back down the street to go shopping. Once everyone had finished we headed down to a tofu restaurant we had a reservation for at 1:00. Because of its size and layout we were in different rooms because there were 34 of us. We decided to go with cold tofu because it was about 96 degrees and felt like about 98 degrees. Luckily it was air conditioned.

Then we got onto a subway train and went to Nijō Castle. When we got there to the main building we had to take our shoes off to enter. Then when we got inside we got to see the rooms with replicas of the original artwork of the building. There are no photos of the art because taking photos and videos was not allowed.

Then we went back on a subway train bound for Kyoto station. When we got there we learned about the station and then we split up into different groups and went different paths to do different things, like eating dinner, around the station. And right outside was Kyoto tower, Kyoto’s tallest building.

Sam & Crawford

For day 4 of Japan, we woke up early and grabbed some breakfast in the hotel downstairs.

This is an example of the breakfast we were given.

After eating we all made sure that our suitcases were fully packed, did multiple checks that we had our passports, made sure hotel rooms were empty then headed to the lobby to meet the full group. Everyone began bringing their suitcases outside to load them into the truck and then met back inside to do a quick check that everyone had their belongings before leaving. As a group we all walked to the train station and got on our first train of the day. That train was pretty crowded since it was still rush hour at that time but we made it work. After that we got on another train and ended up at Tokyo station.

The first thing we did at the station was get our Japan Rail passes that we need to travel across the country for the rest of the trip. After we got that sorted out we went into Tokyo station which was super busy with lots of shops and paths. We took the train to Shibuya then we went our separate ways. Some people walked the scramble then went to different shops like Nintendo and Sanrio.

After walking the scramble, Brie and I went to a higher level so that we could see the scramble from above. It was cool to see both views.

Then we went into a mall that had many different open shops. It was cool to see how that mall was different from and the same as the ones we were used to in America. The setup was very nice!

After the mall, Brie and I rode the train back to Tokyo station (by ourselves!). We felt very accomplished having got back to the right place.

Then we met everyone in Tokyo station and waited for the bullet train that would take us to Kyoto. The train was very cool and felt like an airplane on wheels! We got to see many different landscapes of Japan while on the 2 and a half hour ride.

After arriving at a platform, we took one last subway to Kyoto. From there we then walked to our hotel which was very close to the subway and noticed the amount of food places that were close by including a 7 eleven, McDonalds and a 23 hour restaurant.

We arrived at the hotel and waited to receive our key cards and all of the information. Eiko then gave us everything we needed and we headed upstairs with our suitcases that were dropped off at the hotel for us. People then went there separate ways. London, Chloe and I then decided on getting dressed up and heading out to the streets of Kyoto to find a place to have a nice dinner. We walked a lot throughout the streets and took many pictures at a river.

We ended up getting Japanese 7-eleven food since there was not much time to get a real dinner somewhere sit down. We all went back to our hotel rooms, ate our delicious food, showered and went to sleep.

Brie & London

Hi everyone!!

We started our second day in Tokyo with breakfast at the hotel. Everyone ate and left at 9:15 for the subway and caught a train to the Tokyo Tower.

It was so amazing to see and we got to go all the way to the top of the tower, where we could see Tokyo from above. There were 3 different elevators to get to the top. One was a normal elevator and the other two were glass walled elevators so we could see the view while going up. There were also glass floors on one of the observation decks so we could see the city under our feet (scary but fun).

Everyone ate lunch at the food court at the bottom of the tower after the Tokyo Tower Tour. There was delicious food and we had some free time to shop at all the shops and stalls around.

Then we went to the Team Labs Interactive Art Museum. The exhibits were elaborate, amazing, and beautifully made. They were mostly light based with eye tricks and picturesque imagery. Some of the exhibits you could even control what was going on! There were exhibits with projections on the walls and some with mirrors and lights. The mirror ones were very cool, because it made small rooms look big and make it look like there were endless fields in front of us, when there was only a small room.

We then took public transport to Meiji Jingue Shrine, where we split up into groups to explore! The main shrine was very cool and you could purify yourself with water and give an offering to the shrine. The whole scenery was beautiful and the walk was easy. The whole experience was a lot of fun.

Afterwards, we met up and to avoid rush hour in the train we went to Takeshita Street to have dinner and to go shopping. There were plenty of different shops including restaurants, souvenir shops, clothing stores, and more!

Everyone was exhausted and tired and we went with the group to go back to the hotel. One of the trains was so packed we had to split the group in two so we could get to the next stop! We took the train and walked back to the hotel to go to bed and get a much needed nights sleep!

George & Dante

Hello everyone!

Today was the first day of our travels, adventures and handbell fun! We woke up for breakfast around 6:45am and had a wonderful Japanese spread. There was a mix of American and Japanese foods such as miso soup, croissants, eggs, fruits, yogurt and much more! 

(This is Noreen’s breakfast!) 

The breakfast was really good! It was great to eat some authentic miso soup and udon noodles. At the table I sat at, I exchanged and learned new Japanese phrases to say! (The most common Japanese phrases we have been using are “sumimasen” meaning excuse me and “arigato” meaning thank you.)

After we ate our fill, we started our arduous journey to Kannai where we were to play a Friendship Concert at Kanto Gakuin University along with their representative choirs. Let me tell you, as much as our musical abilities are needed, I would also say that we needed some physical strength in order to complete our journey. We were in 90 degree, humid heat going up and down the subway stairs while also proudly wearing our handbell shirts! 

(Some pictures of the subway!) 

(This is the view from the subway!)

We then walked 4 minutes to the University campus. The Kanto Gakuin choir greeted us and showed us where to put our bells. We then went to a space outside of the auditorium we were playing in and we got paired up with the Kanto Gakuin choir members. We then had a little time to spare and we started getting together a gift to give the other ringers which included friendship bracelets, chord protectors, pins, and some candy.

(The venue looks like this!)

We settled in, pulled our bells out then started practicing our solos. It took a little while to get used to the big space of the auditorium but with a little practice we soon felt comfortable playing. Lunch couldn’t have come sooner and around 1:30 pm we were served bento boxes.

(They looked like this!) 

They were really good and filling and my favorite part was the rice. All of us ate with the Kanto Gakuin choir and we tried our best to interact with them and exchange our goodies! 

Afterwards, we practiced some more and listened to the other choir’s solos. We were all very amazed by the Japanese choirs and then we thought to ourselves, “we should have practiced more!” Nonetheless, the Japanese choirs did amazing solos and had quite the diverse repertoire and were extremely respectful audiences. 

(Program:)

After about 4 hours of on and off rehearsal, we sat down and the head of the university started a short worship service. One of the Japanese directors wanted to take a group photo so we changed into our dress clothes and took a photo with the Kanto Gakuin choirs. 

Then, the concert commenced! Scott and Eiko were interviewed about their handbell experiences and a previous Emanuel handbell parent was also interviewed. We played all of our pieces very well and enjoyed listening to everyone else ring. We also did joint pieces with other choirs! We had announcers in Japanese and English to introduce the choirs and the music they were playing. They also explained the main theme of peace that was woven through a lot of the music. The concert lasted 3 hours with a short intermission and was enjoyable to listen to! We learned some new techniques and listened to some great music! 

After the concert, some of us were able to spend some time with 2 of Kyoko Tagami Meredith’s (KCR’s former handbell director) sisters (Kaori and Makiko) and their extended family. They had never heard handbells in person before!

Handbell ringing may seem fun and all but we were wiped out by the end of the concert! We quickly packed up all of our bells which were kindly transported to Hamamatsu by the Kanto Gakuin choir director so we don’t have to lug them there ourselves. (Thank you Takasu-sensei!) The subway ride back was fairly smooth and some of us broke off from the group to get dinner. By this time, everyone was ready to hit the hay and call it a night. We had a great time ringing with everyone there and we will dearly remember this experience! Thank you for tuning in to this blog post and see you all tomorrow! 🙂

Sasha & Aria

–

Bonus: 

Here we are all tired walking back to the hotel!

On the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the week we left, KCR and the ER1s met at Emanuel for rehearsal from 7-9 pm. We rehearsed all the pieces both for the symposium and for the Sunday concert at some point during those three rehearsals, but spent a bit more time on the pieces for the Sunday concert. There are four: Compassion by Jason Krug (a beautiful piece, with some fun little polyrhythms, which both choirs have previously performed), Galaxy Express 999 by Yukihide Takekawa (which is a theme song for a Japanese anime and generally well liked by most of us, although a few of us at first had quite some difficulties with some actually very simple rhythms), Prayer by Arnold Sherman (a simple and beautiful piece by a well-known handbell music composer who passed away a few months ago), and Song of Peace, also by Arnold Sherman (the ringers have mixed feelings about this one due to its very dissonant dissonance, but certain sources say that we have come to appreciate it).

Friday morning we arrived at Emanuel at 8:15 am and made sure all the bell cases had luggage tags with their assigned traveller’s names on them, and also made sure every single piece of to-be-checked luggage had a rainbow strap (although when the rainbow straps ran out a few people had to endure neon green or orange luggage straps instead). We then had a meeting in the sanctuary to officially say goodbye and for Eiko to give a few announcements, and Pastor Martin sent us off with a blessing.

Once we got to the airport, we checked in our bells and suitcases before making our way through security. From there, we had about an hour before we had to be back at our gate for boarding, so many of us went off to find lunch. Soon, it was time to board the plane, and although we were a little delayed in take off, everything went fine. Our flight time was approximately 14 hours, so to occupy the time we mostly slept, read, and watched movies/TV. Throughout the flight we got some meals and plenty of snacks from the flight attendants, who were amazing. We landed at around 5 pm Japan time, which is 4 am in New York. Everyone disembarked and headed for Customs with all of our luggage thankfully, although a cookie or two might have been left behind. Customs took 2 hours for everyone to get through, but we all made it and loaded our things onto the bus before heading to the hotel. Some of us grabbed a quick bite to eat at a market next to the hotel, and then we all settled in for a night of rest before our concert tomorrow.

Chloe & Julia