Our instruments had been readied for the trip the night before
The Disney on Brass CD we purchased back in Osaka
Our room in the Hotel Riverge Akebono by the banks of a river
Another shot of the room
For some reason breakfast was served in a temporary room
After breakfast we packed up all our stuff, checked out of the hotel and proceeded to the Chuki buses for the ride over to the school
Leaving Hotel Riverge Akebono
The buses drove through the town and into the school, which for some reason had a Lockheed F-104G Starfighter mounted in the courtyard. The band room, while not as impressive as Osaka Toin's building, was still impressive, and the band had 2 dedicated floors comprising the main band room, sectionals rooms and stores. As with Nambu in Hamamatsu and Osaka Toin, we had to take off our shoes before entering the school (this is probably where the take off shoes in RI band room tradition came from)
The interior of Fukui High School's band room.
Unlike Osaka Toin, the exchange here was not musical in nature, but focused more on interaction between us and the Japanese students. As usual the baritone saxophonist SL was a "crazy Japanese comedian", and the two of us managed to facilitate conversations among the section. They showed off their nice shiny Selmers (my favourite bari sax was also his, and he just got a brand new one), and we talked about our favourite saxophonists, our time in Japan, discussing Singapore, movies and a whole lot of other stuff successfully despite the language barriers. We also played some games, took photos and enjoyed Japanese snacks. From time to time, Mr Oura and Mr Atarashii would drop by to see how we were doing, and glancing around the room it could be seen that the other sections were having a good time too, also evidenced by the spontaneous eruptions of "Happy Birthday to you"
Section photo of flutes and saxophones from Fukui High School Band and Raffles Institution Military Band, with representatives from Raffles Junior College Symphonic Band
Another angle of said
All too soon it was time to leave. We exchanged gifts, headed for the buses, and in true Japanese fashion we received a rousing send-off from the students.
The line of students sending us off.
We headed back to the hotel because some people had left stuff behind. Mr Oura disembarked at the hotel and returned with a few items, such as a shirt, a plastic bag and, most amusingly, a prepaid card to watch certain programs on TV. I believe the original owner was never found. Then, we were back on the road to Osaka.
The beautiful Japanese countryside
Road signs along the road
Another one of the numerous tunnels on the road to Osaka
We pulled up at a highway rest stop for lunch. I love Japanese highway rest stops, they have a certain ambience to them, one main cafeteria and a mart, with smaller stalls selling delicious snaks outside. For lunch I decided to try the 787 ramen curry set, something which can't really be found in most places
The highway rest stop
The meal ticket for the 787 ramen curry set
787 ramen curry set
The food was good, although I think I shall try an A380 next time. I also picked up some grilled skewered beef, which was fantastic, even if overpriced. We also stocked up on sweets and souveniers at the minimart, and soon we were back on the road.
The highway gets more complex, signifying our approach to the urban areas of Osaka
On arrival, we checked in again to the New Hankyu hotel, then were given a large amount of free time. Although the teachers recommended that we visit Yodobashi Camera for its proximity, Bertrand had looked up model shops in Osaka, and found a good one we could try to visit. Being adventurous, the two of us headed there, and were not disappointed. I picked up an ANA 747-400 and a JAL 787-8, Bertrand picked up a few more models, then we headed for Yodobashi to continue our search.
Exploring Osaka by foot
Inside the model shop, with its wide selection
Yodobashi Umeda is a large department store, and the highlight of it is the 8 storey mega-electronics store, Yodobashi Camera. I did not buy anything significant, but the highlight purchase would have to be Shuotian's new camera, a Sony Cybershot obtained at $200 cheaper than in Singapore. We also bought gifts, ranging from Japanese headbands to, I am not making this up, an electronic nose hair cutter for Jeremy. Then, we headed back to meet the rest of the band for dinner.
Bertrand and I heading into Yodobashi after our little excursion
The interior of Yodobashi
We were bussed to a random street in Osaka and taken to a hotel for dinner. The dinner was a Shabu-Shabu. For those who are less familiar with Japanese cuisine, this entails a steaming pot full of boiling water in the center of the table. We were also presented with a plate of thinly sliced raw beef, a huge bowl of vegetables and two kettles of sauce, along with two individual bowls each. As Mr Oura explained, the method of doing this was to pour the two types of sauce (sesame and lime soy) into the bowls. Then, using the chopsticks, one would grab the beef and submerge it in the boiling water for a brief moment, as it would take only a few seconds to cook, being so thin. The beef would then be dipped in the sauce of preference before being eaten. Ditto with the veg. The beef was free flow, so Mr Oura left us with this piece of advice "Just whack the cow!". I respect Mr Oura as a conductor, I think we all do, so most of us took his advice to heart and consumed what must be the equivalent of a small herd of cows. Us 3 J2s plus Bryan had a running competition with the J1s as to who could eat the most, although we eventually lost 9 to 8.5.
The random street in Japan
Again
The lift up to the restaurant
Culinary heaven
Close up shot of the goods
Three cameras out at the same time
I have heard of some strange, to say the least, activities that went on in room 4068 after we got back to the hotel. However, I was not involved in such activities, and my evening was a rather peaceful one. Proud of our purchases, Bertrand, Shuotian and I decided that the best way to showcase both planes and camera was to set up an airshow.
My ANA 747-481
The Osaka Airshow 2008
Paul
That was pretty much it for the night, and for most of the band the Japan trip was effectively over, except for the noises that could be heard emanating from 4068 down the corridor. However, I'm me, and as the next and last day contained a flight, it was one more day to be looking forward to. Despite that though, I went to bed feeling sad that the wonderful time I had had in Japan was about to end...
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