Tuesday’s report will offer some insights into life in Kyoto for Westerners in the age of Covid. Today we discuss food and music.
Kyoto specialties
That night, I filmed a 2.5-hour film discussing Japan’s future and other issues with a colleague from Kyoto University.
The edited footage will be edited and packaged for later screening, and I’ll be sure to post ads when and where.
After the discussion, we had dinner, which was served to the filming location by a local Kyoto Zen Buddhist caterer that specializes in- Shojin cuisine – and prepare in the traditional way.
The host knew I was a vegan and “performed” for me.
This cuisine developed in the temples of the C7 century and was further refined in the C13 century.
Not only does it eschew any meat products, but it also avoids garlic and onions, which is fine for me as I am allergic to garlic.
Food is based on the so-called “law of five”, which means:
… each meal offers five colors (green, yellow, red, black and white) and five flavors (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami) that are naturally derived from ingredients rather than through additional seasoning agent added.
Vegetable selection also has complex seasonal patterns to provide warmth and coolness where appropriate.
In the end, the arrangement was very careful and all the parts of the vegetables we would normally waste are used for soups etc.
In other words, it’s a real treat for those who are vegan and interested in sustainable eating.
Here is a photo of the tray table that each of us received.
And a closeup of my tray – beautifully presented and a real treat. That makes 2.5 hours of shooting look pretty good.
I repeat my consistent claim – if you claim to be environmentally conscious and want to do something to save the planet, it’s time to switch to this diet and give up all meat.
Even if you don’t know about animal rights – climate reasons alone are enough.
Lock and Loll in Kyoto
What happens when work tools are put down in Kyoto on Saturday night?
We picked up some other work tools and of course played lock n loll – loud and arrogant.
have fun!
The first is linguistics.
I got to know my Japanese friends more and more, and, after all formal and hierarchical (social) protocols were lifted, the bowing stopped, so we could look each other in the eye and ask questions.
Me: Why do Japanese say “l” when they say “r” when they speak English?
Japanese friend: Because our “r” is between “r” and “l” in English. There is no English “r” sound in our language.
Me: So this Saturday night?
Japanese friends: We’ll play some lock n loll.
This article is from Scientific American (July 1, 2014) – How to teach old ears new tricks – is about cognition and why learning a foreign language is difficult for adults who have been listening to certain sounds for years.
This principle applies to all languages, not just Japanese or English.
I can’t tell the difference in Hindi like “four almost identical pronunciations dof”
Anyway, on Saturday night, when I first started the band, the amp was at 1970s levels—that is, loud.
If there were 11 on the amp dial, we’d go there.
Lots of overtones (good word for distortion).
Punk body language.
We are locked.
Last Saturday I was a guest artist at one of the oldest and best live music venues in Kyoto – “The Live Music House” – famous – Success – In Shangjing District (not far west of Imperial Garden and Palace Complex).
It’s an old winery, and the tables and chairs are from recycled wine barrels.
This is the room as seen from the stage (note that since Covid they have put up plastic screens on all tables and have limited the number of people who can attend the show).
On Saturday, I joined Kyoto band Kazuchika Misawa – with some of the best players in the area – for an energetic evening.
Here is the sign on the front door:
Here’s the front door night promotion – really flattering:
Warren Mosler is currently visiting us in Kyoto and he filmed this short video.
We’ve picked some classics that most of us haven’t played in decades, and a friend lent me his Japanese-made (which means good) Fender Telecaster.
I mainly use – Fender Stratocaster – At home I think it has more variety, but the neck on the Tele is similar and the sound is definitely very bright and hot, especially on the bridge pickups.
But I appreciate the loan.
It was a great night.
I am very grateful for the warm reception from the band members and the audience. Definitely a really informed (music etc) audience.
The promoter of Jittoku said I could bring my Melbourne band to Japan for some gigs next year. Not locked n lol, but I’ll see.
Another week in Kyoto.
have fun.
Enough for today!
(c) Copyright 2022 William Mitchell. all rights reserved.
