Last night was the Soul Run leaving party for all of the one-year students who are leaving over the next few weeks. Soul Run is the traditional Japanese dance that I joined the society for at ICU.
It was at a really cool Hawaiian restaurant in Kichijoji (吉祥寺), and we'd rented the whole place for the evening, so it was quite expensive (Y3,200 per person) but it was definitely worth it. The atmosphere was incredible, with everyone just wanting to celebrate their amazing year in Japan.
But, it was bitter sweet, because we all knew it was the last time we'd all be together, and there were some teary-eyed people by the end of it. It was made much more emotional by Rei, our leader (団長, danchou), because he'd made a presentation for us and showed us on his laptop. It was a slideshow of photos and videos of us over the last year, and the full video of our performance. Apparently he'd spent a month collecting the videos and everything for it, and we were so grateful!
And after that, he called each of us up to him one by one and presented us with a copy of that video and a small board with personal messages from the permanent students to us. They were all so sweet and heartfelt! Definitely something I can treasure.
The whole night was one I will never forget. And I'll never forget the friends I made here.
Showing posts with label Soul Run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soul Run. Show all posts
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Soul Run Christmas Party
Last Friday was the Soul Run Christmas party! It was exactly a week until Christmas, but none of us (particularly the exchange students) were feeling very festive. I wasn't feeling it because it wasn't cold enough! It was still 5C at night, which is as high as it goes during the day tops in Britain! It seems like Britain is going through a cold spell at the moment, with temperatures of -6C and lots of snow all over the country. I missed the first White Christmas in absolutely ages!
We went to an all you can drink karaoke place in Shinjuku for the party. It turned out that the place we had booked didn't have enough space for the 20 or so of us, so we had to go to their annex. It was in a seedy-looking building above a host bar, which looked slightly dodgy, but it turned out to be perfectly fine.
It cost Y2,500 per person, and that included all the drinks (but not beer, which required an extra fee, as is pretty common in Japan) and seven dishes of salad, chips (as in French fries), popcorn and things like that. I had one alcoholic drink, and then had oolong tea for the rest of the night. I've realised that I'm not a big drinker, although I do drink alcohol.
We sang lots of Christmas songs at first, me starting the night off with my all-time favourite Christmas song - All I Want For Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey. The Japanese name is, weirdly, 恋人たちのクリスマス, koibitotachi no kurisumasu, which translates as something like 'The Couple's Christmas'.
That was a lot of fun to sing, and I did take a video, but I adamantly refuse to put it on the internet, as that can lead to nothing good!
We then sang a lot of other traditional Christmas songs, both English and Japanese versions, and then changed to Disney, and ended up with the normal pop songs.
This was the night we were exchanging our Secret Santa gifts, so Rei and A-chan got up with the microphones and called out the names of the people who were giving presents. I was the first one to be called, so I went up and gave my present, a small cup and flannel with cute characters on them, to a girl called Nao. Rei asked us to say a message as we handed our presents over so I thanked her for teaching us Soul Run, and wished her a very merry Christmas.
The next person was Rob, and he got up and announced that he had been given me! So I went back up to get my present, and I was really surprised. Rob said that I'd become a really good friend of his over the last few months, and he was glad we were living together. I felt the same way, so I was a bit overcome with emotion. And his gift was so thoughtful! He got me a Japanese Where's Wally book, and a Perfume Portfolio (Perfume is my favourite Japanese pop group), along with a really nicely written letter. I was so overwhelmed by his kindness! I wish I had money so I could give him something as nice back!
We did the rest of the Secret Santas, and everyone was really pleased with their gifts. It was the first time Soul Run had done a Secret Santa, and it worked very well. I definitely want to do it again at some point!
It was a great night. I had brought my Santa hat along, to get into the festive spirit, and something must have worked, because I ended up very seasonal and jolly.
After karaoke, we split in half, and some went home, but I stayed with a group of about eight who went back to Rei's (the leader) house for the night. We took the Seibu Shinjuku line (西部新宿線) from Seibu Shinjuku station, which is about ten minutes' walk from JR Shinjuku station, the main one. The station was very crowded when we arrived, and we walked down the platform and then waited for the train. The train took a long time to arrive, and the platform was getting busier and busier. The train came, and it was nearly empty. But after everyone had got on, it was extremely cramped. We were some of the first to get on, so we were by the door on the opposite side to the platform.
The busy train left Shinjuku and stopped at Takadanobaba (高田馬場) first. Some people got off, but then about twice that amount tried to get on. A-chan was pushed right up against my chest, and she cried out "I can hear your heartbeat!" Not the most romantic setting for that kind of line...
The train stayed at Takadanobaba for a really long time (we think there may have been a suicide further along the line that caused a delay), and that meant that more and more people tried to force themselves on. When the train left, there really was no room to breathe. I had an old man falling asleep on my shoulder, with A-chan pushed against my chest, and Rei holding my bag behind me. It was definitely the most crowded train I've ever been on. Actually, probably the most crowded place I've ever been in. I was lucky to be right by the door, because there was a breeze coming in through the door, and when we stopped at a station I had to get off the train to let other people get off, which meant I got some fresh air. This also meant that I had to be the person who shoved everyone further into the train, and then hold onto the door frame so I didn't get caught in the closing doors. I felt awful, but I'd seen so many people do it before I knew it was a normal occurence. I tried my very best to be okay with it, as I do get claustrophobic, and I was surprised that I was fine, even though there were big gaps in between each stop. I must be getting used to it!
We had a bit of a scare when a very large Japanese man with very bloodshot eyes started staring at Rob, muttering threatening comments. He did it to all of us, but Rob was closest, so he got the full brunt of it. It was the first time we'd ever felt threatened in Japan. The man eventually got off without any trouble, but we were quite worried for a bit. The lovely thing was that several of the other Japanese people said "It's okay now" once he'd gone. We think it must have been racism that fuelled his anger towards us, which is a shame, but it was bound to happen some time.
We put that experience behind us when we got off the train at Rei's stop, which is one stop before Saitama prefecture, so it took just under an hour from Shinjuku. What an awful journey! But at least I can say I've been on one of those trains. I really can't imagine doing that every day though, the life of a salaryman is really not for me.
We had a great night after that. We rolled ourselves up in blankets and chatted for a while, and then watched Aladdin, which was a lot of fun. We went to sleep at about 3am, and slept til 10. Most people left pretty quickly, but Rob and I stayed for a while until mid-afternoon. I love Rei's house, it's really big (four rooms and a bathroom, with a small garden!) and I feel very comfortable there.
All in all, it was a lovely night, and it definitely put me in the Christmas mood!
We went to an all you can drink karaoke place in Shinjuku for the party. It turned out that the place we had booked didn't have enough space for the 20 or so of us, so we had to go to their annex. It was in a seedy-looking building above a host bar, which looked slightly dodgy, but it turned out to be perfectly fine.
It cost Y2,500 per person, and that included all the drinks (but not beer, which required an extra fee, as is pretty common in Japan) and seven dishes of salad, chips (as in French fries), popcorn and things like that. I had one alcoholic drink, and then had oolong tea for the rest of the night. I've realised that I'm not a big drinker, although I do drink alcohol.
We sang lots of Christmas songs at first, me starting the night off with my all-time favourite Christmas song - All I Want For Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey. The Japanese name is, weirdly, 恋人たちのクリスマス, koibitotachi no kurisumasu, which translates as something like 'The Couple's Christmas'.
That was a lot of fun to sing, and I did take a video, but I adamantly refuse to put it on the internet, as that can lead to nothing good!
We then sang a lot of other traditional Christmas songs, both English and Japanese versions, and then changed to Disney, and ended up with the normal pop songs.
This was the night we were exchanging our Secret Santa gifts, so Rei and A-chan got up with the microphones and called out the names of the people who were giving presents. I was the first one to be called, so I went up and gave my present, a small cup and flannel with cute characters on them, to a girl called Nao. Rei asked us to say a message as we handed our presents over so I thanked her for teaching us Soul Run, and wished her a very merry Christmas.
The next person was Rob, and he got up and announced that he had been given me! So I went back up to get my present, and I was really surprised. Rob said that I'd become a really good friend of his over the last few months, and he was glad we were living together. I felt the same way, so I was a bit overcome with emotion. And his gift was so thoughtful! He got me a Japanese Where's Wally book, and a Perfume Portfolio (Perfume is my favourite Japanese pop group), along with a really nicely written letter. I was so overwhelmed by his kindness! I wish I had money so I could give him something as nice back!
We did the rest of the Secret Santas, and everyone was really pleased with their gifts. It was the first time Soul Run had done a Secret Santa, and it worked very well. I definitely want to do it again at some point!
It was a great night. I had brought my Santa hat along, to get into the festive spirit, and something must have worked, because I ended up very seasonal and jolly.
After karaoke, we split in half, and some went home, but I stayed with a group of about eight who went back to Rei's (the leader) house for the night. We took the Seibu Shinjuku line (西部新宿線) from Seibu Shinjuku station, which is about ten minutes' walk from JR Shinjuku station, the main one. The station was very crowded when we arrived, and we walked down the platform and then waited for the train. The train took a long time to arrive, and the platform was getting busier and busier. The train came, and it was nearly empty. But after everyone had got on, it was extremely cramped. We were some of the first to get on, so we were by the door on the opposite side to the platform.
The busy train left Shinjuku and stopped at Takadanobaba (高田馬場) first. Some people got off, but then about twice that amount tried to get on. A-chan was pushed right up against my chest, and she cried out "I can hear your heartbeat!" Not the most romantic setting for that kind of line...
The train stayed at Takadanobaba for a really long time (we think there may have been a suicide further along the line that caused a delay), and that meant that more and more people tried to force themselves on. When the train left, there really was no room to breathe. I had an old man falling asleep on my shoulder, with A-chan pushed against my chest, and Rei holding my bag behind me. It was definitely the most crowded train I've ever been on. Actually, probably the most crowded place I've ever been in. I was lucky to be right by the door, because there was a breeze coming in through the door, and when we stopped at a station I had to get off the train to let other people get off, which meant I got some fresh air. This also meant that I had to be the person who shoved everyone further into the train, and then hold onto the door frame so I didn't get caught in the closing doors. I felt awful, but I'd seen so many people do it before I knew it was a normal occurence. I tried my very best to be okay with it, as I do get claustrophobic, and I was surprised that I was fine, even though there were big gaps in between each stop. I must be getting used to it!
We had a bit of a scare when a very large Japanese man with very bloodshot eyes started staring at Rob, muttering threatening comments. He did it to all of us, but Rob was closest, so he got the full brunt of it. It was the first time we'd ever felt threatened in Japan. The man eventually got off without any trouble, but we were quite worried for a bit. The lovely thing was that several of the other Japanese people said "It's okay now" once he'd gone. We think it must have been racism that fuelled his anger towards us, which is a shame, but it was bound to happen some time.
We put that experience behind us when we got off the train at Rei's stop, which is one stop before Saitama prefecture, so it took just under an hour from Shinjuku. What an awful journey! But at least I can say I've been on one of those trains. I really can't imagine doing that every day though, the life of a salaryman is really not for me.
We had a great night after that. We rolled ourselves up in blankets and chatted for a while, and then watched Aladdin, which was a lot of fun. We went to sleep at about 3am, and slept til 10. Most people left pretty quickly, but Rob and I stayed for a while until mid-afternoon. I love Rei's house, it's really big (four rooms and a bathroom, with a small garden!) and I feel very comfortable there.
All in all, it was a lovely night, and it definitely put me in the Christmas mood!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Very Busy Two Weeks
This post is just a quick apology for the lack of updates over the last week and a half! After the ICU Festival last weekend, which was busy enough with all the Soul Run practices for the performance, I have entered a period of exam after exam after presentation. The end of term is next Friday, and the run-up is full to the brim with tests and various deadlines.
So I'm afraid I don't think I'll have the time to write up the happenings of the last two weeks until my break starts. I'm so looking forward to that two weeks off!
I will catch up soon!
So I'm afraid I don't think I'll have the time to write up the happenings of the last two weeks until my break starts. I'm so looking forward to that two weeks off!
I will catch up soon!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Soul Run Performance & The ICU Festival
Halloween weekend (31st Oct-1st Nov) was my University's festival (学際, gakusai), where we performed the heavily-rehearsed Soul Run dance.
Rob, Katy and I cycled in at lunchtime on the Saturday to get ready for the 3pm performance. We met the others at the gym and got changed into our happi (法被), the costumes for the dance. And we got hachimaki (鉢巻) headbands for the first time, and tied them ourselves, with a little bit of difficulty!
We then took all our things from the gym to one of the buildings near the stage, Shin D-kan. I was so nervous! I was terrified I was going to mess up in a really obvious way... We had half an hour to get even more scared, but the time passed quickly, and then we were lining up behind the stage, waiting for the act before us to finish.
I had invited one of my housemates from last year to come and watch, and he saw me waiting and wished me luck before going to join the audience.
Our leader (団長, danchou), a very cool guy called Rei, went out first and introduced us on the microphone to the crowd gathered on Ahoyama (あほ山), the name of one of the hills outside the main building (本館, honkan) in ICU.
He gave the signal for us to file out and take our places. As soon as I stepped out in front of everyone my mouth dried up completely. I was so nervous!
We found out places and took the first position. Rei took his place in front of us, and we all waited for his shout. And then we were off!
There are lots of videos of the performance on YouTube (unfortunately I don't have any). Here's one of them, but if you put "ICU Soul Run" into the search bar it comes up with several of them, including performances from previous years.
The following photos might give you an idea of what the dance was like... I'm the tall white guy closest to the camera in this top one.
There were lots of stalls selling food and drink made by the students, and everything was organised and arranged by students. It was really amazing, how hard people worked to make everything happen. And it was the nicest atmosphere!
Rob, Katy and I cycled in at lunchtime on the Saturday to get ready for the 3pm performance. We met the others at the gym and got changed into our happi (法被), the costumes for the dance. And we got hachimaki (鉢巻) headbands for the first time, and tied them ourselves, with a little bit of difficulty!
We then took all our things from the gym to one of the buildings near the stage, Shin D-kan. I was so nervous! I was terrified I was going to mess up in a really obvious way... We had half an hour to get even more scared, but the time passed quickly, and then we were lining up behind the stage, waiting for the act before us to finish.
I had invited one of my housemates from last year to come and watch, and he saw me waiting and wished me luck before going to join the audience.
Our leader (団長, danchou), a very cool guy called Rei, went out first and introduced us on the microphone to the crowd gathered on Ahoyama (あほ山), the name of one of the hills outside the main building (本館, honkan) in ICU.
He gave the signal for us to file out and take our places. As soon as I stepped out in front of everyone my mouth dried up completely. I was so nervous!
We found out places and took the first position. Rei took his place in front of us, and we all waited for his shout. And then we were off!
There are lots of videos of the performance on YouTube (unfortunately I don't have any). Here's one of them, but if you put "ICU Soul Run" into the search bar it comes up with several of them, including performances from previous years.
The following photos might give you an idea of what the dance was like... I'm the tall white guy closest to the camera in this top one.
I made a couple of timing errors, and one bigger mistake towards the end, but thankfully nobody noticed until Rob pointed it out (thanks Rob, haha), so hopefully it's not too obvious.
But I was so so happy to have accomplished that. We put in so much time and effort into that four minute performance! Towards the end of the seven weeks we were doing 8-10 hours a week after our lessons to try to make it look as smooth as possible.
And I was so pleased we did it! It was a similar feeling to when I finished the Midnight Walk across Tokyo a few weeks before.
And everyone was overjoyed to have done it!
But I was so so happy to have accomplished that. We put in so much time and effort into that four minute performance! Towards the end of the seven weeks we were doing 8-10 hours a week after our lessons to try to make it look as smooth as possible.
And I was so pleased we did it! It was a similar feeling to when I finished the Midnight Walk across Tokyo a few weeks before.
And everyone was overjoyed to have done it!
After the performance, we congratulated each other and celebrated back in Shin D, before splitting up to enjoy the rest of the festival without worrying about the dance!
There were lots of stalls selling food and drink made by the students, and everything was organised and arranged by students. It was really amazing, how hard people worked to make everything happen. And it was the nicest atmosphere!
That evening we had an after party (お疲れ様パーティー, otsukaresama paatii) in Kichijoji. We went to an all you can eat and drink place and had a really nice time. Everyone was in the party mood, and framed photos and teddy bears were given to Rei, and three other members who are in their final year at ICU. The staff (幹部, kanbu) all worked incredibly hard towards the performance, and we owe them so much for everything.
It was Halloween night so there were some people out in costumes. As we were deciding who was going to karaoke, and who was going to a club in the centre, two small Japanese children came up trick or treating, and the boy found me hilarious, as I was wearing a Tigger hat with a tail. At least I hope it was the hat that he found so funny...
We went to karaoke and had a really nice evening, knowing that we'd done a good job.
We went back to ICU the next day as well, to see other performances, and soak up more of the fun atmosphere. The weather was lovely on both days, clear skies and around 20-25C. It was the warmest Halloween I'd ever experienced!
The taiko drumming was incredible, and the performers worked really really hard - you could see the amount of effort it took!
Rob and I watched Smooth Steppers, which is ICU's hip hop-style dance club. It has well over 50 members! The dances were all amazing, and I really enjoyed watching them. One of our friends, who's in my Japanese class, and also lives in our guesthouse, was performing, and she did incredibly well.
After Smooth Steppers, the performances were over, and it was time for us to watch the Closing Ceremony. It's usually held outside, but because there was a risk of rain, they held it in the auditorium. 
It was a really nice weekend, and it made me really feel like I was part of the ICU community, and even more a part of Soul Run. I wish Leeds did something similar - I should suggest it!
After Smooth Steppers, the performances were over, and it was time for us to watch the Closing Ceremony. It's usually held outside, but because there was a risk of rain, they held it in the auditorium.
This was where we would find out who won first, second and third prize for the performances. There were 40 performances in total that we could vote for. But I don't think the way the voting was done was very good, because people could only vote for who they wanted to win 5 minutes after the act. Which means that people can't see everything before deciding which was the best.
But, despite that, we had received a text saying that Soul Run was in the top three as the votes stood, without Smooth Steppers being counted, which it had never done before. So lots of us headed to watch, as there was a chance we would be asked to dance again.
The ceremony was very good, with lots of good acts - juggling and dancing, and things like that.
And then it was announced! Soul Run didn't make the top three! We were knocked off by Smooth Steppers in the end. But they did deserve it, they worked really really hard. But Soul Run still came fourth, which is the best they'd ever done! So that was definitely a good achievement.
It was a really nice weekend, and it made me really feel like I was part of the ICU community, and even more a part of Soul Run. I wish Leeds did something similar - I should suggest it!
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