Monday, May 26, 2008

5/25 - Osaka and Hyogo


because we had not played the britten violin concerto w/ midori since early in the season, we had a rehearsal before today's concert. there were 2 buses that went to the hall in hyogo and in order to get 20 more minutes of practicing in, i decided to take the earlier bus. i guess many other people felt the same way because the bus was so packed, we even had to use seats that folded out into the aisle.

we didn't have much time between the rehearsal and concert but fortunately, there was a small cafeteria in the performing arts center which had all sorts of good food like curry, udon, soba, etc. after eating quickly, i got ready and went on stage. the hall in hyogo was pretty nice and looked like it could seat 3,000 or more (and it was packed). the acoustics were different from suntory hall but still good. this audience was a bit different than the one in tokyo in that they were definitely more expressive (more "bravos" and yelling).

after the britten, we played the shostakovich once again. this was actually the very first symphony i played w/ the philadelphia orchestra. what makes it even more meaningful is that i'm sitting w/ the same stand partner (lisa-beth lambert) which has been great! listening to solos being passed around the different sections and principals once again reminded me of how blessed i am to be a part of this group.

for dinner, we had plans to meet a pediatric surgeon who pauline has been tutoring in english back in philadelphia. she returned to japan recently to do some research in nearby kyoto. by her friend's recommendation, she took us to the best sushi restaurant in osaka (nawa sushi). i think i have had good sushi in the past but i would have to say this was definitely some of the best (and freshest) fish i have ever tasted. i have never experienced toro (fatty tuna) melt in my mouth the way this did. i am also not the bravest when it comes to trying new things but everything she ordered was amazing (and there were a few i had never seen or heard of before).



after dinner, we decided to walk back to the hotel and on the way, stopped by several convenience stores (which are literally on every single corner) in search of a great slushy ice cream dessert called coolish. it comes in many flavors but so far, our favorite is peach (which is often sold out and also the reason why we had to go to a couple of stores before finding it). they are soooooooo good. i will try to include a picture later on.

tomorrow we're heading back to tokyo and have one more concert at suntory hall on tuesday.

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