Thursday, April 11, 2013

Who moved Macca's??

What a fantastic day I’ve had today!!  Last night’s bath sent me off into the much needed state of unconsciousness ready to start the day hale and hearty and feeling human again.

BLOSSOMS!!  In Takarazuka
I was a bit disappointed to discover that the free Toyoko Inn breakfast was too Western for my liking – it was more John’s style than mine - but was nice anyway, despite the lack of rice balls that I’ve come to know and love.  With that taken care of, I headed off to Umeda Station to get the train out to Takarazuka.  (Just as a 'by the way', I've been pronouncing Takarazuka as Taka-ra-zoo-ka, but today I discovered that it's Tack-a-rats-ka). 
 

A sweet little school girl getting a helping hand
from the crossing attendant

I had been trying to get tickets to see the all-female Takarazuka Revue, but hadn’t been successful.  As I was told it’s possible to just turn up at the box office on the day, I decided to make the trip and if I couldn’t see the show, Takarazuka is a place worth visiting anyway.  It was not easy to find the theatre, but after a few false starts and wrong turns, I found the sign that said ‘ticket counter’.  This was only in Japanese, so they’re not making it easy for gaijin to attend their performances.  I asked the ticket counter lady what time the show started and she said 11.00 o’clock (well, actually, she really said “juu ichi ji’).  I looked at my watch and it was 4 minutes to juu ichi ji, so I had just made it.  The usher took me to my seat and bowed very low (I think she might have even knelt on the step) as I sat down!  I might suggest we implement this customer service initiative at our next staff meeting.  None of that ‘do it yourself’ attitude in Japan.

Interesting statue in Takarazuka

From the minute the curtain went up, I was in for a real treat.  The first part of the show was “The Count of Monte Cristo” – a dramatic performance with songs and dance and wonderful costumes.  Every member of the cast was terrific and I loved the experience.  When the interval came, a countdown timer was displayed in the corner of the theatre.  A very handy device for the audience.

The second part of the show was a showcase of songs from shows throughout the previous 99 years of the Revue’s history.  As I’m writing a blog, not a book, I’ll just have to use a few phrases to describe some of the musical numbers.  Las Vegas showgirls.  Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Matadors.  Carmen Miranda.  Grand Waltz in grand ballroom.  High kicking chorus line.  Ballet.  Feathers.  Sequins.  Jewels.  Frills.  Flounces.  That will have to do.  It was just fabulous and well worth the 5500 yen for the ticket.  I hadn’t planned on buying a program, but had to bring one home so Erin can see the strange sight of women playing the role of men (I had to correct myself there – I nearly said they were playing men’s parts, but that didn’t convey the right message!).


Astro Boy

I finished my visit to Takarazuka with a trip to the Osamu Tezuka Museum.  (“The what museum?”, I hear you ask).  Osamu Tezuka was the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion.  According to Wikipedia, he is revered in Japan as the “God of Manga”.  The museum displayed a wide range of his work and was certainly worth the visit.  I then returned to the station, buying a bag along the way to fit in the ‘stuff’ that’s already starting to accumulate around me.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
When I got back to Umeda, I set out on my quest to find the guy we loving refer to as the Egg Man, the noodle bar guy that I referred to yesterday.  We think of him as the Egg Man as he has dishes of hard boiled eggs on his counter which customers are invited to indulge in for free.  John had carefully prepared a map for me to find my way, including the correct exit number from the station.  The down side was that as I was exiting from the Hankyu Railway Station, there were no exit numbers, just an exit - which deposited me on the street with no idea where I was.  I took a wild guess and started walking, hoping to recognise something on the map.  I stopped to consult my map and looked at the street-view photo that John has pasted into the corner of the map – and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!  The picture on the map was exactly what I could see in front of me.  By sheer fluke I’d ended up on the right street, heading in the right direction.  Those who know me well would know that I NEVER head in the right direction.  I really mean never.  I can’t even manage a visit to Harbourtown without getting lost.  I am what is known in Japanese as “houkou onchi” meaning “no sense of direction”.  So with the aid of the map, I finally found the Egg Man.  He didn’t show any sign of recognising me at first, but I told him I’d been there before with John and he remembered us.  I told him that we called him the Egg Man and he laughed and gave me an egg.  Then he got a plastic bag and gave me two more.  I managed a bit of conversation with him and another customer.  He then left as it was the end of his shift, so I was very fortunate to have caught him.  We plan to drop in on him again in November.
 
The Egg Man
I took the subway back to Namba – and then (oh, for Heaven’s sake!) I got lost!!  I took the wrong exit from the station, so my landmarks had all disappeared, including Macca's.  Just to confuse the issue, there was a young lady in a funny hat spruiking on the corner of a street.  She looked remarkably like the OTHER young lady that was spruiking on the corner of a different street last night, but she was only doing that to confuse me.  I dropped into the kombini to buy an ice block (just to ward off the panic and make it look like I was in control of the situation) and then tried again.  I thought I recognised a crossing, so I went across and looked down the street and could then see the hotel sign further down the road.  Bless you, Toyoko Inns, for having lit-up signs at the top of your buildings.
Got to have a chat with Erin tonight as she was home with John when we made our Skype call.  I showed her some of the pictures in the Takarazuka Revue program, and I hope we’ll be able to take her to see a show when we come over in November.
I’m off to Wakayama in the morning.  Not a common tourist spot, but that’s why I’m going.  I hope it proves to be a worthwhile exercise – and that the Wakayama Toyoko Inn has rice balls!

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