Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

9/4/2004, Short trip to Kobe

On Saturday, I made a little trip to Kobe.  Basically, I just wanted to see the bookstores in Kobe that carry English-language books and Japanese study materials.  First, I found a funky little shop that carries only foreign books and caters specifically to foreigners.  However, they didn't have the Japanese study materials.  Later, I found Junkudo.  Junkudo has a nice selection of Japanese study materials.  I picked up three cookbooks on Japanese cooking, all of which are bilingual (Japanese and English instructions together on each page).  Score!  Also found some travel guides about the area.

Notice how the bookstore with the books for foreigners has the sign with no English.  The place on the right is presumeably a regular CD/DVD store, although I didn't go inside.

After Kobe, I hurried back and caught the first rehearsal of the Taishi Chorus.  I'll be practicing with them for the next few months and doing a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony on November 23.  I sing Tenor.  The chorus is roughly 100 people, mostly women.  The music is in German.  The director has amazing German pronunciation.  Absolutely perfect!  It's all very high, so it's a bit uncomfortable to sing.  Beethoven is known for abusing chorus singers.  Trying to understand the instructions (all Japanese, of course) was interesting since I've never studied musical vocabulary.  It wasn't too bad.  Heck, I never catch 100% of the instructions even in the Northwest Chorale in Seattle.  I'm always too busy looking at the music (or my watch, as the hour gets later).  These rehearsals are long.  3 hours.  No break.  But, it's awfully cool to be a part of something around here.

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