It has been a hot minute that I have written anything, but that is because of the preparation, experience of and post moments of having my dear parents with me in JAPAN!  The day actually came, reunions do occur!  It was very special.  I did a lot of new explorations which were wonderful and stimulating.  It was so great to share in this experience with them, and for them to get “eyes” into my daily life here.

I have pondered and accepted that I will continue to reflect and archive my 11 months in Japan after I leave here, as there is not a lot of time left and the remaining time is best to be present in to experience not sit behind a computer, so even into 2010, please if you are following……..check back

Here is the last moment I shared physically as I saw my parents off at Kansai Airport.  Amazing how the tables turn and roles are reversed.  Cycles, wonderous cycles of expansion………of life!

I saw this poster for “A Chorus Line” but did not really pay it too much attention at first because I had seen it under 2 years ago with my friend Lisa Ho in it on Broadway in NYC.  However upon closer inspection I realized I knew someone in the picture!

Was it really Clyde Alves???

Well look at that, it’s Mr. Clyde Alves.  What are the chances……..Clyde is someone from Toronto whom I danced with in my teenage years at ‘the competitive dance studio’ known as ‘PDA’ (Performing Dance Arts).  He has had a remarkable career venturing into the USA….oh wow, I just found out he has a small description on Wikipedia:

Clyde Alves

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clyde Alves is a Canadian dancer, actor and singer. Clyde appeared on Broadway in The Music Man in the Susan Stroman revival (2000) as Tommy Djilas, winning the Fred Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer. Clyde repeated his role in the ABC television special of The Music Man. He has also appeared on Broadway in Wicked, Hairspray, Oklahoma! as Jess (2002) and as Mike in the 2008-09 tour of A Chorus Line. Alves also appeared in the Off-Broadway hit Boobs! The Musical. He is married to Robyn Hurder.

I had the luxury of seeing Clyde in ‘The Music Man’ and ‘Wicked’.  Who would have thought that I would one day be doing a version of “Wicked’??? Maybe way back when I saw it I launched a ‘Rocket Of Desire’ that I could see myself doing it one day………and here I AM, funny life!

Clyde plays the role of Mike Costa, an aggressive dancer who learned to tap at an early age and he SERVES IT UP HARD!  He has always been a very FULL OUT DANCER, with great technique, performance and passion…..and it seems to only be getting better! (even his crazy rubber hip flexibility) WOW!!!    I was very proud of him and to say that he is Canadian and that I used to dance with him.

I almost didn’t get to see him ‘serve it up’ as I was not intending to see the show.  I was hoping to just meet him for dinner, but his scheduale was tight and then I realized how refreshing it would be to see it.  As it is a classic and all about: the performing industry, in particular DANCE, life and people.  All the kiosks that I went to buy a ticket from was saying that it was sold-out, but I went on my desired day and left it to the universe.  I got a ticket, as I had no doubt, and was very happy to see this particular cast.

I sat in the balcony which was a nice change for birds-eye view spacing of the choreography.  As I said I was very happy to witness this production.  All the themes that were brought up through the different characters and story about dancing, growing up, health, money, love and so on hit home.  It is a classic musical and a gem of theatre.  I was moved!

The BIGGEST highlight for me, besides the warm fuzzies Clyde gave me with his performance, was seeing his wife, Robyn perform her solo.  It was healing for me because the lady that played it on broadway struggled.  It is a VERY CHALLENGING scene with FULL OUT singing and dancing! Just her on stage.  The choreography is retro-fabulous and it HAS TO BE FELT!  Robyn played Cassie to a perfect T!!!  I had a few “Dance Orgasms” in my chair…….YES…………YES……….YES……….YES…………YES!!!! GET IT!!!!!!!!!! SERVE IT!!!!!!!!  FEEL IT!!!!!! WORK IT!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! and YES!!!!! AGAIN!

What was cool is that Clyde did not know I was seeing the show that particular night.  He got confused with which night I said I would come, so that was cool for him to be surprized in seeing me at stage door.  We exchanged hugs, smiles and words of a complimenting nature.  Inquiries of family, and dogs and life were exchanged.  We acknowledged how small the world is and lovely it is to meet again and again and again at different levels of expansion.  We decided to take a picture near some Japanese Kanji to prove WE MET UP IN JAPAN!

We wished each other well and made a testament to meet again in the flesh in less time than our previous encounter. We laughed at the joke and surrealism that our last year at the competitive dance studio we did a 30min version of, ‘A Chorus Line’ together. Ha and now look at the current reality.  Oh life……….what a trip you are!

For the last few days though we were cleaning up the debris from our apartment toppling over and living out of tents……HA, yeah right.  Seriously I am happy to say all is well   I am sad however to say that I did not get to run and dance in the rain and wind as imagined.  You see the biggest disappointment was that the Typhoon only past through Osaka at NIGHT!!!  Ugh………so no daytime fun to frolic in and work was not canceled.

So yes it happened at night and a lot of us lost sleep because of the drama of the whistle of the wind.  It was very powerful.  I did not adhere to the warning letter pre-typhoon with a clean balcony. and so had a lot of this and that blowing around, I’m sure my neighbors wanted to shoot me, hahah.  Oh well.

I had an early start at work and was hoping for a call saying that work was canceled for the day, but it was not.   The ferry was canceled so I took the subway and over ground trains only to find out that they were running late too! Being late for work is actually a big ‘no-no’ after 4 lates you get a pay deducted.  So when I was late arriving I was upset knowing I gave myself enough time.  Then a miracle happened, when my co-workers saw me running from the train station to the USJ gate, they said why are you running, go get a late slip.  I was like,……WHAT?!?!?  A ‘late slip’ ???   Then low and behold  I discovered another wonder of JAPAN,……….”Late Slips”    hahaha

I felt like a kid getting a note from my parents to explain to my teacher why something happened.  I guess being late for work in Japan is a major’ no-no’, so when the trains are late they hand out slips to prove that it was not the employees fault.  Cool eh???  I was late but it did not count as an official late.

There was a lot of people busy cleaning our backstage area, as our theatre is half inside/outside.  So there was a lot of panels ripped and branches and dirt blown into the backstage area.

The was an army of sandbags that attempted to block out most water potentially flooding backstage which they did, however wind makes things FLY~*

Our backstage panel was ripped up, but got a quick-fix for now.  The show went on but the audience was under 100 people, which was hard when we are used to 500 to over 1000.  I heard that another show had 17 people though so I’m grateful   I remember once having to perform for 2 people in an audience with AILEY II because of a school being snowed in, but they payed their money for us so we still performed.  That was tough as it helps so much more when you have the energy of interest and bodies in front of you.

The ferry was up and running when I went home and then my eyes saw that a Typhoon did indeed pass through Osaka because the little river that we cross over to go to work had collected a lot of debris of garbage and branches and leaves.

But as I mentioned:

ALL IS WELL

Nature and it’s forces do not play.  Always a great reminder to us humans, of the power of the Universe.

I actually may be outside in the middle of it dancing! As all summer Matthew and I tried to have a ‘rain dance’ but every time we saw a great storm from our balcony window, by the time we went down to play it had softened up.  We have an open parking lot so it’s safe with nothing to fall on us……we shall see

I got this email below from he Embassy:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Canadian citizen,

As you may have heard on the news already, many regions of Japan are current under weather advisories for heavy rains, land slides, high waves and flash flooding due to the effects related to Tropical Cylone Melor (aka Typhoon #18).

Most of Honshu will likely feel the effects of this cylcone. Please take precautionary measures by avoiding low-lying areas, shorelines of rivers and coastal regions for the next 24 to 72 hours.  Also, please be certain to follow any safety instructions issued by your local municipalities in the various regions of Japan.

For additional information please refer to the Japan Meteorological Agency website: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/

As this tropical cyclone is receiving media coverage by international media outlets, you might consider contacting your family and friends back in Canada to advise them of your safety status.

Stay safe, and keep dry!

Consular Section
Embassy of Canada, Tokyo, Japan.

Yosie took me to see something I probably would not have gone to in my own choosing.  Not that I would never, it is just I have higher interests on my list.  She took me to one of her best friends’ Organ Music Festival.  It was at an auditorium near Osaka Castle and so the walk to the venue was lovely through the park and walkways

Osaka Castle has a cute shuttle train that resembles a theme park service.  There were street musicians and calm, happy people exploring ( I was one of them   )

I am absolutely LOVING the post summer weather, it is heavenly to not be sweating 24/7 but still feel the warmth and have a gentle breeze at your back.  I loved that the venue was in a slightly different building and area I had not yet been to

We arrived and I was happy to sit down and relax.  It is always a treat to actually play the opposite character and be an audience member when performing so often.  I was a little overwhelmed to hear that it would be aprox 2.5 hrs till Yoshies’ friend would play! As I was fasting since breakfast as I had dinner plans to go to a buffet and EAT LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW!  But all worked out in the end with a lil’ snack and shifting the dinner time.

There is a lot of details that slip through the cracks when there is a language barrier between you and your friends.  In today’s situation it was just a slight surprise so all was well.  I just had the impression that we were attending a concert, but it was a competitive festival.  I found that out after a few musicians played when the lights would not go dark in the audience and I noticed 3 people in the back ever so evenly spaced between one another (judges).

But RIGHT AWAY I WAS AMAZED! Japan baby! Japan! HA

I do not know my ORGAN’s, however these contraptions were NO JOKE!  Two leveled keyboards, 4 peddles, a touch screen monitor, many other buttons and a disk slot!!! I had no idea.  So each performer came out and inserted their disk that had a background melody track that each person played with.  It was surreal as one performer and one organ somehow sounded like a 20 piece orchestra??!!

Another MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR aspect to this experience were the cameras that were around the organs.  They captured the performer’s face (for facial expression) and a few other to capture the hands playing on the keys.

It was an honor to see these details and quite remarkable as a whole.  It made sense, especially the event being a competition for the judges to see the details.  I know as an artist, it is ALL in the details!

Many people were videotaping and so I joined in.  I taped a few but will only share 2 with you here on my blog

Every person had a different song to play that was usually a well known musical track.  THE LION KING!!!! Can you believe it??? I was amazed in so many ways. The first way because I was in this musical, and the second way because I was thinking about my sister Deidrea a lot that day whom is actually in the cast of The Lion King in Las Vegas.  What a sign, the universe is truly a remarkable place and the interconnectedness of vibrational alignment with desires manifesting and dancing with you!

Hearing beautiful, often classical music scores makes even the most energetic person tired.  I was struggling as we waited for Daisuke to perform, but not as much as this girl in another row!!! I loved that I captured the shot! hahah……..HOORAY iPhones with no flash!  I though I needed to call 911 (or whatever the alternative is in Japan) as she looked like she fell and or fainted!  It was JOKES to see in a theatre audience! HAHAHAHA         

But she obviously was just resting her eyes as after 3mins or so, she regained movement in her body! HAHA, bless her!  I hung in there for what I came for! May I present to you:

DAISUKE TAKASAKI

Wow eh?!!!  I was soooo proud to be linked to him through Yoshie.  And even MORE PROUDER BECAUSE HE WON HIS CATEGORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                         Everyone likes being on the winning team eh?! HAHAHA, I know I do! In all sincerity I was deeply proud because out of over 30 girls he was only 1 of 2 males.  So he represented my gender and sexual orientation….yeah yeah yeah! Get it Dai-san! LOVE IT!

I honestly saw and felt the different in his calibre though.  His physicality was like he was dancing on that organ! The torso and head being extensions of the sound current and his fingers so crisp and precise and gracious as they moved about! Wow. I love art and expression! AMEN….Wahe Guru!  The actual musical score was heavenly too with its storytelling levels that rose and fell again. Lovely

I got a picture with the Super Star after and was SOOOOOOOOO PROUD! This was before I knew he won as it was announced after I left for dinner.  But even if he did not win, I expressed to him that I adored his performance and expression.  I gave him a small gift of a hand massage for 30 seconds.  It was an honor to touch his magical hands.  He leads a cool life as a children’s music teacher, then performs, writes and competes on his own.  If or rather, WHEN he wins at the next National Festival he goes to the USA for the WORLDS! GO Dai Go!!!

The last reflection from this experience that stood out for me was all of Daisuke’s Tomodachi’s ( friends) they were all gay men whom were very cute and fashionable and giddy!  This was exciting as it is rare to see a cluster of gay men hanging out in Japan.  Maybe in the clubs, but that is not my scene to go out. I just loved their support for Daisuke and their FULL-OUT fashion and laughter at me and my gaijin ways.

LIFE is GOOD!

and GOOD is GOD AMPLIFIED!

Which I captured two of those moments

The hotel was not really traditional looking from outside, but inside the rooms were in the sense that there was no bathroom just a sink and no beds.

Futons were spread out later to sleep on, so the room transforms as you please. We had tea when we first arrived to relax and have a down time moment before dinner.  I love the low to the floor table and chairs. I desire to have one in my future home.  As I mentioned Yoshie has family here in Shodoshima.  Her Grandmother, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.  I was in shock when I went to dinner (in the hotel lobby) to have 13 people waiting to eat with us! WOW.  It was an honor.  It was also an honor that I had prepared a special Vegetarian dinner (unheard of in Japan) It totally was Vegan too!

I was very blessed and grateful.  It was like art, as different servings of different dishes had their own container, as if on display.  Here was the “meat-eaters” dinner

This was one of those moments when I wished I knew Japanese, as I am intrigued by people and how they live their lives.  Instead I had energetic exchanges with everyone there and bits and pieces of translation through Yoshie and our electronic translator.

I was TOTALLY not prepared for where we were going next! HA!    It took us all by surprise.  Yoshie’s cousin really does know the highlights of Shodoshima for the adult audience.  Here is a visual hint

ANY GUESSES??????????

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An upside down ‘spread eagle’ female pelvis of course!!! HAHAHAH………..Wow, eh?!!!! I was like, where are we???  I was happy to see the balance of the male genitalia with the female torso.

This area and statues are part of a Shinto “Love Shrine” where couples go to pray for harmonious relationships, marriages, and pregnancy.  You can even rub the statues for good merit! HA, I love how certain things about Japan is not conservative at all! hee hee

I have some video footage of this moment, so please do enjoy, we did

I had a “JANET CD COVER” image moment

and played with cement boobs.  Usushi was REALLY HAPPY with the LARGE Penis! He was cute and funny, as he kept saying, “Wow, such a large size”………..HAHAHAH, Oh my!

We all returned home and after all the events and heat of the day we needed to wash ourselves in a MAJOR way, so off to the onsen it was.  Communal, how weird for my north american ways.  We all had robes that came with the room.

Thank God for earplugs (my only addiction) as they both snored.  The next morning we were graciously picked up by Yoshie’s aunt to be our personal driver for the day! Totally spoilt.  But I welcomed the pampering.

I tried some fruit for the first time that I did not particularly like, but it was fruit! And I am all about fruit and veggies.  As you get into a rut of eating a lot of bread when traveling.  We went to some “Movie Land” park where they used to film many Japanese movies,  particularly famous for the film, “24 Eyes”

The surroundings here were really very beautiful, rich and traditional

I did feel like I was on set, as they had quite a selection of diverse backgrounds and environments really close together.  But with the illusions of cameras and editing you would never know.

Apparently these tubs were used to bathe in in the past.  eeekkk, kinda small for me, I would feel like I am being cooked for someones meal as soup!

I love the power and simplicity of Tori gates

They had over 30 different kites in this one room and I took pictures of many, but here is the one I chose to share

There was a statue exhibit from the film that Usushi and I jumped into, becoming more students for the teacher.  The movie would now be called, ” 28 Eyes “.  HA

Shodoshima is famous for it’s Soy Sauce and Udon.  Some of their Bus Stop waiting areas are huge old containers that were used in Soy Sauce production

Would you believe that when inside you actually still can SMELL the Soy Sauce!!!

Our next stop was the biggest honor and thrill to witness……………Yoshie’s Grandmother’s House

I was like? Where are we going? Cause we took this narrow road that was gravel and were on it for 5 mins.  Her grandmother lives alone somewhere in her 80′s in the freakin BUSH!  It actually is really, really, REALLY beautiful and amazing to see the lushness of nature all around the house.  It is not particularly maintained and so there are vines and bugs everywhere!  I loved the random kiwi, grape and pumpkin plants around the home.  I only peeped inside and it was a very old house with no locks, sliding doors and the bathroom toilet outside!

The next discovery warmed my heart like no other!

A FREAKIN’ COMPOST!!!!! I didn’t think they existed in Japan.  I have composted for most of my life and so coming to Japan where they do not (or at least my apartment building) does not it was tough.  Until I decided to hide my peels in various bushes on my way to work! It’s a method that works for me and the peels and the plants!   AnyhowI was very impressed with the “Green Thumb” of granny

There was this bridge walkway over looking the house and pretty much the island coast line that I danced and prayed on (to celebrate and honor Michael Jackson returning to Source and general loving gratitude projection), as this environment pulsed energy through me.   Another MAJOR highlight about this home was the secret bamboo forest behind the grandmothers’ home.

There atmosphere was remarkable.  Unique paths that lead to statues to pray, some family graves and streams and wow! It was a passage way to another kingdom.  I was so tempted to talk for hours and see where I ended up…..but time did not permit

I was given the gift of witnessing other natural gems along my path

that maked me drunk in the Creator’s selection

I almost lost it when I saw a spider the size of my HAND a foot away from me. I was totally in FEAR and I loved seeing the grandmother just look at it, smile then return to her conversation.  She knew that it would not bother her! Wow, wisdom and being TAPPED IN TUNED IN and TURNED ON with Nature and her life, what an honor to live so imerssed with the natural vibration of earth !

I blessed her, thanked her and we walked down a path to the road to see more of the hill and a few other houses.  Also to learn the path the grandma walks when she goes to visit people or get food.  It was super cool.  I was amazed at the lifestyle and difference to my suburban upbringing. WOW.  Some people who saw us ignored us city folk, but some were extra friendly and happy for the energy exchange of a “Konnichiwa”

As an avid vegetarian I loved seeing someone dry their own kidney beans in the sun! So cool! I have been so spoilt to just get them from a can or bag. I sincerely do wonder the journey of beans to my mouth. Maybe one day I will see with my own eyes.

Another honor was seeing the EXACT school classroom Yoshie’s mother attended.  It is now a tourist attraction as it’s very old

We then went to the Soy sauce factory and could smell it a mile away.  The smell died down a bit once you were around it.  The Factory was more like a museum as you just saw old pictures and replicas of this  and that so it was quite boring.  I started walking towards the actual factory with workers in uniforms, but was quickly told to turn around as it was off limits.  But that was where the exciting stuff was happening!!!!!!!! Oh well, I settled for Soy Sauce flavored ice cream instead! Yes, you heard me right, and yes I loved it!

We returned to the hotel to get our bags and so on and posed it out hard by the sign

So Shodoshima is famous for their udon noodles.  I saw them hanging to dry in some small factory

Then we made the time to enjoy them in our stomaches!

The udon noodles were totally of a whole other class! Not like the 33 yen packages i freeze for emergency quick meals! hahah. Wow, yum.  I even put a quail egg in my meal, it was so small and cute looking I was like, why not!

The trip went by fast, but was full with so much richness and love and wonder! I was and am forever grateful and blessed for my dear friends that are helping take care of me and show me their country.  So many things I would not experience on my own or with other gaijins.  The experience with locals provides so much.  I look forward to showing them Canada whenever they can come visit

We stood on the top deck and waved to Yoshie’s family as the ferry floated off into the distant water, moving onward in time and space

I love how a necessity to have in Japan (just like a wallet) is a towel.  It is a multi-purposed item, and in this case a saliva-catching when/if drooling while asleep.

It is always nice to escape your day in and day out routine, but when I saw the ferry I felt that I was going on a magical adventure to Neverland as it was so colorful and playful, I loved it!

The map of the layout of the vessel.

Before we settled down to nap again, we explored the whole boat and found a cute play area at the top where I pretended to be a gymnast.

My other fancy move:

I have been on the BC Ferries in Canada, which are lovely,  so was comparing the differences and similarities in my head.  The biggest difference was that there were open floor space to sit on, or lay on, or sleep on, or stretch on…..OPEN FLOOR SPACE!!! I loved it, of course as a dancer/yogi.  That is a major cultural difference between Asia and North America.  People not being as comfortable sitting and squatting low to the floor.  After stretching I napped under an umbrella for privacy

Coming from Osaka stepping off the ferry was bliss in the change of pace with No one in a rush. We had a shuttle ride to the hotel where we dropped our bags off to start our tourist day.  On a small island you either have a driver or rent a car.  We rented a car.  Yoshie drove and liked to put “the peddle to the metal”, I never saw that side to her before.  I did not puke so it was not that extreme…..ha.  She did have some issues with parking evenly, but don’t we all time to time.

We walked around a lot on foot at our first location and highlight of Shodoshima Island, “Olive Park”.

This park is a lovely Greek-styled façade that rises out of the bay on the side of the hill when driving up towards it.

As someone that adores characters I noticed two very special ones in my journey.  One was very Zen whom witnessed the world go by with an even orange-tan.

The other was a hard-core granny pushing her bike with weight up a steep hill.  We asked if she wanted us to help her get the bike to the top, but she refused our help.  She didn’t look like she was in pain or struggling, it was just that she was going so slowly that there was some concern.  But as a slow walker myself I understand that step by step in front of the other still gets you moving towards the future

I LOVE figs, and I had the luxury of being near a fig tree.

There was a greenhouse and beautiful gardens of various plants that smelt amazing, plus of course many olive plants. So lush to be away from a cement city and to be in the greenery.

Near the top of the hill and park was a central building with lecture rooms, research areas with information, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop that sells olive chocolates, olive soap, olive cosmetics, olive bath salts, black olives in tins and green olives in jars and more gimmicks in between.

Japan is obsessed with soft serve ice cream and more specifically for unique flavors.  I tried two flavors on this particular trip that I never had before.  First was Lavender with an Easter pastel purple hue.

Shōdoshima (小豆島^?) is an island located in the Inland Sea of Japan. This island is famous for its stages of the Japanese film “Twenty-Four Eyes“. The name means literally “Island of Small Beans”. The island was the first area of Japan to successfully grow olives, and is sometimes known as “Olive Island”.

It has an area of 153.30 km² and a coastline of 126 km. It is the 19th largest island in Japan, second largest in the Inland Sea. Milos, Greece is Shōdoshima’s sister island.

After visiting the Olive Park we went to “Angel Walk”. Which was stunning in its nature beauty expression. An island walkway between two shores.  There were love shrines for prayer and wishes.  I was definitely in love with this moment in time with my dear Japanese family.

There were constellations of rock formations of varying degrees

that we explored

and played upon.  I was touched when I was called over to see what had been stated in the ground of  Mother Earth.

I had a few moments of glory surrendering to the wonder and awe of the vibrations present here in passive ways

and active ways

and energetic ways of feeling the currents rise through me.

This was not an area to swim in with all the jelly fish and seaweed and rocks.  There was also another type of creature that was not too pleasing to look at either! I can’t image stepping on one either! Eeek  

………Please continue reading in next blog posting: Shodoshima Isalnd part 2 !!!

One of the cool things about a theme park is that it is extra, super clean and colorful and there is ‘themed instrumental music’ to make your life appear that much more magical.

With the Halloween theme in effect there are soooo many photo opportunities around the park that are fun.  There is even a whole new Halloween themed show that had a stage errected up where there was not one before?!!  Transformation and cycles, that is what life is about.

So quite a few performers are asked to be apart of these extra shows that are seasonal.  Some other people are asked to be apart of GSE’s (General Sales Events).  Those are hired business shows for companies to have meetings and events at USJ with entertainment.  They even have a separate building and stage for this (again great business thinking).  I was very happy to not be asked or casted in either one of these events (makes sense as it was not in my vibrational escrow) as I am VERY happy with my lifestyle and the extra focuses that I have time for.  Plus the general vibe here is one of Musical Theatre so as a contemporary artist sometimes it truly is a bit much day in and out.  I love that I am able to ‘hit it and quit it’ though and ‘play the game’.  Hooray diversity and role playing!

So I guess I spoke too soon with my freedom, because I was asked to do ‘Halloween Greetings’.  At first it was meant to be everyday, but there is a revamped schedual that is now just a few times a month alternating between the Wicked Cast.  Basically what is involved is handing out candy to children in The Land of OZ and teaching them to say, “Trick or Treat”.  At first I was in shock at my reality, because I am a performing artist and was hired to do so.  It reminded me of my short cruise ship contract with the extra duties we dancers had (not the singers——grrrrrrr) of activities that any “Joe Blow” off the street could do.  Anyhow it was VERY OBVIOUS that we were a MAJOR GIMMICK to USJ, as the ‘Wicked performers’ and as a ‘Gaijin’.

It was tough at first because all of our Super Fans attacked us like lions on their pray.  Here is an Auzzie saying for ya, “All of their Christmas’s came at once!”  You see Wicked is a copyright show, so there is no pictures allowed.  So the fans can never take a photo of us.  And for ‘finger -happy-cameraland’ that Japan is, this is punishment for them.  So seeing us Wicked performers walk freely throughout the park inches away from the fans they went CrAzY with pictures and video! UGH.  The weird part is having a video camera in your face with them walking along side you as you walk and pictures when you are not even posing.  I can actually say that I have an idea what it is like for celebrities.  The other crazy thing is that they NEVER GET ENOUGH!!!!  They are there EVERY DAY!  Taking the same amount of pictures! Wow eh? and Why?

BBBBBBBUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTT, turning onto a more positive note ARE THE CHILDREN!!!

AAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhh, they are SOOOO cute!  I have transformed my focus and meaning and intention and REASON to the JOY they bring me.  It is actually almost TOO MUCH!  The beauty of them.  Honestly!  Wow! Little people running to you excited for the lil ‘sugar hit’. And the fearlessness of the youth unlike the conservative norm of Japanese culture to be quiet and ‘proper’ to say.  There are alot of shy kids, but the majority come right up to us with hands out and even some brave souls reaching into the baskets!  Saturdays and Sundays are the best as the kids out number the superfans 20-fold! Is a swarm of Kids and it rocks! Very surreal.

The cutest thing that made my heart swell was how a mother sent her 3 kids that were all VERY young all holding hands to walk my way.  So this chain of cuteness walking slowly toward the giant that I am with soft smiles and gentles voices! The experience has majorly caused me to launch rockets of desire on the theme of children.

Another supportive reflection is that USJ is the only place in Japan ( maybe DisneyLand too?) that kids can go Trick or Treating as it is not part of their culture.

OK, so I’m saving the best for last! WHAT WE WEAR!!!  I was soooo excited going for my costume fitting.  As I was hoping to be a Big Fat Pumpkin, or a Spider or something weird. But what I came back with was something that looked like I work for a Ukrainian Catering Company

I thank God for the tie as it is fun and sassy and magically silvery shiny!  It was a surprise as I just discovered it on the first day of the Halloween Greeting.

My dear Auzzie sister Lauren and I get delirious together making each other laugh at if our reality is what it is?  And how we feel like we are 18 and it is our first job out of High School! HAHAHA……..focus on the kids…….focus on the kids………focus on the kids………is the mantra in our heads!

It is crazy surreal to see my friend Usushi and Saki with the kids and in the park.  It is like they went to Theme Park College! They are SOOO energetic and always happy with a smile on their face! I just can’t match them, no matter how I try! HA.  And they skip around the park! WOW

If I want to laugh even more I just look at our stage managers and crew’s outfits, as Ben here displays! Funny eh?!!! Love it, so fun.  Ben is the only Gaijin Crew member we have as he married a Japanese Lady.  He is so sweet and kind and fun. It is a joy to see him every day.

We move as a group to go into the park and leave the park.

This is a picture of a picture, hence why it is not the best quality.  But it is a joke!  Before we leave to go back to our theatre the super fans ALWAYS want a FINAL picture as a group.  This picture was given to us by a super fan, he placed it in one of the candy baskets to distribute to us.  It kills me because everyone is super happy, or forcing happiness and I am just like, “Wow, is this really my current expression of life”.  HA, I am not angry just in a bit of a daze that I work at a Theme Park! JOKES

This strange looking building is where I call home.  Tis strange looking but is VERY comfortable and provides everything I could ask for.  I even have a balcony, as other posts have disclosed with some videos I took out on it.  I never thought I’d live in an apartment, but here I am, livin’ it! Ha, so true that saying, “Never Say Never”.

This is “Our FERRY God Mother” hahah! But in all truth I am sooooooo blessed for the simple little ferry that takes under 2 minutes to cross the river to work.  It is a major hook up that is a free city service for everyone.  Bikes are allowed on it and so most people choose this mode of transportation to work.  The funny thing is that it is faster to walk to the ferry and then walk to USJ than to take the subway and train.  The service starts at 6a and finishes at 830p, a cross over happening every 30mins!

There are signs around the streets showing you the way to USJ, this one in particular is just off the Ferry.

This is an OLD PICTURE from YEARS AGO! Kidding   It just feels that way as it was from orientation in MID FEB.  I may have actually posted it before, oh well have another look!

This was my first visit to The Land of OZ! Hooray for LIME GREEN! One of my favorite colors!

More OZ.  Funny thing is that the Land of Oz is a dead end corner in the park, but makes it cozy that way.

These tin’s were gifts from our opening day, they had cookies inside.

Japan has some pretty darn cute and compact cars and vans, makes sense with the heavy population.  Here is USJ’s Emergency Medical-mobile  that the First Aid Specialist uses to zip here and there.  Everyone has been pretty healthy at Wicked with only one accident, so we do not have it pull up to our venue often. I trust it will stay that way as well.

The USJ Park is not very big, but I guess it would take some people over 20mins to walk to their venue from the entrance gates.  And so around the perimeter of the park in crew only areas there are 2 buses that operate every 15mins to drive around the park and drop people off at their venues.  It’s colorful and cute with Characters on all sides and a map inside with a button to push to get off.

I rarely take this bus as I usually ride 99.9% of the time.  But it is cute and cool to take it and see all the different employees on their way to “MAKING THEME PARK MAGIC” ha

I love all the different mandatory uniforms but of course would rather just  look than wear them.  However I was jealous of one of them.  An apron that says, ‘ARTIST’ on it! I wanna be an artist too!!! But then I realized I AM and need not prove it with an apron.  Although would be cool

A few weeks back there was an “Employee Appreciation Day” where we all got free ice cream.  They were giving them out in the cafeterias so I thought to swing by the 2 that we have, but they used our ID cards in a computer system to know who came before or not.  Yoshie and I choose “Green Tea and Red Bean” which I later regretted as it was not very refreshing, but it is a very Japanese flavor so I thought I’d seize this unique time.

The “REAL WIZARD of OZ” with all the answers and clarity is this white board.  It states what is going on with the day and who is involved. There sometimes are lots of writing with many occurances and sometimes very minimal. I just look for my name.

It is a tradition at Wicked to surprise the birthday boy/girl and then watch them open their presents and eat the cake bit by bit and take a group photo in this exact cluster of the room.  Maybe I mentioned it before but our cast has more Japanese people than foreigners (gaijin).  I will not be experiencing this as I leave Jan 3rd and my birthday is on the 10th.  Every day is a celebration for me though! Yippee

Japanese men and Puerto Rican men are tied for the most “PLUCKED and GROOMED” eye brows are for the norm of a whole country!  And we are not talking just the gay men either.  It is actually a fun hobby of mine to people watch and see the different eye brow shapes.  They are like hairstyles. HAHAHA, anyhow.  The above picture is of Tacci grooming Tim’s eyebrows.  It was a very “Gay Mens Beauty Shop” moment in our greenroom and I loved it!

Randomly one day I went outside to have peace and calm away from my cast to write a few emails on my iPhone when I was like, “aww, cute! A Furry caterpillar”.  I have always loved seeing them as they are furry like a cat or dog and somewhere in my “furry associations” makes that cute!  Then I saw another one and another one…..they were everywhere and girls were screaming! HAHA, silly Japanese girls.  There was something VERY UNIQUE about these caterpillars that  I have never seen before!

Another MAJOR BLESSING and PERK of working at USJ is that we have an “Offsite Gym”.  It has exercise equipment and weights and so on, and 2 spacious studios to dance/rehearse in. I go often to work on my choreography and stay balanced in my passions of movement and not just be a showbiz bunny! HA

They had boxes and boxes stored in the studio I was in, so I helped myself to my curiosity and found a snowman head! I put it on, but quickly took it off as it brought memories of RADIOCITY Russian Bear fears back!

In one of the cafeterias there is a ticket system in operation.

Where you place $$$ in the machine and make your selection to print a ticket.  Then you take it to a staff member to get ur meal.  Or you place it in a basket and help yourself to the buffet or breads (this is a trust system)

I wonder if this could work in Canada? Or is it just another wonder of Japan…..

SUGOI!

Japan’s list of those 100 or older swells to more than 40,000 people

Written by: Mari Yamaguchi

TOKYO – The number of Japanese centenarians has doubled in the past six years to a record high of more than 40,000, with women dominating the list of those whose lives have spanned more than a century, the government said Friday.

Japan will have 40,399 people aged 100 or older this month, surpassing the previous record of 36,276 last year, the Health and Welfare Ministry said in an annual report marking a Sept. 21 national holiday honouring the elderly. More than 86 per cent are women.

The number of centenarians in Japan has risen at an accelerating pace for nearly 50 years. The centenarian population surpassed 10,000 just 10 years ago, reached 30,000 in 2007 and grew another 10,000 in the past two years, the ministry said.

By 2050, Japan’s centenarian population is expected to reach nearly 1 million, according to the U.N. projections.

“The data clearly show that Japan is aging rapidly and steadily, mainly because of progress in medical care and the high living standard since the end of World War II,” ministry official Hiroyuki Ishii said.

Each new centenarian will receive a letter from the prime minister and a silver cup.

Though centenarians are healthier and more active than before, the rapidly greying population has fueled concerns about Japan’s overburdened public pension and medical care system.

Officials have stepped up programs that encourage older citizens to stay active and continue working. The government is gradually extending the retirement age to 65 from 60, and some advocate pushing it further to 70.

Japan has one of the world’s longest life expectancies – 86 years for women and 79 years for men.

A 114-year-old woman from the southern island of Okinawa, whose name was not disclosed, holds the title of Japan’s oldest citizen.

Japan’s oldest man, 112-year-old Jiroemon Kimura from the ancient capital of Kyoto, is health conscious and still active. He rises early, reads newspapers every morning with a magnifying glass, enjoys talking to guests, and closely follows parliamentary debate on live TV broadcasts.