Whow, what a day. Tried to get back to sleep at 4a last night but to no avail. Bill then got on the computer, so we both stayed up. I made it through the entire day without even a nod-off. Had another test on the Metro and met Philip before the appointed time. We walked through Embassy Row and real, very tiny, Japanese houses nestled along alleys and lanes below the towering skyscrapers of some of the most expensive real estate in Tokyo. Did a little food shopping with Philip - should be manageable for us. Light bags can be taken on the return trip home on the Metro; purchases over $100 rate a home delivery. When we went back to Philip's apartment on the 24th floor, there was Mt. Fuji majestically poised before our eyes in the distance - it was quite a sight. I should be apartment hunting tomorrow after I hear from Bill's office where to look.
The three of us decided to go to Suntory Hall for a Japan Philharmonic Orchestra concert. It's a beautiful symphony hall very much like Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. We heard Dvorak's New World Symphony and Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. The conductor Kobayashi Ken-ichiro is much in the mold Seiji Ozawa, tossing his long hair around with every motion. We very much enjoyed the concert - a much-needed serene afternoon. While we were standing in line to get today's tickets we saw that Valery Gergiev will be here next week with the Mariinsky Orchestra from St. Petersburg, so we bought some tickets for that. Can't wait to see him conduct and hear that wonderful orchestra. It's easy getting to the symphony hall - a check in the plus column for city living!
From our observation we were the only Westerners in the audience today, with the exception of a couple in the row behind us. Upon returning from intermission they asked us if we were from California - not America, but California. We were surprised that they should ask such a question. They, too, were from Southern California, but we never got an answer from them as to why they thought we were from California - we had a laugh over that, weird too!
Tomorrow I'll make some observations about a woman's position in Japanese culture, the "group" mentality of the Japanese and a little bit about the toilets! Tipping? Non-existent here!
