Happy New Year, everyone! Our friends who have lived in Japan for a long time were right! The first year flies by so fast, you can hardly even believe it. So it was for us. The second year isn’t proving to be much different, as like the first, we keep so busy we hardly have time to catch our breath.

Every weekend, we have all the best intentions to take it easy, relax, study Japanese, send out postcards, finally mail our Christmas and birthday presents…. Sound familiar? Well, despite my best intentions of sending out NOT one, but TWO postcards before the year was out, resulted in – you guessed it – zero. I WAS, however able to mail out a large batch of “nengajo” or, traditional Japanese New Years’ cards. Then, to many others, I sent personalized e-mail nengajo cards. I hope you all got one. If I missed you, I apologize. Please send me an e-mail if that’s the case – it could be that for whatever reason, I either don’t have you in my address book or your mail has bounced… As for the postcards and presents…. Maybe this coming weekend. (Yeah, right)!

Just a quick update on the Japan Times photo competition: thanks to everyone who took the time to visit the website to vote for my photo. The results will be announced on January 11^th or 12^th. Hopefully I will have a good showing. I hope this year will be another productive one in the way of photography. I’ve been able to assemble some good pictures in the time we’ve been in Japan. It’s been a hybrid of conventional and digital photography, although recently I’ve been playing the part of a technophobe, reverting exclusively to conventional (film) methods, despite the increased cost. I really enjoy the feel and handling of a Canon EOS SLR – and though our digital Minolta can frequently match the quality of output, I’ve been noticing more and more that my own photography improves and my overall results are better on film. Just to give you an idea, ¾ of all the photos you see on my website competition page have been taken with a film camera. Even given that a digital camera’s LCD screen allows you the luxury of reviewing the shots you just took, hence allowing you countless opportunities to re-take your picture, psychologically-speaking, (and perhaps on a subconscious level), it seems that the lack of such a feature on a regular camera gives way to taking greater care and forethought in my photography. Bonnie of course tends to argue with me on this and other aspects of digital vs. conventional photography, but in the end, I’m finding that the conventional approach is frequently the most pragmatic approach, as I rarely worry about such things as: filling up a memory card completely, the clutter of external power supply cords/cables, ensuring the high-capacity/high-output batteries are fully recharged before each shoot, just to name a few. Then of course, the very fact that I tend to review each of my shots after I take it lends to an increased time factor in taking (and subsequently re-taking) many pictures. Whereas with my film-based Canon, I load up film (never a worry of running out as virtually EVERY store in Japan is adequately stocked just in case I do), throw a spare set of AA Ni-MH batteries in my pocket (I can also buy replacement alkalines in any store just in case I forget to recharge), and I’m good to go! I snap a few shots (bracketing if I have to; so I compensate for not having an immediate image review LCD) and I can move on. Only when the lines get blurred further and we eventually purchase a digital Canon SLR, will choices prove to become more difficult. I still think that the film camera will not lose its place of honour so readily, given its relative simplicity. In the same way that a painter uses an assortment of brushes or a sculptor, a collection of chisels, will a photographer have an assortment of cameras at his disposal given the relative circumstances. Even today, a Leica rangefinder can fetch a price that supercedes all but the highest quality digital cameras on the market today, and for good reason too. I believe that in time, many amateurs-turned-semi-pro or fully professional will start to experience a counter-revolutionary reversionist ideology as they begin to understand the purpose and usefulness of older, more traditional methods. I’m not so deluded as to think that this will never change given sufficient time, but for the time being, there will likely be room for a broad spectrum of photographic media available to those who wish to seek them out and make use of them.

I’m not sure if anyone’s as prolific a reader of this blog as I tend to write somewhat lengthy entries, but hey! Bytes and pixels are cheap nowadays! If you’re still with me this far down the page, that’s great!

Now on to my latest project – piano! It’s no secret that I’ve been playing since I was young, but rediscovering an old skill or hobby always provides a great deal of enjoyment. It wasn’t too many years after I started piano lessons at age 6 that my piano teachers had concluded that I really hated studying theory so it made little sense to assign me such homework assignments as I wouldn’t do them – and what’s more, if I did do them they would be so bad that all but the most stubborn teacher would give up and teach me other things rather than beat their heads against a brick wall. Then, my disdain for classical works was legendary. It’s not that I hated classical music. Not at all! I’ve always had a high appreciation for many well-known composers. It’s just that I hated learning and playing classical works. I would much rather spend my time learning show tunes, TV and movie themes, popular music, and basically anything that would NOT advance me in becoming a competent pianist. The thing that I’ve always had going for me is that I could pick out a tune by ear and reproduce it quite well. I’ve never been a BAD player… Just one who took to playing very naturally. I became like a Grandma Moses of the music world -- a naïve artist. Someone who can put out a respectable final product but has little or no formal education in what he does. One of my teachers even got me to prepare for, and even do a Royal Conservatory exam. Your guess is as good as mine as to which grade it was and whether I even passed or not. I think I likely failed. All I vaguely remember is that it was very difficult, boring, tedious, and I didn’t have a good feeling about it when it was done.

Come my teenage years and then adulthood, I continued along the same path. I’ve always been able to sit at a piano upon anyone’s request and hammer out a few tunes to provide some entertainment… Fast-forward to my university years, I lost regular access to a piano, as well as most of my scores. It’s not that I never had a chance to sit down and play, but the opportunities were severely limited and my goals and ambitions were still immature and as a result, limited. Throughout the past 12 years, at various junctures, I have played with, and even hoped to purchase either a digital piano or something that I could play on a regular basis. The cost, however, has always been prohibitive. In Canada, at the time, a semi-decent digital piano would set you back at least $1,500 to $2,000 or more and anything less expensive sounded like a child’s toy. Not to mention the fact that transience always was a part of the equation.

Fast-forward to November, 2004. Ever since we came to Japan, I’ve been an astute observer of the prominence of low-cost digital pianos available through many Japanese retailers. Now, don’t get me wrong – when I say “cheap” I don’t mean you can decorate your living room with them, but for about 50 to 60,000 yen ($600-700CDN roughly) you can buy a respectable unit with basic functions, a full 88 weighted keys and a sound that you can live with, even though it doesn’t quite compare with the sound produced by an actual acoustic piano. I’ve been eyeballing these pianos for quite some time now and rarely pass up an opportunity to “test one out” whenever I see one in a store. Sometimes, Japanese recycle shops get them in too.

For the uninitiated, a “recycle shop” is what Japanese people call second-hand stores. To us English-speakers the stores have amusing names, proudly sporting large signs in front of their establishment that say: “Smile” or just “2.” By far, the favorite chain of stores are the “…Off…” stores. Sounding like a cross between some nouveau-vulgar teen slang word and an adult-themed anatomical term, most newcomers to Japan can’t help but smirk or even burst out laughing when they first spot the local “Hard Off” or “Book off” which are spread out across most neighborhoods and communities throughout Japan. Joining them are their siblings: “Off House,” “Hobby Off,” “Mode Off,” and “Garage Off.” Also sharing the same theme (though I believe these are not affiliated with the same company) you can sometimes find a “Car Off” for used automobiles or a “Bike Off” for used scooters and motorcycles. Usually anything from TVs and home appliances to designer jewelry and clothing can be found, frequently for very reasonable prices, due in large part to the Japanese cultural aversion to things that are “old” or “used.” It is not unusual to have items which look so new, they are still in their original packaging, with instruction manuals and accessories still wrapped in plastic. Prior to arriving in Japan, I heard a “friend-of-a-friend” story in which someone found a brand-new working TV, still with box and remote control out on the street, waiting to be picked up on garbage day. We were never so lucky. Our TV from the local rubbish heap was definitely NOT new, and there was no remote control either. Perhaps during the bubble-economy boom things were different. Nevertheless, our second TV we bought from the recycle shop was about a 34” widescreen that cost us only $100 CDN. The catch? the glass was scratched up in a few places, transforming it into the “burakumin” (Japanese equivalent of India’s “Untouchables”) of the used-electronics world. No problem for us – you can’t see the scratches with the TV on anyway.

So, it was only a matter of chance that, when I was perusing the isles of the local Hard Off when I came across a Roland HP-1 digital piano on display. The tag said: 25,000 yen (about $290 CDN) and a short explanatory note in Japanese touted the item has having cost 300,000 yen ($3,500 CDN) brand new. I asked a store employee if this was indeed accurate, and if so, why such a low price? The simple answer given to me was just: “it’s old. No one wants it.” Fair enough. When faced by such an obvious cultural oddity, I figured I might be onto something good here. What really clinched the deal was that I would even get a 3-month store warranty against breakdowns or defects. How could I go wrong?

The one odd thing about shopping at Hard Off is that they “shrink-wrap” most of their products in plastic, thus disallowing prospective buyers to try out the products prior to purchase. I suppose they make up for this in their generous return policy. I was thoroughly pleased then, when I got the piano home and re-assembled it (it’s a large, heavy beast considering it’s a digital) that the sound was quite rich and did a fine job of imitating its acoustic counterparts. I’ve since tweaked a few settings to produce an even better sound, but the feel of the weighted keys is really what makes is pleasant to play. Many digital piano manufacturers have devised all sorts of ingenious ways to imitate the “action” of a real piano. Roland does this by using actual hammers (like on a real piano) but instead of striking strings they strike rubber pressure-sensitive pads, similar to the ones you might find on a digital drum set.

Well, to make a long story short, I’ve really been enjoying my new piano! For the first time in many years I can practice regularly and work to improve my abilities rather than being content with not losing what I already know. I’ve been working hard to expand my repertoire to include many classical pieces from a variety of different composers. It’s interesting that I find myself so eager to learn material that would have caused me to abandon piano completely when I was younger. I suppose that, like everything else in life, as we grow older our tastes mature as well. If you ever read Ernest Hemmingway’s A Death in the Afternoon, he goes to great pains to describe the gradual evolution in one’s ability to appreciate a fine dry wine over a cheap, sweet one that would be enjoyed in one’s youth. At some point, claims Hemmingway, one would gladly trade in all the sweet wine he drank in his youth just for one sip of fine dry wine later on in life. Perhaps my musical tastes are taking a similar direction.

In the mean time, however, I enjoy playing a mixed repertoire, much of which involves playing in the church band. Fortunately we aren’t playing in Texas, as we have no fiddle, but we do have a couple of guitarists, a bass player and a drummer. There is a gal who would take turns with me playing the piano on alternate weekends, but effective recently, I’ve been made a more permanent member of the ensemble. The church recently informed me that they wanted to purchase a digital piano/electronic keyboard. In many bands, there is both a keyboardist and a pianist. When the pianist is playing the piano part, the keyboard player’s job is to lay some rich harmonies, utilize different synthesized instruments and achieve some really nice effects. So, I suppose in a strange sort of way, we DO have a fiddle but I still don’t think we can play in Texas. (Sorry about the obscure musical reference)….

The best part of all of this was, that I really got to choose my instrument. I submitted my proposal to the church, and they approved my selection. As a result, I opted for a Casio Privia PV-555. It’s really a nice instrument. The piano function is at best acceptable, but the range of effects and instruments rivals even some of the better pro keyboards out there, and that’s really the main reason why we bought it. It’s great for learning new pieces. I was thrilled to learn that it came with a rather large book of sheet music, much of it classified as “intermediate” and “advanced.” There’s tons of Chopin, and good selection of others, like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Shuman, etc. This was indeed a pleasant surprise, as I was expecting a book full of “beginner” pieces and instructions on how to play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” (This IS of course included too, but it’s within the context of Mozart’s 12 Variations of it).

So now, for the past couple weeks I’ve been learning to use this new piano/keyboard effectively. We’ve had it in our home so I can practice on it. It must be quite a sight for someone to come over and see not one, but two pianos in our living room. Bonnie has been gracious about it to date, but that won’t last. This weekend we’ll move the piano to the church, and that’s where it will likely spend most of its time.

I’m going to cut this Blog entry short now, as I see I’ve exceeded the 5 page mark. Anything more would be unreasonable. Heck, I probably should have stopped at page 2 but I guess I had a lot to say.

So, I’m off to rehearse so I can give a rousing performance of John Cage’s 4’33. Then, if that goes well I will play Vexations by Erik Satie.