February 18, 2007
Well, today begins the crazy trip of a lifetime to Tokyo! I went with my good friend, Yair Lenga. This trip woudlnt’ have been nearly as fun without you, Yair...can I get a SHIBUYAAA!!!?? The trip started with a really interesting experience. First off, Air Canada was “delayed” for 4 hours in Toronto. Then about 7 hours into the flight, I thought I was dreaming...the pilot mentioned that there was a crack in the window of the airplane, and we would have to turn around and land in Vancouver. In fine Air Canada fashion, they had posted our flight pattern. Oh well...we got to spend Chinese New Year in Richmond, which was close enough to the real thing.

February 21, 2007
I had my first performance only 24 hours after arriving to Tokyo. When I worked out the time difference, it was the equivalent of performing at 5am after an all-nighter. The concert went really well (though it started getting tiring as it progressed). Thankfully eariler in the day, Yair and I had the chance to chill out at the Imperial East Garden in Ginza. Who knew that in the middle of busting Tokyo, there would be a place without traffic that you could nap outside? Incidentally, it takes more than a Masters of Science degree to figure out all the buttons in a washroom.

February 22, 2007
Yair and I decided that this would be out “information-overload” day. That was an understatement. We went to Shibuya, had fun taking “Where’s Waldo” pictures at the busiest intersection, then went to Shinjuku for the night. The neon lights outside started to get us bug-eyed, and culture shock at this point was peaking. All in all, a great day! By the way, can you spot me in this picture?

February 23, 2007
We got up early to head to the Tsukiji Fish Market, walking deep in fish guts all over this huge warehouse. We walked aimlessly, and likely missed the place where all the great sushi was sold. After playing around at the Sony House, we met with my great hostesses, Eriko Sugano and Yuko Ishikawa. They were absolutley sweet and so kind to take us around. The trip would have not been the same without them. We were all taken out by Shoichi Hase, a member of the Paris jury and great host, to a great tempura bar...where you pick the food and they turn it into tempura. Trust me, everything tastes good as tempura!

That night we met up with some cool foreigners and we partied all night in Shibuya. I guess it’s funny calling them “foreigners”, when we were the foreign ones. These friends took us to places that were way too much fun. Yair and I also learned a new word that night..."Yagerbombs". Alas, we left early around 2am because there’s concerts to perform tomorrow!

February 24, 2007
After shopping like mad and admiring all the Japanese girls with short skirts, it was time to prepare for the next recital. I was a guest artist at the Piano Teachers National Association of Japan’s award gala night. It featured many competiiton winners from the PTNA national competition, which has a TON of players. I absolutely loved the dressing room...complete with bento boxes, a TV and couch, and some massage chair.

Because of that, the concert was great! The Japanese were so kind...of course, not as rowdy as a Parisian crowd, but they were very appreciative. There would be people (mostly young giggly Japanese girls) who would wait 45 minutes just to get a picture of you with their cool cell phones. I was treated graciously by Dr. Naoi and Dr. Maruyama to a wonderful kobe beef dinner. This was a night to remember.

February 25, 2007
After getting only 4 hours of sleep, we headed to the Sensoji Temple and we walked around Asakusa. My last concert was at the Maranouchi Buildling, which is considered the buildling with the highest property value in all of Tokyo...$200,000 per square meter! I played on the 35th floor, with a gorgeous view of the city.

Again, the crowd was really live and responsive. I met the vice president of the Tokyo division of Yamaha headquarters. After all this...I realized that I played 3 shows in 6 days. This was certainly an eye-opener into what it’s like to be a performer. Half the time you are exhausted and you find this energy where you thought you had none. Speaking of which, I’ll need it soon...because in 2 days I have another performance in Ottawa!