Starting with a bang

Of all things to happen, the plane suffered mechanical failure. Nobody was late. No one was missing. Everyone was on the plane and the plane was in the air when a loud bang change all that. Some thing with the landing gears was not working right and the plane returned to San Francisco where it circled for nearly an hour.

Fortunately, the plane landed safely. However there were no parts to repair what was broken and so every one had a free night’s lodging. The Choir was put up in rooms near the airport.

The YBA conference recital was canceled. They would arrive too late to perform. And Sunday is too hectic to perform. So much work went into singing. Too bad the YBA won’t have a chance to hear them sing.

They arrive tonight. Tomorrow’s a full free day. We have to make some adjustments to the schedule then we ready to go.

Spoke to Sugimoto san this morning, she’s our contact while we’re in Kyoto. Monday morning will be a full day at Honzan. We’ll tour the Honzan, visit with Gomonshu and sing at the Mombo Kaikan.

It’s really hot and humid here. But everyone takes it in stride. Cicada are heard everywhere. Sugimoto san says that as the seasons change to sound of the cicada changes.

Rode to the end of the subway line today. The Kyoto International Conference Center is located there. The center sits in a park with a lake. Park is open to anyone.

On the way back when I tried to use the ticket that I purchased at Kyoto station, the machine refused to accept it, so I went over to the station agent. What I thought was a price for one way or two way turned out to be adult and child prices. But in talking with him I found out there are several types of one day passes. The two that were of particle interest were the one day pass to Nara and the local one pass. The Nara pass include the local pass. When we go to Nara it maybe a good idea to buy the pass for Nara. All busses in Nara are also included.

On the way back I got off at Karasuma and Oike. This was the original plan for today. Near Oike in the Ikenobo school of flower arrangement. This is the school my mother belonged to. Behind the Ikenobo School is Rokkakudo. When she came to visit me in Kyoto in the 70’s we were given a special tour of the temple. Although, rather small, seeing it close up was a real treat. The temple was founded by Shotoku taishi and played an important role in Shinran’s life.

From Rokkakudo I went looking for Nishiki ichiba. Along the way, passing through small, narrow streets, pedestrians, bicyclists, cars and trucks all shared the road. Suddenly, I came upon the ichiba. Probably a mile long its lined with venders selling tsukemono, fresh fish, vegetables, nuts and beans. Nishiki has been here for nearly 400 years and is called the kitchen of Kyoto.