A Comic Evening

Though UML is the largest gaijin venue in the park, we do have several Japanese natives in our team. One of the fellas who plays Beetlejuice in our show is very active in theatre outside of USJ. He had invited the Monsters cast to come see his most recent performance project and six of us obliged. We walked in the door from work at about 6:15 with a plan to shower, get ready and meet downstairs at 6:45. Mind you, there were three women in this group. I don't know who we thought we were kidding... I did manage to make it downstairs before everyone had assembled, took one look at the fabulous Japanese heels my castmate Morgan donned and decided to run back upstairs to trade my cute little red flats for my burnt orange, snakeskin 5 inch stilettos. By the time I got back downstairs, the rest of the group had assembled and we hopped on our bikes, (yes, in heels) and rode to the subway station. Right as we made our way through the ticket line, we heard the familiar melody announcing the train's arrival. We ran up the stairs to the platform and got onto the train.

We all checked our watches nervously, fearing that we would be late, (a HUGE faux paux in Japanese culture), while two of our cast members who were more experienced at navigating through the local subway system studied the map "Beetlejuice" has given to us to find our way. We had to make one train change and, once again sprinted to our next train barely making it before the doors closed. Once we arrived at our final stop, we climbed the stairs to the street and went in search of the venue. A good mile and a half walk later, we discovered we had in fact gone (WAY) too far and doubled back. All of three of the girls were whining while the guys laughed at our funny little prances in our 5 inch footwear. After passing the small street where the theatre was hidden a good three times, we finally found the place. Before we went inside we were handed a plastic grocery bag and instructed to take off our shoes. This is fairly commonplace in Japan, what was funny was there was no foyer for us to take our shoes off in. Instead, we had to take them off, stand in our bare feet in the street and then track the dirt that clung to them inside the theatre with us. We couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.

Once inside, we snuck into our seats. The production was in full swing. Japanese humor can be very over the top, so even though we had no idea what the characters were saying, we were all fairly entertained. The problem was, we were often watching with a puzzled expression when the rest of the audience erupted into laughter. What's more, we were often laughing when the Japanese spectators looked on in silence. There were often moments where the cultural divide in the style of humor and performance was so great, it was all we could do to keep from laughing in an effort not to appear rude or disrespectful to the performers on stage. There was even a moment where I looked and saw tears rolling down the cheek of one of my companions as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. Regardless of the language barrier and foreign style (no pun intended), we were able to appreciate the actors who were obviously committed to their work and delivering a top-notch performance. Our very own Beetlejuice portrayed the villain masterfully. After the show, we got to give him a hug, take a photo and express our love and support. He was very touched that we had come to his performance. We said goodnight and started home.

On our walk back to the train station, we laughed together about the downright absurdity of the spectacle we had just observed, but agreed that it was undoubtedly a job well done. It was at that moment I made the mistake of making the statement, "I am not running anywhere else tonight in these heels." Sure enough.... as soon as we got back into the station, our ringleader for the evening shouted, "Train's coming!!!!" and we started our race all over again. Each time we ran for a train, we seemed to have to climb or descend more stairs than the last set and scamper frantically through longer corridors than the ones we had navigated before. By the time we reached our final train, we all collapsed exhausted onto the benches inside and did the only thing we could do, dissolve into a fit of uncontrollable laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of the entire evening. Since we hadn't had a chance to eat anything throughout our hijinks, a few of us stopped into a local favorite restaurant to finish the night off with some great food and great conversation.

It was definitely one for the books. Stay tuned for the next adventure! :)

A Grateful Heart

I wouldn't trade what I do for anything in the world. It feeds my soul in every hippy-dippy way imaginable. I, essentially, get paid to sing, dance and play dress up. I get to walk out on stage and entertain people. It doesn't matter what kind of show I'm doing or how long or short it is. From the time the lights come up on stage, to the time the final curtain closes, I get the unique privilege of taking the people in that audience on a journey. Sometimes I make them laugh, sometimes I make them cry. Sometimes they are impressed by the spectacle of the lights, the pyro or the sound system booming around them. But every single time, those people filling the seats of the auditorium get to forget about whatever it is that is going on in their lives and for a short time, simply sit back and be entertained. It is so very humbling to know that I get to spend my life making this kind of an impact on thousands upon thousands of people.

Doing what I do, I get the opportunity to travel, spend time in amazing places I would have never thought to visit, and meet incredible people from all different walks of life in the process. It is so invigorating to be living here in the Kaigandori House surrounded by passionate, quirky and slightly eccentric performers from all over the globe. My cast has already become my family. So long as there is not any kind of childish and petty competition going on (which thankfully, there isn't here with my Monsters cast), performers are very good at taking care of each other. We have to be. We're gypsies who are constantly leaving our friends and family behind, so we bond deeply and immediately in order to support each other and fill up those lonely places in our lives. We have new and exciting experiences together as we explore our new surroundings and create memories that will become the stories we tell for the rest of our lives. How many people get the opportunity to lead such a unique life?

I count myself incredible blessed to have the talent, the opportunity and the freedom to take advantage of every adventure that presents itself. I am at the very brink of this chapter in Japan and I can already tell this is going to be a time that has incredible impact on me and shapes my life. Working in a theme park is going to build up my stamina and endurance. Doing 5 and 6 high energy rock n' roll shows in a day is going to challenge me as a singer, dancer, performer and artist. I'll do this show more than any other show I've done up to this point in my life. I'm going to have to learn to reinvent it and give each audience the maximum experience they deserve. My ability to persevere is going to be stretched and forced to grow simply in the fact that I will be in one place for 13 months. (That may not seem like a big deal, but it is a challenge for one such as myself who has the spirit of a wanderer.) I have this time away from home to make some decisions about what I want my life to look like when I do come back. This job is affording me the opportunity to return home debt free and start my life in any city, focus and direction that I please. I am meeting people here that will help to shape me as a person, an artist and an individual. This year is going to be one of tremendous growth.


I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude.

Seat warmers, sound machines and vending machine lattes

Jet lag.

I woke up around 4 this morning and managed to get back to sleep for a couple hours. When 6 AM rolled around, I gave up and decided to get up and unpack. I managed to get pretty well settled into my cozy little apartment, do a short workout and make myself breakfast before rushing downstairs to the lobby for 9AM orientation.

So far, one of my favorite parts of life in Japan is getting around on my bicycle. I definitely think that I will enjoy the active lifestyle that comes with one of my primary modes of transportation during my stay. Today was an absolutely GORGEOUS day out and our group biked to the ferry where we headed over to the park for a very long day of company policy education. We were all in good spirits though and managed to laugh a lot through the whole process.

One thing I have learned already is that Japan is the land of abundant convenience. I suppose when a country has as many people as Japan does, there is no choice BUT to implement such accommodations. Everywhere you look there are vending machines with anything from cigarettes, to bottled water to HOT (and DELICIOUS) instant coffee. And it's CHEAP too. It's about the equivalent of $1USD for a piping hot cup of just about any kind of coffee drink you could want. They've even got caramel macchiatos in these machines. It's pretty great. :)

The funniest discovery we made today by FAR was in the public restrooms. As soon as you close and lock the door to the stall, a sound machine kicks in with waves or running water to mask the sound as you do your business. Not only this, but we were startled at first, to discover that the seats are equipped with seat warmers to make your experience more comfortable. Suffice it to say, we all had a good laugh about this together throughout the day. Why, I ask you, haven't we adopted the same amenities in the states? It really does round out the entire experience. lol

(Forgive me if this entry seems awkward or disjointed. Jet lag has reduced my brain to utter mush. I just wanted to make sure to write while this stuff was still fresh in my mind.)

I look forward to tomorrow and whatever new adventures the day brings. :)