Get set!

Thanks to a lovely woman at Buf Sem, I have photos of what the post office signs will look like and where the ATM will be. She told me how to get great food for less money (look for a restaurant that has plastic food outside or get a bento box from a train station) and gave me tips on what simple things like a little can of OJ will cost. I'll study the culture tips she included (such as don't wave around your chopsticks and don't count your change) carefully on the plane.
It has taken me all day to pack. I'm probably taking too much, but it will be 27 days that I'm away. The summer's opppressive heat and humidity in Japan will make it hard to do with one change of clothes a day.
I also have tour books, a Japanese phrase book, and three articles on Japanese theatre to read on the plane. So I'll keep busy if I can't sleep. I'll upload pictures as soon as I have them!

Japanese Tradition Theatre Training

The Traditional Theatre Training 2010 is a 3 and 1/2 week workshop in Kyoto, Japan. The program offers training in Noh, Kyogen, or Kabuki dance. I am one of 8 students accepted into the Noh program. I would have loved to take the Kyogen course, but it required a conversational knowledge of Japanese. It will be wonderful, however, to study Noh and maybe unveil some of its mysteries.
In preparation for this course, I have read 6 books out of the 17 on the recommended reading list, watched several videos of Noh and other forms of theatre, and perused tourist information from friends and acquaintances. There is so much to learn when one is talking about hundreds of years of theatre traditions and thousands of years of Japanese history! I leave tomorrow!