Day 1 of 28

Day 1. We safely arrived to Pittsburgh just before midnight. We picked up our new album in Philadelphia on the way, drove 13 hours and finally reached here.

I was sitting in the van and traveling for such a long time, so when I got off, I felt the ground still moving or almost locking for a while. I guess this is one of those occupational hazards. Wait. Isn't it the occupational hazards for sailors or something?? Sometimes I forget what my occupation is.

Good night, everyone. Before I go to bed, I'll lightly destroy my back muscle and biceps.

International String Trio's new album has just been released!

We just picked up our new mini-album in Philadelphia!!

Leaving for a tour!

Howdy-ho Off to the four-week tour with International String Trio. Here we go again. We'll go around Midwest like last year. This is going to be a fun tour with lots of concerts. I am also looking forward to seeing lots of beautiful views!

SPEAK UP HOPE --- the charity event for Taiwan earthquake

I came back to New York City after almost six months of absence! I'll perform voluntarily at the charity event for the recent earthquake in Taiwan.

Then afterward, I'm going to Japanese bookstore and Japanese used bookstore! I'm staying in NYC for only eight hours. Let's see if I can go both places!



(Postscript)

I did have time to go to two of my favorite places in New York, BOOK OFF the Japanese used bookstore & GO GO CURRY the Japanese curry shop! I'll go to KINOKUNIYA the Japanese bookstore and lots of other pastry shops on the next visit!

Boston is frozen up

It’s been a long time since I woke with chill. It’s -9F (-23C) with the real feel of -45F (-43C). This is almost funny because it’s too absurd. This is like the North Pole. If I go out now, I’ll turn into an ice sculpture.

Come to think of it, I was on the road in the mid-Winter a few years back and I went on nagging it was too cold and too much snow. Then I came back to Boston and found out that the coldest and the place with the most snow was actually Boston. I sometimes forget Boston is in northern province and snowy country.

Jazz Sunday!

I played for a Sunday service at a church in Upton, Massachusetts on last weekend. They have what-so-called “Jazz Sunday” every year around this time of the year and I have been playing for that for ten years or so.

The Jazz Sunday was fun as always and Kenji’s compositions were tough as always, then we all had a nice lunch afterwords. I told them that I might be moving out to the West coast so that might be the last one for me. On the next day, I’ve got the group email saying if Ippei finds a girl in here, he might be staying so let’s find one for him. Ha-ha. Well, I'd say whatever will be will be.

22 years have passed since I stopped drinking!

Hello,

Today is my 22nd anniversary of quitting alcohol! I still haven't fallen off the wagon and I'll try to stay on it. I am definitely in the healthiest state of mind in my whole life, and, yep, my physique is getting close to the shape when I was still fighting in martial arts. I feel I'm getting stronger everyday.

I'll keep advancing. I'll keep at it. Ha-ha.

Pat Metheny Songbook

It's been ten days since I posted on the blog last time.

I have locked myself at my apartment and have been working on the stuff that I'll be needing in the near future. That's long and an exhausting process. Then I happened to see something interesting in my bookshelves, that was Pat Metheny Songbook.

I played the tunes on the book with the recordings and, OMG, it was tremendous fun! I can play forever! I re-realized that it is important to do something you love. I think I'll play it everyday from now on.

New gym!

I had been using the small fitness room at my apartment building but there were not heavy enough dumbbells or weight machines, so I joined a real gym close by. Machines are beautiful. Dumbbells are still not heavy enough but they will do for now.

I can finally carry out my high intensity workout plan. I call it the height of masochism. Hee-hee. I’ll be bigger! I’ll look like a WWE wrestler in a month!

The first tour of the year is over!

After the storm.....

Wow rough ocean. These raging waves are kinda scary. I love it. I forgot to mention that the town we played, Kill Devil Hills, is the place where the famous Wright Brothers flew the first airplane, Kitty Hawk, in the history of mankind. That was a great place to come for my first tour of the year because I'm about to fly high and do something new.

We arrived there safely, the concert was successful and now we are driving the minivan to Boston. A little worried about the aftermath of the blizzard in NYC area. Well, we'll find out.