Tokyo is hot! ～ 熱々東京！

Posted on July 21, 2010 by scotto

Some say Tokyo is a cool place to live. Perhaps, but not this week. Yesterday it was 35C (95F) in the city. It “cooled down” to 33C (90F) by the time I went to bed. When it’s this hot the dilemma we face is which side of our body should be left upside for the fan to cool, and which side gets to touch the hot sheets. You really should experience it. Aside from the horrors of my sleeping chamber, I beat the heat by – what else – early morning cycling. Yesterday’s photos from the Arakawa River Cycling path at 6:00 a.m.

クールビズ、クールシート、クールそれ、クールあれ。しかし、東京はまったくクールではありません！昨日最高気温が３５度でした。寝た時ベッドルームはまだ３５度でした。こういう季節がやってくると、寝るにも悩みます、ね。私の対策は（やはり）早朝サイクリング。気温が上がる前に出かけるとその日はイライラしません。昨日荒川サイクリングロードで撮った写真です（午前６時ごろ）。

(click on a photo to enlarge, use your back button to return　写真をクリックする拡大されます。バックボタンで戻ります)

HAPPY 5000 KM!  The Giant (my bike) and I logged our 5000th km on the 19th.  Next goal – 10,000 km by 2012.　５０００キロおめでとう！先日マイジャイアント自転車と一緒に５０００キロを超えました。次のゴール：２０１２年の夏までに一万キロを超えることです。

Posted in Cycling, Tokyo ~ 東京 | Leave a comment

City cycling ～　東京都内サイクリング

Posted on July 17, 2010 by scotto

Today was a proper day off – no work, no thoughts about work, no checking email.  I had a good ride through the Tokyo metropolitan area. The route took me from home to the Imperial Palace, through the Ginza, along the bay road to a wonderful city park with camp sites directly across from Haneda Airport.  Not only do you get wonderful Tokyo bay views, jets fly right overhead, making it a great spot for plane spotting.  The return route was less than jolly – a straight run along one of the city’s main arterials (Kannana Dori).  Here is a map of the 70km route, in case you want to give it a try.
今日は休みだったので、仕事をせず、仕事のことを考えず、メールをまったく見ないで一日を過ごしました。リフレッシュ！朝１０時から自転車で出かけ、池袋周辺から皇居、銀座、湾岸通りを通り、ゴールが羽田空港の近くの城南島浜公園でした。りっぱんなビーチ公園（キャンプ所もあり）からの景色が素晴らしいし、着陸数分前のジェット機が次々公園の上を通るので、よい写真スポットです。公園から自宅までは環七通りが走っていますので、楽に帰りました（楽しい道だとはいえないけど）。役７０キロのコースです。環七以外の分はお勧めします。（地図を参考して下さい）


Photos taken from Jonan Shima Beach Park (Click for a larger view, hit backspace to return)　城南島浜公園から撮った写真。（クリックすれば拡大されます。バックボタンで戻ります）

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How much is…?

Posted on July 16, 2010 by scotto

I’ve been wondering lately about questions: “how much is too much?”, “how old is too old?”, “how far is too far?”, and the like.  I suppose it started when I was riding a train the other day and two grade school boys offered me their seat.  (see photo below)  I’m 52 and in decent health, while one of the boys had a broken arm and couldn’t have been over 10 years old.  How old is old? (I turned them down, of course)

I bought an iPhone a few months ago.  Since it has GPS, I use it to track my walks and rides.  Using an app called RunKeeper, I found that last month I rode/walked about 420 km.  How far is far? I hate math but love numbers on charts, so naturally I tried to surpass that distance in the first two weeks of this month.  Too far?  Now I’m out of order with knee, wrist and neck pains.  Till the weekend, anyway.  Can’t let those numbers slip.

How much money is too much?  Someone at work suggested “I need” a lightweight folding road bike.  I immediately agreed – I NEED a new bike (mine road bike has nearly 5000 km, so you see…).  I must have this new bike.  I even went to the bike store to touch this latest must-have item.  And it only costs 180,000 yen (about 1600 US dollars).  Is that too much? Looking at my bank account, it appears that it is.  But wouldn’t it go well with my riding shorts?

Dahon Speed TT

How busy is busy?  Are you busy?  Who would answer that question honestly?  Absolutely everyone I know tells each other how busy they are – it’s a centerpiece of conversation here in Japan.  We are also “taihen”, which is one rank better than just busy.  If you are taihen, you are close to being “panku”, which is the mother of all “taihen-ness”.  If you are panku you are nearly ready to explode with busy-ness.  Am I too busy? Well, it is end of semester, and things are getting easier.  My schedule is starting to slow down, BUT I AM VERY BUSY, practically TAIHEN, and almost PANKU!!  I shout it to the hills lest you think I am a lazy person that doesn’t earn his keep.  I suggest you do the same.  Here is what keeps me TOO BUSY at present.

1. writing an article on the history of hymns for the soon-to-be published companion to the 2006 Hymnal of the Nippon Seikokai (Anglican Church in Japan).  It’s a real challenge to refine 1500 years of history into a reasonable length article, but I’m 1/3 of the way through.  More busy-ness to come!

2. preparing a new class for the fall semester on the music of the Afro-American church (i.e. spirituals and gospel music).  Listening to the music is great fun, but reading and writing about the sorry treatment of blacks in the US is not.  When will humanity learn?

3. gathering articles for the Rikkyo Institute of Church Music newsletter (which I am, unfortunately, the editor of ).  Would you like to contribute?  I need your article yesterday!

4. reading – Kurt Vonnegut is my hero at present.  I’ve done “Slaughterhouse Five”, “Cat’s Paw” and “Sirens of Titan” recently.

5. taking portraits of myself  - is this too vain? I find my eyes really do sparkle in photos…


Posted in Church music ～　教会音楽, Cycling, Tokyo ~ 東京 | 2 Comments

Concerts, Riding and all that コンサート、サイクリング、等

Posted on July 6, 2010 by scotto

Howdy, all readers.  The choir Rainbow Concert is successfully over, and the choir and I have also finished a couple of other interesting events.  But first, to quell your curiosity, I will upload a couple of photos of the Rainbow Concert (courtesy of our resident photographer, Mr. Eight-Tree – Thanks JMT!)

Rainbow Concert Part I: Senior choir members

Rainbow Concert Part II: Full student choir

Rainbow Concert Part III: Mozart Missa Brevis in F-Dur K192

After the concert, the choir was busy on Friday, July 2, when the chapel choir of Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, joined us for a joint service of Evensong.  The two choirs singing Howells “Prayer for St Cecilia” was stunning!  After the service, the Oxford choir sang a 45 minute concert, followed by a party.  The Rikkyo choir will be visiting Oxford next February, so we look forward to a reunion on UK territory.  I don’t have any photos of the event, but here is a PR shot of the Corpus Christi choir.

Oxford University Corpus Christi College Chapel Choir

The choir’s final big event of the season was the singing of a service and concert at Tokyo’s Holy Trinity Anglican Church last Sunday.  The event commemorated the installation of the fine Harrison & Harrison organ there 30 years ago.  I played the service and a 20 minute mini-concert after the service.  After that the choir sang another 30 minutes.  All in all, a busy few weeks.  Here a some photos from my iPhone of the church and organ.

Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Tokyo's Harrison and Harrison organ console

Organist's view, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Tokyo

LASTLY, as usual I head for the hills on my bike when these stressful events are over.  On Monday I managed a nice 75 km ride before storms hit.  Breakfast at Kasai Rinkai Koen on Tokyo Bay, then a 2 hour ride up the Arakawa River to home.  One minor tumble from the bike gave great bruises to brag over for the coming week.  What fun we do have!

Breakfast view from Kasai Rinkai Koen, Tokyo

Breakfast party for 1 at Kasai Rinkai Koen

Posted in Choral ~ 聖歌隊関係, Church music ～　教会音楽, Cycling, Rikkyo ~ 立教, Tokyo ~ 東京 | Leave a comment

Concert tomorrow + Morning way of life ～　明日のコンサート、朝のお勧め過ごし方

Posted on June 25, 2010 by scotto

It’s the day before the Rikkyo Chapel Choir Rainbow Concert. The dress rehearsals have gone very well, and I am looking forward to a fine performance by the singers. If you are in the Ikebukuro area tomorrow, do drop in!　(details in the previous post, below)
明日の立教大学チャペル聖歌隊「レインボーコンサート」の前日です。最後のリハーサルはとてもうまくいったので、よい本番になると思います。明日、お暇な方は是非聞きにいらしてください！（詳細は下のポストに書かれています）
………………………………………………………………………..
Advice for keeping stress levels down before concerts (when you’re the director)
聖歌隊長のお勧め朝の過ごし方（ストレスが高まっている時こそ）
1. Get up at 4 am
午前４時に起きましょう
2. Hit the road (with bike) at 5 am
午前５時に自転車で家を出ましょう
3. Ride along the Arawaka and through the city for 2 hours
荒川サイクリングロードを走りましょう（２時間程度）
4. Arrive at work 7:30
午前７時３０分職場に着きましょう
5. Start choir warm up at 8:00
午前８時に聖歌隊の発声連取を始まりましょう
Try it – you will be a much more relaxed person (I am!)
やってみたらいかがですか？その日は完全にリラックスされますよ（今朝やりましたが、ストレスがなくなった＋眠たくなりました）

Posted in Choral ~ 聖歌隊関係, Church music ～　教会音楽, Cycling, Music - general ～　音楽：一般, Tokyo ~ 東京 | Leave a comment