July 16th
I had a wonderful breakfast with my fb writing group. It was nice to have a group to talk about writing with, and to meet everyone in person rather than communicating over fb.
After breakfast, it was off to the hotel for morning classes. We had a lecture and another poetry assignment. Then, we had workshop where we worked on one piece and then were given a lesson on characters which I found very helpful.
We went to Starbucks for lunch plus more souvenir cups. I thought I was getting a spinach and cheese sandwich but it turned out to also have meat in it. And it was the kind of meet that I couldn't easily scrap off. Luckily, I had also stopped at the grocery market and picked up some watermelon which was amazing and some Gatorade type water for the afternoon tour.
The tour was connected with the Tale of Genji. We first stopped at the museum which didn't have enough audio guides for us, so our tour guide told us about a few of the things in each room. It was a pretty sparse museum, but we did get free stickers. Because we had so much extra time we went and visited an old Shinto shrine with an original roof. It was a beautiful sight and the Tori gate just beyond was everything I had imagined. The only problem was the weather. It was sooooo hot that it was almost too unbearable to find anything enjoyable. I had my paper fan and my hand fan going at the same time.
After the museum and Shinto shrine, we went to the Byodoin Temple. This was the type of architecture I had been expecting since arriving in Japan. It was big and beautiful. The color of the buildings and architecture was just breathtaking. Inside the temple is a 9 ft Buddha, but I wasn't going to pay extra to see it up close. We were able to walk all around the temple and pond before entering the air conditioned museum. I was pretty much ready to pass out by the time we got into the cool air. I had overheated. Luckily, I managed to keep it together and cooled own even more. This museum, also with no audioguides, was easier to understand what as going on there. They had more artifacts that were cool to look at.
We stayed in the gift shop a little too long, but we didn't want to leave the AC. Down the street from the bus however, was an ice cream shop selling macha which I have been wanting to try. We got there just in time before they closed and it was worth it. Macha is green tea which seems to be used in a lot. At first bite, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but the more I ate the more I liked it. It grows on you if you allow it.
After getting back to the hotel, Mary and I ate dinner at the Irish pub and then went to the lounge to write. It didn't last long before my eyes started to droop.
July17th
I woke up in the middle of the night from a dream that was a complete short story which I'm not eager to write. It maybe super hot here and I'm not big on the food, but it is inspiring. I made sure I wrote everything down before going back to sleep.
In the morning, we tried a different breakfast place today, I know, so out of my comfort zone. They had both Japanese and western food. I still ate the same things I ate at the other place. The only difference for me was a few waffles. It was really quite when we first got there, but it soon became crowded and the line through the buffet was going both ways which made it confusing.
Today was a day of classes. We listened to a few lectures, workshopped a piece, learned about the process of writing Road to Tate Hill, and had student readings.
Mary had convinced me to do the play instead of my YA novel and I'm happy I did. We ran out of time which sucked especially because it was a mystery and they were left not knowing who the killer was. I had several people come up at the end to ask the ending. It had a good response and I think I'll keep working on it. So far for each residency, I've read something from a different genre. Italy I read poetry, Scotland I read YA, and now Japan I read a play. Next year I'll have to do CNF or fiction. ;)
We went to this nice French deli for lunch to grab a quick sandwich and then went two shops down and got ice cream from Basksin-Robbins where I got more matcha ice cream with a raspberry cheesecake. It was yum.
After classes were complete, we ended the day walking through the train station because we misheard another group going to a toy shop and as YA writers we got excited. However, along the way we saw a pizza place that looked like a great place for dinner. So, instead of continuing to follow the group to the store that Alisha had already gone to, we went back to the pizza place for dinner and did a little shopping in the station. When we finally got back to the hotel we did more writing in the lounge until I wasn't able to keep my eyes open anymore. I crashed hard.
On the docket for today is more classes where I'm going to be workshopped!!!!!! Finally, it's my turn. :) Plus, were going to have a discussion about picture books which will be very helpful. There are also more lectures and the graduate readings. It will be a good day.
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