Meeting stranger through music (三味線 Shamisen)

Ciao tutti! How's your day? Today has been an awesome day for me :):) Nice weather, new friend, music and sushi! I mean life is just good with all that you know?

I am quite tired today because of yosakoi last night (no big deal because it's fun tired!). We had a meeting until almost 10 about our dance team and then I went out for dinner with my teammates last night. Everyone is just the nicest and the cutest when they would ask my silly little questions then all giggle together. Even though I am still not 100% with my Japanese, I already feel like part of something here!

Today is indeed the warmest and the nicest day ever since I have been here! 21 degree celsius and super sunny. It really can't be any perfecter to have such a graceful day! I even got to lay out for a little to sunbath on campus after my class but of course I got plenty of weird stares because people in Japan don't normally do that! That as if laying down and sunbathing I guess? haha

On my way walking home from the subway station, I started hearing music coming from somewhere - a park next to the apartment that I live in now. I approached to the musician and just stopped and listen to her playing her shamisen. Shamisen is a traditional Japanese instrument with 3 strings. While she had a little break between playing songs, I decided to introduce myself and asked to take a picture of her :) And there we go, we became friends! Ms. Ami is a young looking lady. I said this is because she looks like she is in her early 30s, but she is indeed already 41! Also, she did yosakoi for 9 years, so we both got excited when I told her that I am now doing yosakoi in Hokkaido.

After her little practice, she also invited me to go to a day care home with her to listen to this team of people playing shamisen and taiko for the elderly in the community. It was the cutest thing ever and going to the day care home makes me miss volunteering at Masonic Village, a similar place nearby my college. The worker there introduced me to the old people which made me kind of nervous, but then everyone was so nice there and asked me a lot of questions about my home stay here now.

At night, my super sushi chef papa made us lots of sushi for dinner! I mean I do think I am one of the luckiest girl in the world with such a loving host family and for having a cool papa like him! :) We also had dessert tonight as I bought different types of strawberry cake home! What a good day, right?

I hope yours is as happy as mine, tutti! Ciao!