2019-11

My first time seeing an opera in kimono ~ the “Teatro Verdi Trieste”(椿姫) ~

Have you been to an Opera?

I went to see the “Teatro Verdi Trieste”(椿姫) opera at the Osaka festival hall with my friend last Saturday.
This is my first time seeing an opera.

My friend and I promised each other to wear kimono to the opera.
She showed up with an orange kimono. She was very beautiful. I wore a blue kimono and black kimono belt with bats design embroidery. I saw some other people were also wearing kimono.

Italian songs and Japanese translation

Although our seats were on the 3rd floor, we were at the front row. So I could see the orchestra pit and the stage very well.
The opera was Italian, but we could see Japanese translation on the side of the stage. Since I don’t speak Italian, the translation really helped me a lot to understand the story. Actually it was a bit busy to read the translation and watch the play at the same time.

The performance of the casts was stunning! The main cast, Marina Rebeka as Violetta, sang amazingly even when she was lying on the ground. I was overwhelmed by her breathtaking performance.

The total time was almost 3 hours

The time allocation of the opera was quite interesting. Act one was 30 mins, Act two was 65 mins, Act three was 30 mins. There were 20 mins breaks in between each Act. So the total time was almost 3 hours.
It didn’t feel that long at all. I really enjoyed this opera. I want to see another one again soon if I have the chance.

After the opera, we were a bit hungry so we went to a stand-up sushi bar. You see, we are two ladies, dressed in kimono, eating at a sushi bar after watching an opera. It is pretty stylish and cool, right!?

Small joy!!(2019.11.9)

2019-11-25 | Posted in English2 Comments » 

 

#806 Let’s watch the Rugby World Cup game at a British pub

I went to a British pub to watch the Rugby World Cup game

I went to a British pub “HUB” in Kyoto with my friend to watch the Rugby World Cup game. The game was the semi final, England vs New Zealand.
Even though the game started at 5 pm, we got to the pub at 4 pm to grab our seats. There were already many customers at the pub, most of them were foreigners. Luckily we got one of the last few empty tables.
Some customers were wearing black t-shirts, of course they were All blacks fans. White t-shirts fans were England supporters. They were already drinking beer and wine.
One hour before the game, my friend and I had some fish & chips, pizza, Doritos and drinks.
It was exciting to wait for the start of the game.

When the TV started playing England’s national anthem, some customers stood up and sang it loudly together. On the other hand, nobody sang when the New Zealand anthem played on TV. Maybe Kiwi are shy people.

England beat New Zealand

In the first half, England dominated the game with 10-0. I heard England supporters shouted many times.

There were so crowded in the pub and many foreign supporters who couldn’t get tables were watching TV through the large window from outside.

In the second half, right before the All Blacks tried, suddenly the TV screen went off for a few seconds. Everyone shouted and booed. Nobody could watch the All Blacks first try.

In the end, England beat New Zealand, 19-7. New Zealand missed the historic chance to win the World Cup 3 times in a row.

I was surprised that New Zealand lost.


↑Kyoto Tower

Small joy!!(2019.10.26)

2019-11-11 | Posted in English2 Comments »