ITS THURSDAY HERE IN JAPAN A BIT RAINY AND NEVERTHELESS A NEW ADVENTURE AWAITS... MY SECOND PORTION OF THIS STAY IS ABOUT TO EMBARK THIS AFTERNOON........

MY FRIENDS FROM OAKLAND ARE ARRIVING HERE AND 2 MUSICANS FROM HAWAI'I ISLAND AS WELL. WE ARE TRAVELLING AS THE ACADEMY OF HAWAIIAN ARTS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF KUMU HULA MARK KELI'I HO'OMALU... HE IS THE HAWAIIAN GENIUS BEHIND THE FIRST RELEASE OF LILO AND STICH, DOING THE HAWAIIAN DANCE/CHANT VOICE AS WELL AS THE WRITING OF THE SURF SONG ETC.... MORE IMPORTANT HOWEVER IS HIS ABILITY TO BRING INTO THIS WORLD A NEW VIEW ON HOW HULA IS APPROACHED... MUCH TO THE DISMAY OF MY TRADITIONALIST BROTHERS AND SISTERS.....

I AM OF THE FIRM BELIEF THAT IN ORDER TO SURVIVE THIS IS JUST ONE ROUTE THAT HULA CAN TAKE... NO MATTER THE TRADITIONALIST'S VIEW AND PRACTICE CAN CONTINUE...THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME WHO WILL PURSUE THIS LINE OF LEARNING, HOWEVER, THE MASSES WILL FLOCK TO MARK BECAUSE OF HIS ABILITY TO BRIDGE THE GAP OF NOT UNDERSTADING HAWAIIAN (THE LANGUAGE) BUT MOST CERTAINLY FIGURING IT OUT WITH HIS PRESENTATIONS..... THAT IS BY FAR AS IMPORTANT AS KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE.....

OUR SOJOURN BEGINS AT NARITA INTERNATIONAL WHERE I MEET WITH THEM AND THEN OFF TO OSAKA BY PLANE ARRIVING IN KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.... AN AMAZING PLACE SINCE THIS PARTICULAR AIRPORT WAS BUILT OUT INTO THE OCEAN RATHER THAN ON KANTO (JAPAN)... WE ARE THERE TILL THE NIGHT OF THE 2ND AND THEN BACK TO TOKYO AND INTO SHIBUYA-KU STAYING AT IKEBUKURO FOR 4 DAYS AND THEN YOKOSUKA FOR 2 DAYS AND LASTLY NIIGATA FOR THE LAST 2 DAYS BEFORE LEAVING FOR HOME.... I AT 1840 ON JAL076 ON JUNE 10TH AND ARRIVING HOME THE SAME DAY BUT THE MORNING OF.....LOL
HERE ARE THE PERMORING ARTS CENTERS THAT WE ARE ARE AT:
JUNE 2 HYOGO PERMORMING ARTS CENTER
JUNE 3 BUNKAMARU, ORCHARD HALL
JUNE 4 BUNKAMARU, ORCHARD HALL
JUNE 5 BUNKAMARU, ORCHARD HALL 2 SHOWS
JUNE 7 YOKOSUKA ARTS THEATRE
JUNE 9 NIIGATA PREFECTUAL CIVIC CENTER
THIS WILL BE THE WHIRWIND PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE......AND I AM TRULY ALONG FOR THE RIDE!

THESE SHOWS ARE NEARLY SOLD OUT...SO THIS FIRST SHOWING IS TRULY WELL WORTH THE PREPERATION THAT THESE DANCERS AND THEIR KUMU HAVE DONE.....I AM SO BLESSED TO BE WITH THEM AND GRATEFUL TO OUR AKUA FOR THIS CHANCE..... THE UNIVERSE HAS OPENED HER ARMS FOR ME ONCE AGAIN.....