Taikyoken Class

I met for my first Taikyoken class (T'ai Chi Ch'uan or Tai Chi as some of you might know it) and had an interesting time. The first hour of the class was stretching, using...mostly the principles that we ourselves pratice in the US. I recieve a few interesting questions, such as what "English Taikyoken is like" Eventually, I just had Keiko translate to the teacher that I wouldn't mind demonstrating my own form. After I finished, she said little, but seemed thoughtful, retreating off to the side of the room while our single short break for the 2-hour class was about to end. A few others watched as well.
Eventually, I started to hear in one of her later speeches something about an American, his form, and then her exaggerating poor form and good form (I hoped that this meant that mine was the good one and not the bad one!) I later asked Kyoko what she said, and it was better than I thought! Apparently she said (rough translation) "American has good form because he does not stop, he is flowing, smooth, and does not destroy his yoke when he uses [push] and keeps good bloodflow through the wrists in all of his form, as I saw in his Cloud Hands." The way she stated it, how long she spent on it, and the demonstrations themselves of my distinction as a practicioner was terribly flattering! I'm actually glad I didn't understand it all right there in from of about 50 other students in the gymnasium because I think I would have been pretty embarassed! Still, I am happy that me, a total newcomer and foreigner of a different style would recieve such high regards on the first day. She is an very good artist. That made the honor all the greater. I am very happy, but don't think I'm going to let it go to my head. Now 50 other students are going to be looking at me for guidance and with limited communicative ability, and almost no ability for most to understand English or Chinese terms, and my very limited ability to understand Kansai-ben (the local-regional dialect) I will have to be learning there 24 movement form awful quickly, so I will be attending more often at least for now. It is free until September, and then $10/month! So I'll be going when I can.
This Sunday, I found out at the end of class, there is a class in "Midorigaoka-cho Nishi [Park]" Which, when a map was drawn for me, turned out to be the one on the next BLOCK from my house! ...But it is at 6:30 am. So I'll go, stiff and cranky at the time, but I think I'll enjoy myself enough regardless. Keiko and Junko will be meeting me there too, that will be only their 3rd class ever.

So you're probably wondering who Keiko and Junko are! Keiko likes to practice her English translation for fun, and Junko is her former classmate from school They both are pretty good in English, but not great. Kyoko (the teacher-friend of Maybelle, the Phillipino girl I met from the tour) arranged for her friend (Keiko) who had only been to one class, to show me where it was and translate. I am fairly certain that there are few that Kyoko has ever owed anything to, and that there are many who owe her. So, in getting to Taikyoken, she had me meet her at a closer location to my home, where I locked up my bike. When I got into her car, a CD began playing in the disc-player. It was Neo-Genesis Evangelion's theme song! Which we were listening to on the way to T'ai Chi! So you can imagine what I think of Keiko. Yep. Pretty rad.

By the way, here are some of those pictures some of you were waiting for:


Our house

A common Kansai house

A common 2-car driveway (gate optional)

Our house's driveway (bikes/scooters only)

...and a westernized-looking house, with its proportions just a bit off, and a bit small. Sidways driveway and tiny Japanese-style car included, however. You can't see it well but they have left out snowboards, bicycles, and many other "commonly stolen goods" in their front yard...and they've probably been there since winter, most of the time, with no locks!