Shakuhachi lesson

On Saturday my Shakuhachi teacher Christopher visited Hong Kong.  It was great to see him again and to have my first lesson in 6 months.

I have been working on Hachidan no Shirabe, the last of the Kinko-ryu 'beginner' pieces.  But making slow progress despite being able to practice more in the new apartment.   My sound has seemed tight and I've often found it frustratingly difficult to hit even basic notes.

Christopher listened for a while and then announced 'were going to do relaxation exercises'.   After 10 minutes of 'Noguchi Taiso' (Geidai ninja relaxation exercises) there was a dramatic improvement to my sound.

Lookalike (7)

Genuine Louis Vuitton handbag purchased at Takashimaya in Tokyo (EUR 500)

Cheap copy purchased at the Ladies' Market in Hong Kong (EUR 20)

Ladies' Market Purchases

Kuo-chan bought Hannah a nice 'unbranded' bag from the Ladies' Market.

"No paparazzi!"

So now Hannah has a handbag just like Mama's.

Issei Miyake bag

Top brand flip-flops.  Genuine on right, copy on left

Ladies' Market

After the Cycle Park we went to the  "Ladies' Market" in Mong Kok.  (Not to be confused with the "Ladies Market" which is in Wan Chai). 

"With over 100 stalls of bargain clothing, accessories and souvenirs, the Ladies’ Market on Tung Choi Street provides a one-kilometre stretch on which to practise your haggling skills. It gets its name from the huge amount of clothing and accessories on sale for women of all ages; however, with watches, cosmetics, bags, home furnishings, CDs and trinkets also up for grabs, you don’t need to be just in the market for a pair of nylon stockings to find something within its crowded aisles."  (link to Discover Hong Kong).

As expected there were plenty of t-shirts,  copies of brandname handbags...

accessories, lanterns....

An unexpected treat - a wide variety of  'cosplay' uniforms

And even more surprising - several stalls with a choice of 'posing pouches' for the man in your life.

 As we were passing, this young lady was haggling on the price of the yellow-and purple 'parrot' posing pouch (top right, size S), which she eventually purchased.

For some reason Hannah wanted to buy a suitcase.  (And a few days later Minimi peed in Kyo-chan's suitcase and she had to buy a new one).

But Hannah settled for a watch.

Kyo chan and Rika both brought brand-name bags.

We then took a bus down to Star Ferry and a brief stop for the view of Victoria Harbour, then home for dinner.

Carpenter Road Cycle Path

On Sunday morning we honored our promise to Hannah and took her back to the Carpenter Road cycle park next to the Kowloon Walled City Park.

Hannah insisted on hiring a '2 wheeled' bike.  She was sure she was now ready to ride without stabilisers.   She also insisted on wearing all her safety gear.  Clever girl!

It took a few attempts and falls...

... but as she had predicted, she was soon riding confidently, even if starting and stopping were a bit tricky.

Video:  If at first you don't succeed...

Video:   Hannah riging without stabilisers.  
(Daddy is shouting encouraging slogans he picked up from one of Hannah's video games -  'Even better than Mama!').

Well done Hannah!