Last Day in Fukuoka

It's really beautiful to listen to our young pianist evolve his understanding of Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto.  After nine performances he is settling into the piece, and there are still several opportunities to open it further.  Wonderful to have the experience to try something so many times.  To overcome fear and be able to explore something with greater freedom and curiosity.  A good thing to remember that if we run away from the first or the second or the third time, we may miss something that just needed another opportunity to grow.  And that if we practice what it is that we want to achieve, what it is that we want to become, if we stay with it and learn from each experience, we give ourselves the opportunity to make it happen.  It's a pleasure to be sharing the tour with him.

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Fukuoka has been beautiful.  The weather today was close to perfect;  I took the city bus to see the castle ruins and surrounding park.  The building where we played our concert was covered in trees and called "Acros Mountain," making for a short and enjoyable urban hike.  And after the concert another short walk along the river.

outside the castle ruins

trees and stone

view from the top of the ruins

view from the castle ruins

outside Ohori Park

picnic in the park

lake in Ohori Park

relaxing by the water

path along the water

entrance to ACROS Fukuoka, where we played our concert

From the top of ACROS Fukuoka 

There's a building under all these trees

the chandeliers in our concert hall
they were distractingly beautiful with rainbows sparkling from the crystals
my inner five-year-old was in heaven

cat along the river

and his ice cream stand

which he ran with his friend