07.06.07
All things Japanese in Finland 1
Tangomarkkinat 2007: I went as a friend and instructor to my fellow HĂ€mis dancers, as a competitor, and a journalist. I came back without a voice, having received help from my fellow dancers as I was pretty sick (thank you!), 9th in the open class /Finnish champs in social Jive, with a story, and with a new Japanese friend!
Keiko-san had travelled to SeinÀjoki with her Japanese dance instructor and some fellow dancer. She even participated in the Tango competition. I saw her dancing in the evening dances, as I was too sick to be on the floor. After a while I went to say hello, and all the Japanese were surprised someone spoke Japanese. Using my elementary knowledge I managed to arrange a date on the phone for us in order to see the sights of Helsinki. I took her to the HÀmis dance club and some guys helped me out and came to dance with Keiko-san. She proved to be a good Leader, too! I promised we could exchange video clips that we take at the studios in our respective countries, and so she will be able to pick up humppa and jenkka and I might get hints on Japanese moves or even buyou or odori.
We had lunch at the Market square and she was brave enough to try pea sou, rhye bread, and some fish the Finnish way. The Japanese tourists found it very amusing that I was walking around in a yukata with a Japanese woman in Western clothing. I was the most photographed sight in the Market square that day… Then we took a nice stroll to the Cathedrals of downtown Helsinki. In the evening, I showed her to the Ice Bar. The next day we make new potatoes, chanterelles and salmon soup the really creamy way. With that, we had black bread baked with syrup, Finnish cream cheese (the archipelago way) and Carelian rice pastries. What a really refreshing Japanese breeze it was!
