Next Gate
Today is the 24th. Three days have already passed since the closing event. I wanted to write about the closing event “Final Sounds”, but I can’t. That’s because I’m no longer at Hin Bus, and the sounds of "OPEN GATE" are no longer sounding there.
I am writing from the lobby of the Nam Keng Hotel, which is where I was staying for twenty four nights and twenty five days. I hear the sound of the janitor handling a garbage bag, the sound of a broom, footsteps, a car passing by and also the sound of a fan. It’s not such a bad soundscape. There are only eight rooms in this hotel, and the lobby is in the well hole at the center, so it’s easy to tell what the members are doing. Tadashi came back a bit while ago. He went to return the bicycle he had been borrowing.
All of us who were at the venue are now probably somewhere in George Town. Well, maybe some are in their rooms, but they are at least not at Hin Bus Depot. I didn’t notice that a day could be so long. The final day is gently passing by.
Yoshihito just came down from the second floor. It seems that he is going to go buy some spice at Little India.
I went to Little India earlier today. I went to my favorite massage shop and one-piece dress shop.
The first place that the Asian Sounds Research team stayed at was Ren I Tang, which is in the center of Little India. The first sound I remember hearing in George Town was Indian music. It was right in the middle of a festival, and the sound was really loud. We were surrounded by the sounds of firecrackers every night while we had meetings in the courtyard, discussing “Where should we go? Who will we meet?” and “What should we do?”.
I am now looking back at that, and am thinking that I should also properly look back to what happened at OPEN GATE before I leave this country.
Just when I was thinking, Yuki and Mieko came back. They went to buy some souvenirs. I wonder if they will be able to fit the souvenirs in to their suitcase ?
We will have our last dinner meeting tonight. I wonder what kind of sounds are awaiting us there.
I’ll write about Final Sounds some other time because I will not be going back to Japan yet. I will be going to KL after this.
I’m still not returning. I can’t. I still have a bit more time to carefully look back, while I stay at this place that has steady wifi connection.
今日は24日。21日のクロージングイベントから早3日たった。クロージングイベント Final Sounds について書こうと思ったけど、無理だ。なぜなら今私は Hin Bus にいないし、もうそこに OPEN GATE の音は鳴ってない。
ここは24泊25日過ごした Nam Keng Hotel のロビー。だからここで鳴っている音はお掃除のお兄さんのたてるゴミ袋の音、ほうきの音、足音、時折通る車の音、ファンの音。そこそこ悪くない音環境である。さらに８部屋しかないこのホテルのロビーは中央の吹き抜け部分にあるのでここにいるとメンバーの動きも分かりやすい。さっき米子くんが帰ってきた、借りていた自転車を返しに行ったようだ。
いつもは会場にいるはずの私たちはおそらくジ今はジョージタウンの街中か、部屋か、少なくとも Hin Bus Depot ではない。こんなに1日は長かったのか、、、穏やかに流れてゆく最後の日。
水内くんが二階の部屋から降りてきた。スパイス買いにリトルインディアに行くらしい。
私もさっきリトルインディアに行ってきた。行きつけのマッサージとワンピース屋さん。
実はこの Asian Sounds Research の最初の宿泊は リトルインディアど真ん中にある Ren I Tang。ジョージタウンの最初の音の印象はインド音楽だった。ちょうどお祭り時期でそれはそれはうるさかった、毎晩爆竹の音に囲まれながら中庭でミーティングを重ねたものだ、「どこに行くか?誰に会うか？」から始まり「なにをするか？」まで。
その頃の事を振り返りながら、今はこの地を去る前にこの OPEN GATE が何であったのかをきちんと振り返らねばならないな、と考えていたりする。
考えていたら樋口と松本が帰ってきた、お土産を買いに行っていたらしい、トランクに入るのか。。
今夜は最後の夕食会。そこでどんな「音」が待っているのだろう？
Final Sounds についてはまた今度、なぜなら私だけは帰国せず、この後 KL にいく。
まだ帰らないし、帰れない。wifi の安定したところでじっくり振り返る時間が私には少しだけ残されている。
