I hope you all had a restful and quiet Christmas break, whatever the limitations… My greatest gift was being able to eat with my grandparents, having finished the self-isolation! On Christmas Day we ordered a huge sushi plate and I must say, I’m tempted to do this every Christmas from now on: it’s such a celebratory meal that’s both decadent and light!
Following that, I took my three clarinets to Dolce Gakki in Shinjuku. This is my go-to wind shop in Japan, and they have been incredible helpful and kind over the years. However I was nervous because I have never trusted my clarinets to be maintained by anyone other than Peter and Joanna Eaton. Additionally, I had to go on public transport and into a crowded part of the city.
I’m happy to report I got there safely and am blown away by the incredible speed and care my clarinets got: all finished in 4 hours! They are feeling smooth and resonant, no clicks keys, and much more even than before. Interestingly, in the UK it’s quite normal for instruments to get a check-up once a year or two years. In Japan students and professionals seem to go more regularly, and even have technicians on call on concert day! When I asked about this, the reply was that you should maintain your clarinet as often as you go to the hair salon. Speaking of which…
Hair salons in Japan are seen as an essential shop, and during this pandemic they have never closed. My grandmother goes at least once a month to the salon. In contrast to this, I went once in 2018, and then in February 2020 to donate my hair. I also know plenty of colleagues (male and female) who cut their own hair so the clarinet/hair analogy doesn’t really work, but the difference of attitude towards both things was interesting to note. At the same time, perhaps I am in my own little bubble in the UK and have a skewed opinion…
The final thing I wanted to share was a big learning. Over the years I have always poopooed the idea of keeping reeds in ziplock bags, and never got on with humidity reed cases. The UK is pretty damp all year round so the reeds never dried properly and instead went a bit musty. However in Tokyo right now it is essential, and I’m feeling a huge difference: my room has two humidifiers on max and the hygrometer is still below 30%. Reeds dry up like crazy and warp fast. While in Japan my reeds are living in the sandwich bag!
