the World Exposition in Aichi, Japan

Fun in Japan

The world expo comes once every 5 years. Last year it was in Aichi, Japan. The entire event lasted 6 months from March till September 2005 and I couldn't commit to working and living in Japan that long so I went for 8 days during the national day in august and back again the whole of september. It was a blast !

I was lucky to stay in an apartment block with people from all over the world. The other dancers were housed in super small 'boxes'. I was at the top floor - 33rd storey and the view was amazing.

The expo itself was HUGE. All the different countries in the world took part and each had a pavilion to showcase the relevant industries and trade of that particular country. More than a hundred pavilions were there. I met so many people from so many countries all in one place. It was the most amazing event that I had the opportunity to participate. It certainly was the best highlight of my career as a performer.


There were pavilion parties almost every week. The French one week , the Swiss another, Portugal and many more. I made some friends, some acquaintances and got a glimpse of their lifestyles and cultures.
The amazing thing was hearing Africans, French, Spanish, Germans, Canadians, Mexicans, Australians, Americans,Arabians, Greeks and many others speak fluent Japanese.

The Japanese had a few pavilions one of which showcased an android woman. When people talked to her, she could reply. It took a while before they realized that they were talking to a robot. Incredible.... The other futuristic robots took to the stage performing with musical instruments. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any photos in the pavilion.

The Singapore pavilion was one of the more popular venues when one was at the expo. We had 3 shows a day featuring local food, dancing, singing and lion dance.
I can't say the same for the little cafe though. The Singapore food they sold were quite tasteless. The chef said it was because there was a limit to the kind of spices they could bring into Japan.

On my first off day which was once a week, I took a bullet train to Kyoto. Aichi is a prefecture in Nagoya and the journey was about half an hour. My travel companion was Max who worked in the Italian pavilion. Max is a mounted police in Rome. Everyday he'll put on his uniform and took pictures with visitors at the Expo. We had a good time walking around Kyoto and saw many temples. All of them were equally beautiful and one worth a special mention here was the Golden temple set in the middle of a lake . We stayed in Kyoto till late and took in the night scene which was very colorful. Once in a while we caught a glimpse of Japanese wearing the Kimono on the streets of Kyoto.


We drove a van to work everyday and one day we met with an accident not of our doing. We were rammed from behind by a taxi and resulted in a three car pile up which gave me a slight whip lash. The traffic police were there in less than 5 minutes.. most efficient. What ensued was amazing. The driver of the taxi got out and discussed the situation with the driver of the third car as if they were in a business meeting. No one raised his voice and they just 'hai' and bowed all the time leaving us bewildered. It is generally known that the Japanese are polite but this really takes the cake. The driver visited me at the pavilion and brought Japanese pastry and an apology for causing my whip lash. Of course their company would pay for any medical expenses I would incur but I didn't need to go to the hospital. Thank God!

And then there was the typhoon. Since we were on the top floor, the wind was strong. When it happened we were at the balcony chilling out with sake and all . Though we couldn't see the wind we could definitely see its effect!. A towel spiralled upwards with the wind and seconds later it was only a dot in the sky. We went inside before the wind had a chance to take me off too..

There were quite a few families who liked our performance so much that they came every single day, every month to watch it again and again till the expo closed at night. I would say most japanese are rich and they spent money on gifts for us not to mention the entrance fee to the expo.
The last performance we had was a tear jerker. We had to say goodbye to all the friends we had made all those weeks and months knowing we might not see them again. Oh.. I hate goodbyes.. I am still keeping in touch with 2 families by email..


My thoughts on Japan

It's been a month since I was in Japan
For the World Expo with my friends
It was such a wonderful experience
The best time of my career, with a difference

Aichi World Expo in Nagoya was truly an event
Where many countries on this planet spent
Six months together sharing cultures
exchanging numbers
Most extraordinary was so many races, so many languages
were spoken in one single place
Through it all they also spoke Japanese
the single language of communication

There were pavilion parties every week
Attended by people who seek
Friendship, love, romance or one night stands
And everyone had a good time in the end

I stayed in a nice apartment on the highest floor
With Boon and Shahrin whose room was by the front door
I chose the tatami room next to the hall
Beautiful room with 3 panels of sliding doors

I will never forget my time working in Japan
45 days came and all too soon they went
I braved the crowds at the expo
And was caught in a typhoon too

The Japanese families we've met
Brought friendships we can get
Nowhere else, only in Nagoya
With different lifestyles by gosh and by far

We drove to work everyday
Had fun all the way
It was truly an amazing time
Many cherished memories came to mind

Year 2010 the World Expo will be in Shanghai
So for the moment, I bid goodbye.
I need time to brush up on my Mandarin
Who knows I might avail myself again :)

Oct 2005