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Looking back at Marlboro Music 2012

Blog, Marlboro Music, Random, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

She is here. She is here, just sitting right next to me. Next to me, in the cozy flowing air. We exchange neither words nor glances— we are just sharing the moment without being a party of two. Physical proximity is the only thing that seems relevant, and yet, the proximity can’t be more irrelevant. It does not matter to me what she is doing here; transcendence and timelessness of the idea of “us” occupy my being. I do not seek nor do I invoke her attention towards me. Her being here is what satisfies me. She does not expect nor does she invite my words towards her. My contentment […]

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Being Japanese in America

1件のコメント / Essays, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

This country, the United States of America, has given me numerous opportunities to be what I am today: a decent musician (though I do have some doubt about that). It is a blessing to be able to talk about music and occasionally make some music as part of my job, it really is. I wouldn’t have been a musician if I stayed in Japan where I grew up— I wouldn’t even have gotten in a music school in Japan due to lack of the specific knowledge or guidance to navigate through the disciplined preparation process. Well… I might have ended up being a Gagaku musician with no college degree if

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So I broke my wrist

About myself, Blog, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

(Originally posted on June 9, 2010) It has been 40 days since I broke my left wrist. My plaster cast is near completion of its purpose. Am I looking forward to going out of the cast? Absolutely. But the crazy part is that I think I may miss it a little bit. I broke my wrist when I tripped over the arm of a floor jack, shortly after I removed the muffler from my car. My friend Banri took me to the ER, and on that day, my ordinary yet out-of-the-ordinary life of the present began. Early on, it had been an emotional roller coaster ride, with strong physical and

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My buddy Dave

Essays, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

(Originally posted on April 16, 2010) Today’s Dave’s birthday. Thought I’d write about Dave, my oldest friend in the States I’m still very close to. He now lives in a town in Kentucky across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Ever since he left Philadelphia for Cincinnati about 10 years ago, we had been far away from each other… but now that I’m also in the Midwest, I can get to him in just a bit more than a couple of hours driving! I always try to stop over at his place briefly on the way back from my road trips to the East. He called me ‘Koji-man’ when we first

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Car Talk

Essays, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

(Originally posted on April 14, 2010) If something, a tool, an instrument or a machine, fails to work, I always try to make it work by fixing it or by finding a work-around. It can be a challenge, but usually the process is fun. You gather the information, and you diagnose the problem. You see if you have the tools to fix it, and and if you do, you try to fix it. It is important to realize how much you can and can’t do on your own, and sometimes you’d better get a professional help… but like a puzzle, the bigger the challenge is, the greater the triumphant feeling

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Donovan McNabb, my quarterback

Essays, Football, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

(Originally posted on April 4, 2010) A few hours ago my buddy Dave from Cincinnati called me with the news that Donovan McNabb just got traded to the Washington Redskins. At 9:30 PM the Eagles head coach Andy Reid held a press conference to publicly announce the trade. You’ve got to be kidding me. There are two different emotions going around in my mind. One is about Donovan’s destination. Why to the ‘Skins, one of the Eagles’ conference rival teams..!?!?!? I really do understand the business side of this. The Eagles truly wanted him to go to the place he preferred. I bet the ‘Skins gave the best trade offer

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Dare I talk about politics?

Essays, Random Thoughts / Koji Otsuki

(Originally posted in March, 2010) US House of Representatives has passed the US Senate version of the healthcare reform bill, and the President has signed the bill into law. If you are happy about it, I’m happy about it too! If you are unhappy about it because it isn’t good enough — I don’t know if we ever get to a single-payer universal healthcare system (Medicare for all) in our lifetime, but it is a first decisive step toward the right direction. Perhaps in the future, hopefully soon, we’ll get the coveted public option. And if you are raged about the passage of the bill, it is you I’d really

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