Pre-Pyongyang: Japan and China

After two weeks in Japan and China, we leave tomorrow for North Korea. The "we" includes about 260 New York Philharmonic orchestra members, staff, board members, patrons and international media. Today, I'm blogging from Beijing. Tomorrow, from Pyongyang.

In the last week, we've attended Philharmonic concerts in Shanghai and Beijing. On Tuesday, the concert will be in Pyongyang. The Ping Pong diplomacy of 1971 may -- or may not -- be emulated by the Philharmonic diplomacy of 2008. Nixon visited China in 1972. Will our new president visit North Korea in 2009? The pundits will have fun with that one for months to come. But in the meantime, Donna, I and the other 258 visitors are in for an experience that we'll not soon forget.

Prior to our arriving in China, we spent a week in Japan. So before we get to the serious stuff in our next blog, here are some random photographic impressions of our stays in Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai and Beijing.



Tokyo architecture gets groovy



Where we ate noodles in Tokyo -- different architecture



Famous mountain shot from the bullet train on the way to Kyoto



Kyoto is beautiful -- in parts. Underground wiring is not yet widespread



Kyoto temple



Pedestrian tunnel to I. M. Pei's Miho Museum in Kyoto



Bridge at the end of the tunnel



Entrance to the museum



Inside the museum



Donna inspecting kiln at ceramist's studio



Geisha who entertained us at dinner in Kyoto



She was a very appreciative audience



All geishas are not created equal -- the one on the left is the musician



Our Zen Master



Gorgeous bamboo forest in Kyoto



More bamboo



Shinto gates -- many thousands of them



Do these gates remind you of a recent public art work in Central Park?


Contemporary Shanghai architecture


And more


The beautiful old architecture of the Shanghai Bund


And more


Crickets bred for fighting at the cricket market in Shanghai


A champ gets a closer inspection


And food for the other critters sold in the cricket market



Famous large wall outside Beijing


Donna checking for approaching Mongol hordes


She may have spotted one


Beijing's Temple of Heaven



Dancing outside the Temple of Heaven


And ribbon dancing


And exercising


And practicing street calligraphy


Not only cute, but they speak fluent Chinese


Cloisonne bowl in early stage of fabrication


Cloisonne bowl about half-way done


Cloisonne horses


Model of Rem Koolhaas CCTV tower



CCTV tower under construction



Another view of the construction


Model of the "Nest Egg," the main Olympics stadium



Nest Egg under construction


An indelible memory of Beijing