![\"Ruth](\"https:\/\/www.ruthbleakley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ruth-visits-Suzuki-Shofudo-in-Kyoto-Japan-for-Katazome-Washi-Paper-3.jpg\")
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“NIPPON NI IKITAI!!”<\/strong> – this part of a series of posts\u00c2\u00a0and I highly recommend you start from the beginning of this crazy story: Re: Japanese media inquiry, Possible Filming Request<\/a><\/p>\n Day two!<\/strong> I couldn’t believe I’d only been in Japan for one full day – it was still a “Mystery Tour” so I had no idea what was planned<\/strong>, but the director assured me that I would enjoy it. It started with a van ride to downtown Kyoto, which was full of beautiful old temples and shrines right up next to modern buildings. We pulled up to a nondescript street and the director and camerapersons got out to get everything ready at\u00c2\u00a0the film site, leaving me with the translator and assistant to get my microphone set up. This involved wearing an elastic belt under my skirt and then taping the small microphone under my dress up near the neckline – a little awkward!<\/strong> I thought the microphone was related to the filming, but in fact it was a wireless mic that went straight to an earpiece in my translator’s ear! That way she could hear me even if she was standing far away from the camera, and she could hear what the other person was saying, too. She would rapidly write notes in shorthand\u00c2\u00a0to refer to when it was translating time (that would usually happen at a natural pause in the conversation). I had to make sure to maintain eye contact with the person speaking to me in Japanese rather than look at the translator so that when they edited everything and overdubbed my voice there would be good continuity in the shots.<\/p>\n The director came back to the van and said “Ok Ruth-san! So please, take this umbrella and you will walk down the street until you see something…interesting!”<\/strong> and I was like “uhhh…ok, and then what?”<\/strong> and she said “Don’t worry! just go!”<\/strong> so I am slowly strolling down a commercial street, saying things like “oh wow, look at that….drink machine…”<\/strong> and from far back down the street the director is shouting, “not that Ruth san! keep going”<\/strong> “Hmmmmm…look at that…ummm cool clothing store!”<\/strong> “KEEP GOING RUTH SAN!”<\/strong> and then “mmm…ok well look at that neat potted plant – OH MY GOSH IS THAT A PAPER STORE OH WOW!!! LOOK IN THERE!”<\/strong> and I didn’t have to feign any enthusiasm at all as I practically plastered myself against the window glass to get a better look, like a kid in a candy store. By then everyone was laughing, including myself and the director was like “GO INSIDE AND PRACTICE YOUR GREETING!”<\/strong> and I walked into this absolutely gorgeous paper store called Suzuki Shofudo<\/a>:<\/p>\n
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