I was invited to attend MAGFEST: Music and Gaming Festival in January 2013 as a translator! It was my first time attending as a non-performer! When I asked, "Who am I translating for?" I was really excited and surprised at my answer... Kinuyo Yamashita-san, whom I had previously worked with at the VGO Symphony Hall concert, and also, Yuzo Koshiro-san, the composer of ActRaiser and Etrian Odessey! This was my first time meeting Koshiro-san, but it didn't feel like the first time. He was so humble, personable, and funny that I immediately felt comfortable, but at the same time, I felt that I had to give this job my 150%!

MAGFEST ッという音楽とゲームのコンベンションで通訳者として雇われました！初めて演奏者ではなく働く側として行きました！
「誰の通訳？」
エヘヘ… 実は実は… 一度VGOでのお仕事でお会いした山下・絹代さんと初対面の古代・雄三さんでした！お二人とも素敵で一緒にいるのが楽しかったです！もう、初対面とかそういうのを越して、普通に会話が楽しくって、素敵な思い出になりました！

The flight to MAGFest SUCKED!!! My flight was delayed 5 hours in Atlanta from South Florida because of a maintenance issue. The worst part was that we were trapped in the plane for 2 hours as it drove around the airport... I got so motion sick!!! When I finally arrived at the hotel, I felt like every step I took brought my health down by 5 points... like being poisoned in Dragon Quest... ;_; I couldn't do any work, and I ended up sleeping in my hotel room for the next 2 hours.

行きしはひどかったです… フライトが何度も遅れて予定より5時間遅れてつきました。Delta最悪です！！飛行機酔いもしてしまい、ついてもお仕事ができず、ホテルの部屋で瀕死状態でしたw。

That night, I was able to catch the OneUps show as well as meet and greet with the guests to go over schedules! Apparently, my days there were going to be quite busy... I had Kinuyo-san and Koshiro-san's Q&A panels to translate as well as 8 consecutive interviews with different media people. I also had to translate for their signing event and one additional panel with an American composer... I got a bit tired but no time to rest!! Quick! Guzzle coffee!!! The refills on my cup could not be any faster lol.

その夜、OneUps の演奏を聞き、古代さんと正式にお会いしました！早速スケジュールの確認しました！絹代さんを含めて Q&A セッションが3つとインタービューが続けて8つぐらいありました！あとサイン会と飲み会にももちろん行きました！楽しかったけど、ちょっとバテたw。コーヒー飲みまくった！でも、二人ともとても楽しくってあっという間に時間が過ぎました！

I also was able to spend one day with Koshiro-san, his mother, and Audi as we ran around Washington D.C.! We went to the Smithsonian Museums and visited the White House! For dinner, I asked them what they wanted to do and they both replied that they wanted to eat steak! I was a little nervous the whole day since I didn't know Washington D.C. at all, but luckily I was able to Yelp with my phone and we had a lovely dinner of steak and wine! After we got back to the convention, we saw VGO's show and I ran around with my friend Jared Dunn playing a lot of games in the game room and of course, causing mischief! Hehe.. Minion-esque!

古代さん、古代さんのお母さん、とAudiと一緒にワシントンD.C.を観光しました！スミソニアン博物館とかホワイトハウスを見ながら歩き回り、晩ご飯にワインとステーキを食べました！戻ったらVGOのコンサートを見てお友達のJaredと一緒にゲームを一晩中やりました！

次の日は古代さんのDJコンサートだったのでチョー応援しました！かっこいい！！素敵でした！

The next day was Koshiro-san's DJ performance which was incredibly awesome!!!!! ^^ Eeeeee! Thank you for the amazing experience!

My last day, I went to lunch with Jared at a little Mexican place and we drank some sangria together! It was a lovely couple hours... Jared is an awesome guy and I am really glad to have met him! Definitely one of my dearest friends!

最後の日、ボストンに帰る前にもう一度Jaredと会い、お昼ごはんを一緒に食べながらゆっくりお話をしました！すごく楽しくって、やっぱりいいヤツだなあっと思いながらお互い笑いいっぱいの今年最後のランチタイムをおくれました！

All in all, MAGFest was an amazing experience! I learned a lot and met a lot of people! I hope to come back again soon!! Thank you!

MAGFest, 色々お世話になりました！ありがとう！！！

END OF 2012!! SNOW EVERYWHERE!

雪！！！！！どこ見ても雪！

フロリダに住んでいたので雪は珍しいです！

それだけではなくとっても綺麗！*_*

もう大好き！<3 

My first winter in a place with SNOW!!

How beautiful and white and perfect!!! 

I LOVE SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Everywhere you look, there was snow!
I almost felt like breaking out into song!
(What's this? What's this!? There's white things in the air~! ^^)

"Please do not practice in the bathroom. Thank you."

Quite amusing to me that my school needs to put this sign up on the bathroom door lol.
MUSIC MAJOR = PRACTICE ALL DAY E'ER DAY! ^^

Goodies from my mother from Japan!
Japanese food = <3
BEST. DAY. EVER!
Thank you mommy~! ^^

My friend Kevin got this for me!!
Game of Thrones... you cause so much rage and anxiety in my life...
Yet I love the series!
I blame working at Barnes and Noble for my slight obsession...
Thanks Kevin!

Because I live on the third floor of a house with a small staircase, this is my Christmas tree that I made, complete with presents for my roommates! I hope they have all been good!

December also means my AMAZING roomie Christine's birthday!!!
I decided to try to organize a surprise party for her!
I hope she had a good time!
I LOVE HER!

Even if it is Winter Break, practicing is something that MUST be done every day!
I hope to get better every time I play and one day, I want to make music that is enjoyable for everyone!
I really want to make the flute more accessible for anyone who listens. It is more than just a pretty instrument with a pretty sound.
The musicality and beauty of the flute is something that I hope to relay to as many people as I possibly can! Here's to hoping that the new year brings more opportunity and more music!!!

Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock!

In Japan, we do not celebrate Thanksgiving (obviously lol) but I learned about Thanksgiving in school and since I moved up to Boston, I decided that I would LOVE to see Plymouth Rock on Thanksgiving!! So my friend James and I drove to Plymouth to see what it was like! ^^ 

It was actually a GORGEOUS day out! ^^

PLYMOUTH ROCK!!! I don't know why I expected something more epic lol but here it is! 

Native American ceremony
Always good to see both sides of a situation.

My good friend Stanley invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner! His roommate did an AMAZING job with the table setting and the decorations!! *_* I was very impressed and the food was delightful!

My little win contribution! The one with the giant bow of course :P 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING~!! 

Happy Halloween!

にゃ～にゃ～…
Meoooooow... ^o^;

Halloween 2012!
皆さん、ハッピー・ハロウィーン！
I had work that day (delightfully at a chocolate store) so I didn't really get to dress up until later, BUT! My school had a little Halloween party and so I was able to stop by and see some of my friends! So interesting to see a music school's dance party! It's like seeing a teacher shopping at a grocery store... you don't expect to see anyone dancing to Rhianna or out of a practice room (lol) but it was a lot of fun!!
2012年のハロウィンはバイトであまり遊べなかったけど、学校でパーティをやってたのでお友達と合うことができました！面白かったです！音楽学校だとあまりみんなが踊ったりするの想像つかなくって、そのギャップがいい！w 練習室以外の場所で合うのもとても楽しいです！^^

My friend from work, Von, dressed up as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty! It was awesome!!!

バイト仲間のヴァンです！いつもは優しい、面白い人でまほの学校でカウンターテナーを歌ってます！ハロウィンは眠れる森の美女の悪の魔女のマレフィセントをコスプレしました！びっくり！w

My friends from school, Isabella and David! Isabella was Loki and I think David was a cameraman? I'm not sure lol but it's always nice to see these two! I <3 them!

AHHHHHHHHHH!!! (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ) キャーーー！！！
A GHOST! ∑(O_O；) お化け！！！
Hehehe...

So... this is how I spent my Halloween... lol 

But I had a lot of fun! 

Can't wait until next Halloween!!! ^o^ 

まぁ… こうゆう感じでハロウィンを過ごしました…w

楽しい夜でした！

Select Start at MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival)!

A few years back, my little VG chamber group, Select Start, was invited to play at a gaming convention called MAGFest! It is held in Virginia every year and has expanded in size to what it is now! Select Start was invited to play at the 6th and 8th years of MAGFest back in 2008 and 2010!

MAGFest celebrates gaming and gaming music, with a massive open gaming room, a slew of arcade games, concerts by video game cover bands/chiptune artisits and a Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) LAN party! (The gaming room and the concert areas are where I will typically be ^^)

It's a place where you nerd out with your friends all weekend, hearing amazing bands, meeting guest composers of the industry, listening to panel discussions of your favorite games, and all around goofing around and having a good time!

Select Start played a bunch of tunes, a few being ones that I arranged! My proudest one was probably Utada, Hikaru's "Hikari" from Kingdom Hearts because it was a collaboration with a wonderful drummer named Kunal and my dear friend Drew Walker on keyboard! Collaborations are so rewarding and fun! Especially when the musicians are amazing!

All in all, MAGFest is a fun time!! These past couple of years they have grown in size so much so that they have changed venues! They are now using Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor with over 9000 attendees and guests like Nobuo Uematsu and Yuzo Koshiro! Check it out! ^o^

Zelda Symphony in Boston!

ゼルダの伝説の音楽を演奏するオケ、ゼルダ・シンフォニー 「Legend of the Goddess」のコンサートがボストンに来ました！まほは、一度フロリダのオーランドで拝見したことがあるけど、やっぱり違うホールでも封印気が違ってきます。全く同じコンサートでしたけどw でも、オケが毎回変わるので音は違ってました。ワング・シアターっとゆう会場で行われていました！とっても綺麗なホールでビックルしました！会場だけでも張り切っちゃったw。今回はまほの学校の先生もクラリネットで参加してました！いいなぁ~！！

I went to the Legend of Zelda, Zelda Symphony Orchestra: Legend of the Goddess concert when they came to Boston! They played at the Wang Theater in downtown! What a gorgeous theater!!! *_* I was immediately excited lol. I had heard them once before in Orlando at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, and they played the exact same show, however, because the orchestra is different every time, the sound was also different so it was still fun for me to listen to! Also! One of my professors from school performed at this show on clarinet! hehe.

あと、今回は将太さんと一緒に行ったので、コンサート後、プロヂューサーさんと指揮者さんと一緒に飲みに行きました！とっても楽しい夜になりました！指揮者さんはまほと同じでフルートを吹いてるみたいで、二人で結構マニアックなフルート話をしてしまいましたw。

I went to the concert with Shota so afterwards, I was able to meet the producers and the conductor at a hotel bar. I found out that the conductor is a flute player and we might have geeked out with flute talk... hehe Density 21.5 is all I really remember haha. But it was a lot of fun! They are wonderful people!! 

楽しい… やっぱりこうゆうコンサートがしたい！別にロックみたいに激しくなくっても、すごく楽しい気分になって、笑顔いっぱいのコンサート… まほにもいつか出来るかな？ってか、いつかやります！！頑張るぞー！

After seeing many concerts, I realize that this is what I want to do.. I want to put on a fun concert that makes people feel happy. It doesn't have to be a rock concert where the energy is intense. Just a fun concert with lots of smiles and excitement in a different way. I hope I can do that someday... NO! I WILL DO THAT SOMEDAY!! ^o^ 

Geshi Matsuri (夏至祭)

On September 12, 2010, my lovely friend and violinist of Select Start, Elaine, decided to make a mini album covering 5 video game pieces! They are (in track listing order):

1) Beginners from Ragnarok Online, Arranged by Elaine Li
2) Hop! Hop! Donut Lifts from Yoshi's Island, Arranged by David Yasensky
3) Geshi Matsuri from Napple Tale, Arranged by David Yasensky and Elaine Li
4) Sakura #4 from Xenosaga II, Arranged by Maho Azuma
5) Radical Dreamers from Chrono Cross, Arranged by David Yasensky and Elaine Li

The instrumentation changes per track but the musicians are:
Maho Azuma (myself): flute/piccolo
Elaine Li: Violin, Percussion
David Yasensky: Guitar, Percussion
Jarrod Doll: Double Bass

We recorded the tracks over a weekend in the guitarist's living room (hehe). With limited experience in engineering and limited equipment, we were able to produce a few tracks that I think sound great given all of the limitations. The best part (not to sound cheezy) was the people. It was a really fun weekend and I think that it shows when you hear the tracks! ^_^


If you have a chance, please check it out!
http://selectstartband.bandcamp.com/album/geshi-matsuri

SWEETS! (*ﾟ.ﾟ)(ﾟ.ﾟ*)

スウィーツ… 女の子の友… は～ん、思い出すだけで食べたくなってきた…
アニメ銀魂の坂田銀時とまほの共通点はこれです！w 
(まぁ…そこまで糖分とってないけどね… 普通に死ぬでしょうw）
でもまほすぐに太るからちょーーー控えめに食べてますw
アメリカのおやつはめっちゃ甘いからです。砂糖多い！！w 普段はフルーツとかを代わりに食べてますw。やっぱり日本の砂糖控えめのおやつ最高！
でも、ボストンでは探せば美味しいっと思ったケーキ屋さんとかもありました！ここにちょっと載せておきます… エヘヘ…

Desserts!! Sweets!! <3 <3 <3
Probably the one similarity I have with Gintoki, the main character of Gintama lol (Though... I don't consume nearly as much sugar as he does... one would probably die lol)
I don't really eat too much dessert since I gain weight REALLY easily... hehe but I love dessert!
The main problem for me is that often times, I find dessert in the states too sweet... However, I have found some yummy dessert places in Boston!! Here are a few of them! ^o^

先ずはこちら、Kickass Cupcakes in Davis Square！ここは面白いカップケーキの味がいろいろあります！まほのお気に入りはsストロベリーマルゲリータっとゆうピンクのケーキです！一度試してみたいのはラッキーっとゆうレモンケーキとホワイトチョコクリームとジンジャーの味が混ざったものです！ラッキーケーキは運勢が書かれた札付きだそうです！可愛い！！！エヘヘ…

This is Kickass Cupcakes in Davis Square! My friend introduced me to this place and it is adorable! They have very unique and interesting flavors for their cakes, my favorite being Strawberry Margarita!  But it is sweet lol, so I prefer it with a cup of tea! Yummy! ^^

こちらはギリシャ風スウィーツの Athan's Bakery っとゆうところです！ケーキ美味しいです！
お茶とセットで頼むともより美味しい！
( ^‐^)_且~~
まほのお気に入りはフィッグのケーキだよ~ん！
さすがにチョコ系は甘いけど、ほとんどは日本みたいに軽い感じがします。
ケーキだけじゃなく、封印気も好きです！オープンで明るくって、何となく落ち着きます…
ヘ(^_^ヘ)(ノ^_^)ノ

 This is Athan's Bakery in Brighton, MA! They are a Greek Bakery with delicious cakes!!! My favorite is their fig cake... <3 I think that their chocolate cakes might be a little too much for me, but their Black Forest Cake is also very light and yummy! I also think that if you have cake, YOU MUST HAVE TEA!! hehe
Of course the sweets are tasty, but the atmosphere of the bakery is what I love the most. It is very open, spacious, and bright! I feel very comfortable and relaxed when I come here. Definitely one of my favorite places to meet with friends! ^_^

ここは日本人経営の ジャポネーゼです！英語だと Japonaise Bakery っとゆう日本・フランススタイルのパン屋さんです！
日本人には馴染みのあるアンパン、メロンパン、チョココルネ、食パンなどを作ってます！
隣のスウィーツは苺クリームっとゆうクロワッサンの間に苺とカスタードクリームが挟んであり、上にパウダーシュガーが乗っています！
下の写真にはジャポネーゼのケーキです！ホールケーキかスライスで買うことができます！まほのお気に入りはやっぱりストロベリーショートケーキです！生クリームたっぷりでとっても美味しい！Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

 This is the Japonaise Bakery! There are currently 3 locations in MA: one on Beacon Street, one on Commonwealth near BU, and one in Porter Square! Their pastries are very familiar to Japanese people including Shoku Pan, An Pan, Melon Pan, and Choco Cornet. The top picture is the Ichigo Cream! This is very popular!! It is a croissant with strawberries and custard cream filling, dusted with powdered sugar.. <3 ^o^ The bottom picture is a sample of their cakes! You can purchase cakes by the whole or the slice. My favorite is probably the Strawberry Shortcake!! No icing, just freshly whipped cream!! Yum!!!

最後にこれは台湾の Boba Tea です！
お友達と中華料理食べに行った時、帰りによりました。
ボストンは Boba Tea ちょー人気です！
もうどこ行ってもありますw。
まほは普通のミルクティが一番好きです。
昨日は KungFu Tea っとゆうニューヨークのお店で抹茶 Boba Tea を試してみたら、これも美味しかった！タピオカ・ラブ！＼(＾▽＾*)

Lastly, this is Boba Tea!! 
Last week, I went to eat dim sum with my friends and we stopped by on the way home. 
There are so many Boba Tea locations in Boston!! My favorite is milk tea! Although, yesterday, I went to KungFu Tea in Allston and tried their Matcha Tea with bubbles... mmmmmm.... that was lovely~! I <3 Boba Tea! 

 最後にこちらは 「マックスブレナー」、チョコレートをメインにしてるお店です！色々なデザートがあり、ほとんどは一人用ではなく、シェアようです。チョコレートのフォンデュとかアイスクリーム、種類は様々で迷います！普通にディナーもあるのでデートにはいい場所です！

This is Max Brenner in Back Bay, Boston! They specialize in chocolates and desserts like fondue, ice cream, shakes, and more! Most of their items are for you to share, rather than dive in by yourself (lol). They also have a dinner menu so it's a lovely place to go on a date! The first time I walked in, I was hit with a strong scent of chocolate and lavishly decorated walls! Kind of like a grown-up version of Wonka's chocolate factory! hehe