I went to Toronto this weekend to see Joe Hisaishi, legendary composer. He was at Roy Thomson Hall to play an original symphony of his, some Ravel, and two classic pieces from Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
I couldn’t have asked for better seats; I was as close to him as the musicians of the Toronto Symphonic Orchestra, and could see his face. I was pleased to see how in good shape he was, and in good spirits. He smiled to the performers and motioned praise to them throughout the evening.
Toronto itself was a treat. In addition to watching Joe Hisaishi live, I was able to knock off some other bucket list items:
- Stay at the Royal York
- Visit Glad Day, the last of the historical gay bookstores in Canada on my list (I had already been by Little Sisters in Vancouver, and Venus Envy in Halifax)
- Check out Church Street, the home of Toronto’s gay village
I hadn’t had a chance to play tourist like this in Toronto since my first solo visit eighteen years ago (More Interviews! (Aka. Back From Toronto). It felt like it could be a place I could make home, were it not for rent being $1,000 more a month than in Ottawa.
