Nao-chan, the cutest little girl in Tai. AND she can throw a baseball just about as hard as me. She has also beaten me at tennis, making her the coolest little girl in Tai
2/27/2005
Nao-chan, the cutest little girl in Tai. AND she can throw a baseball just about as hard as me. She has also beaten me at tennis, making her the coolest little girl in Tai
My host mom and I rode bikes to the concert, she looked hilarious on this tiny tricycle looking contraption
The Slack is Back
Today was finally warm and dry enough to set up a slackline in the park near my house. For the inquisitive, a slackline is a length of webbing strung between two trees on which you can walk, like the tightrope in a circus. Slacklining usually draws a crowd of onlookers back home, so you can imagine some weird foreign guy slacklining in the park would be a pretty big event in the sleepy neighborhood of Tai. I invited Amanda, an exchange student from Canada, and some of my neighbors. Everyone gave it a try and luckily no one fell on their face! (Takuro came close).
Before the afternoon's slacking, my family took me to a famous Ramen and Soba restaurant in Okayama called Ichigen. It was not our original destination, which was another famous Ramen shop about halfway between Tamano and Okayama, but when we arrived we found the Ramen shop reduced to rubble. No kidding, you could actually see the bricks and iron rebar from the demolished building. After recovering from laughter over the obvious foreclosure of the restaurant we decided on the alternate dining location.
After lunch I taught English at a Juku to some junior high students who are taking the high school entrance exam next week. The high school entrance exam is big business because getting into a decent Japanese high school usually means getting into a good college. This obviously increases pressure on kids, but results in a better planned educational process than in other parts of the world. Regardless, I had fun teaching English.
Yesterday was Tomoya's "Farewell Concert" at Uno Junior High School. He played the contrabass in a piece entitled "Romanian Folk Song" and the electric bass for a "Disney Super Mix." Surprisingly, school bands sound the same all over the world. I don't know what I was expecting. There was an accordion selection of "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" which rocked as hard as an accordion can rock.
Tomorrow I am going to city hall for an interview. They specifically told me to "come alone." I hope this isn't another one of the Mayor's crazy traps!
Before the afternoon's slacking, my family took me to a famous Ramen and Soba restaurant in Okayama called Ichigen. It was not our original destination, which was another famous Ramen shop about halfway between Tamano and Okayama, but when we arrived we found the Ramen shop reduced to rubble. No kidding, you could actually see the bricks and iron rebar from the demolished building. After recovering from laughter over the obvious foreclosure of the restaurant we decided on the alternate dining location.
After lunch I taught English at a Juku to some junior high students who are taking the high school entrance exam next week. The high school entrance exam is big business because getting into a decent Japanese high school usually means getting into a good college. This obviously increases pressure on kids, but results in a better planned educational process than in other parts of the world. Regardless, I had fun teaching English.
Yesterday was Tomoya's "Farewell Concert" at Uno Junior High School. He played the contrabass in a piece entitled "Romanian Folk Song" and the electric bass for a "Disney Super Mix." Surprisingly, school bands sound the same all over the world. I don't know what I was expecting. There was an accordion selection of "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" which rocked as hard as an accordion can rock.
Tomorrow I am going to city hall for an interview. They specifically told me to "come alone." I hope this isn't another one of the Mayor's crazy traps!
2/25/2005
The names would read, in Katakana, "The Baller-yo" (me), "Da Pin Pounder" (Neil), and "The Chinese Nemo" (Jittan)
Those Were Some Big Flakes
Yesterday brought a whirlwind of snow to Tamano. A true squall of a storm complete with the largest, silver dollar snowflakes I have ever seen. One flake on the tongue was enough to quench thirst for a whole afternoon! And just as fluffy as a cloud! Paul Bunyan's ox was as big as a house!
Tall tales aside, these flakes were large. The storm began in the afternoon as a cold rain and ended with streets the consistency of a lemon slush puppy. I was scheduled to teach some high school students English at the nearby Juku but the snow scared everyone off the streets. Neil came to the evening's rescue by hosting a last minute game-night at his place featuring my favorite, Casino, and his, Yahtzee, played inside a frisbee. John Davey came over for the evening and ended up letting me borrow some classic comedy videos in payment for copying his dance hall reggae CDs.
All the snow melted by morning, which was surprising, but no unsightly cinders or dirty snow residue was left to catch the eye.
This week also saw the return of Jittan to China. Jittan, who studied Business Japanese at a college in Okayama, had been in Japan for about 10 months and was one of my first friends in Japan. Shoko and I took the early morning train to Okayama, where I treated her to breakfast at Starbucks. We met Jittan at the train station and tears were shed on the Shinkansen platform as she waved from the window of her bullet train. And so departed another great friend I had made in Japan.
In the category of future plans, I will be traveling to Tokyo with Rahul March 10-13th (!!). If anyone has any requests (I have received a few for certain cd's) for any sort of Tokyo merchandise, you can contact me at BenPleaseBuyMe@SomeStuff.com or by sending me an e-mail to a real account.
Today was technically my last day of High School as a first year student in Tamano. My class will be taking finals over the weekend and part of next week which I have opted not to attend, but I am on the edge of my seat for Graduation and "Meet the New Teachers" Day which will be held sometime in March. First day of class as a second year student will begin April 7th, but I remain clueless as to how the students will be divided between the two classes of 40 in the "International Course." Perhaps everyone will stick with their own class, or there might be a mix and match (hopefully the former, because I just started to feel confident with everyone's name in my own homeroom). Either way, it's a little strange being a good bit older than most everyone in my class but I make do.
Tall tales aside, these flakes were large. The storm began in the afternoon as a cold rain and ended with streets the consistency of a lemon slush puppy. I was scheduled to teach some high school students English at the nearby Juku but the snow scared everyone off the streets. Neil came to the evening's rescue by hosting a last minute game-night at his place featuring my favorite, Casino, and his, Yahtzee, played inside a frisbee. John Davey came over for the evening and ended up letting me borrow some classic comedy videos in payment for copying his dance hall reggae CDs.
All the snow melted by morning, which was surprising, but no unsightly cinders or dirty snow residue was left to catch the eye.
This week also saw the return of Jittan to China. Jittan, who studied Business Japanese at a college in Okayama, had been in Japan for about 10 months and was one of my first friends in Japan. Shoko and I took the early morning train to Okayama, where I treated her to breakfast at Starbucks. We met Jittan at the train station and tears were shed on the Shinkansen platform as she waved from the window of her bullet train. And so departed another great friend I had made in Japan.
In the category of future plans, I will be traveling to Tokyo with Rahul March 10-13th (!!). If anyone has any requests (I have received a few for certain cd's) for any sort of Tokyo merchandise, you can contact me at BenPleaseBuyMe@SomeStuff.com or by sending me an e-mail to a real account.
Today was technically my last day of High School as a first year student in Tamano. My class will be taking finals over the weekend and part of next week which I have opted not to attend, but I am on the edge of my seat for Graduation and "Meet the New Teachers" Day which will be held sometime in March. First day of class as a second year student will begin April 7th, but I remain clueless as to how the students will be divided between the two classes of 40 in the "International Course." Perhaps everyone will stick with their own class, or there might be a mix and match (hopefully the former, because I just started to feel confident with everyone's name in my own homeroom). Either way, it's a little strange being a good bit older than most everyone in my class but I make do.
2/24/2005
General Information...
For the curious or forgetful, my address is currently:
Benjamin Gleitzman
3-18-39 Tai
Tamano, Okayama 7060001
JAPAN
Benjamin Gleitzman
3-18-39 Tai
Tamano, Okayama 7060001
JAPAN
2/23/2005
Balloon Rooms of the World
Today, because of testing at school next week, I got a chance to sleep in and enjoy Bernie's morning radio show. It airs from 10-midnight back home which makes it the perfect morning radio program on Japanese time. I try to tune in before Wednesday's Japanese school in the city.
A little after noon I exited my house in Tai with a big smile on my face, mostly because the sun was shining, making it warm enough that I couldn't see my breath on the air. I noted two children playing on a see-saw in the park, one clearly out-weighing the other.
The bus ride to Okayama city was pleasant, and I opened the window a crack for some fresh air (the bus heaters are always going full blast). The man occupying the seat across from me fell asleep in a funny position, awaking with a start when the bus came to a halt at a railway crossing.
Japanese school went smoothly and following class, Cori, Janna, and I went to a local bookshop which was sponsoring an English book drive; cardboard crates full of all sorts of treasures. I found a hardcover copy of "Tattoos of the 1950s" wedged next to a copy of Kurt Cobain's diary placed next to Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." I resisted the urge to buy all three and settled for a book by a Japanese author and James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man."
Cori and Janna had to catch the train home so I wandered the evening streets of Okayama in search of excitement. I found an art gallery featuring collaborations between children and adults, which struck me as an obvious yet rarely employed artistic technique. I struck up a conversation with the curator who had constructed a human skeletal and muscular sculpture in the center of the room, plastered with entries from children's diaries written on everything from paper to plastic bananas. In the back room of the gallery I found the most unexpected display, a room full of multicolored balloons with digital projectors beaming clouds onto the white brick walls. About 6 or 7 people were rubbing the balloons all over their bodies and sticking them to the wall. Occasionally a balloon would pop, making the whole room jump.
After the art exhibit I thanked the curator and set off down the street to the station. I was stopped by loud hip-hop music drifting from a second story window of what I discovered to be the "Hip-Hop Dance School of Okayama." I walked up a corner flight of stairs with the full intention of finding Japanese guys spinning on their heads. I instead opened the door to about 15 girls performing a crazy hip-hop fist pump in unison in front of a massive wall-sized mirror. Some stopped their fist pumping and turned to see who had invaded their amateur hip-hop dance class. Others simply continued the pumping. I stared with an open mouth, amazed at what I had found. I watched for a minute then politely excused myself, making a mental note to return some time in the future when I didn't feel quite so outnumbered.
After the dance class I crossed the street into a store called, "Bimbo." It was full of crazy chairs, pillows, and other interesting apartment accessories. I bought my host mother a small bobble-head Dachshund (her passion) and some Japanese looking accessories for myself.
I ate dinner on the second floor of a bread shop looking out over the street, silhouetted by the brightly lit Symphony Hall. While waxing poetic over a potato and ham sandwich I struck up a conversation with two women and a man in the corner of the shop and scribbled this on a paper bag from the book store:
"Some would say that an enjoyable life is an expedition into the unseen; the winking glint of sun from the corner of a glass; the striking resemblance between the man on the stairs and the late composer Chopin; the way cardboard never bends exactly where you want it to, silently expressing its resistance to change..."
After dinner I caught the bus back home, drifting in and out of sleep. I gave my host mother her gift (she couldn't stop laughing, a good sign) and crossed the park to Saeki-san's house for a guitar lesson. Jirou-sensei dumbfounded me with his guitar skill, which I feebly attempted to duplicate. I was offered some dinner and had an English conversation with the family in exchange for the lesson and the food. At one point, Saeki-san said "I am grandmother," instead of "I am glamorous" which resulted in uncontrolled laughing. Quite full, I bade farewell to the Saeki family then ran out into the night and back to my house.
By any standard, a great day.
A little after noon I exited my house in Tai with a big smile on my face, mostly because the sun was shining, making it warm enough that I couldn't see my breath on the air. I noted two children playing on a see-saw in the park, one clearly out-weighing the other.
The bus ride to Okayama city was pleasant, and I opened the window a crack for some fresh air (the bus heaters are always going full blast). The man occupying the seat across from me fell asleep in a funny position, awaking with a start when the bus came to a halt at a railway crossing.
Japanese school went smoothly and following class, Cori, Janna, and I went to a local bookshop which was sponsoring an English book drive; cardboard crates full of all sorts of treasures. I found a hardcover copy of "Tattoos of the 1950s" wedged next to a copy of Kurt Cobain's diary placed next to Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." I resisted the urge to buy all three and settled for a book by a Japanese author and James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man."
Cori and Janna had to catch the train home so I wandered the evening streets of Okayama in search of excitement. I found an art gallery featuring collaborations between children and adults, which struck me as an obvious yet rarely employed artistic technique. I struck up a conversation with the curator who had constructed a human skeletal and muscular sculpture in the center of the room, plastered with entries from children's diaries written on everything from paper to plastic bananas. In the back room of the gallery I found the most unexpected display, a room full of multicolored balloons with digital projectors beaming clouds onto the white brick walls. About 6 or 7 people were rubbing the balloons all over their bodies and sticking them to the wall. Occasionally a balloon would pop, making the whole room jump.
After the art exhibit I thanked the curator and set off down the street to the station. I was stopped by loud hip-hop music drifting from a second story window of what I discovered to be the "Hip-Hop Dance School of Okayama." I walked up a corner flight of stairs with the full intention of finding Japanese guys spinning on their heads. I instead opened the door to about 15 girls performing a crazy hip-hop fist pump in unison in front of a massive wall-sized mirror. Some stopped their fist pumping and turned to see who had invaded their amateur hip-hop dance class. Others simply continued the pumping. I stared with an open mouth, amazed at what I had found. I watched for a minute then politely excused myself, making a mental note to return some time in the future when I didn't feel quite so outnumbered.
After the dance class I crossed the street into a store called, "Bimbo." It was full of crazy chairs, pillows, and other interesting apartment accessories. I bought my host mother a small bobble-head Dachshund (her passion) and some Japanese looking accessories for myself.
I ate dinner on the second floor of a bread shop looking out over the street, silhouetted by the brightly lit Symphony Hall. While waxing poetic over a potato and ham sandwich I struck up a conversation with two women and a man in the corner of the shop and scribbled this on a paper bag from the book store:
"Some would say that an enjoyable life is an expedition into the unseen; the winking glint of sun from the corner of a glass; the striking resemblance between the man on the stairs and the late composer Chopin; the way cardboard never bends exactly where you want it to, silently expressing its resistance to change..."
After dinner I caught the bus back home, drifting in and out of sleep. I gave my host mother her gift (she couldn't stop laughing, a good sign) and crossed the park to Saeki-san's house for a guitar lesson. Jirou-sensei dumbfounded me with his guitar skill, which I feebly attempted to duplicate. I was offered some dinner and had an English conversation with the family in exchange for the lesson and the food. At one point, Saeki-san said "I am grandmother," instead of "I am glamorous" which resulted in uncontrolled laughing. Quite full, I bade farewell to the Saeki family then ran out into the night and back to my house.
By any standard, a great day.
2/22/2005
We Don't Need No Education
English class would be one of the better blocks of time during my day, usually because I have a decent understanding of what is going on. Today, in the middle of a particularly boring dissertation on the difference between which, whom, and who, Izawa (who sits in the back corner) said, "There are so many English words, I bet I could just write down some letters and Ben could understand it." He proceeded to write down these words on a large sheet of paper, occasionally holding it up for me to see on the other side of the room:
"Stocaraty"
"Whayach"
"Tachy" -which is a prefex, two points for effort
"Morgast"
"Weracy"
"Carban"
"Sative" - which I later discovered is actually a word
"Acray"
"Hamna"
And, my personal favorite,
"Bacxaro," who could very well be the next batman villain.
I was surprised how close he came to actual English words. I bet I could easily get away with slipping "weracy" into an English conversation. "The crowd was struck with a deep feeling of morgast."
So congratulations Izawa, you are a fake-English master
"Stocaraty"
"Whayach"
"Tachy" -which is a prefex, two points for effort
"Morgast"
"Weracy"
"Carban"
"Sative" - which I later discovered is actually a word
"Acray"
"Hamna"
And, my personal favorite,
"Bacxaro," who could very well be the next batman villain.
I was surprised how close he came to actual English words. I bet I could easily get away with slipping "weracy" into an English conversation. "The crowd was struck with a deep feeling of morgast."
So congratulations Izawa, you are a fake-English master
Out Of Town
Last weekend, I received an invite from Janna's friend Michiko to stay in the town of Tsuyama. The Tsuyama Rotary members also offered to take Cori, Janna, and me skiing at Ombara. How could I refuse?
Before the trip, I experienced the Japanese traditional dance form of Nihon Buyou. A teacher of the dance lives near Kawai-san's house, so I spent the morning with Nakahara-sensei and her student who was on vacation from her college in Osaka. Nihon Buyou is classified as “any form of traditional Japanese dance,” but can most often be seen in both Kabuki and Noh plays. The dance is accompanied by the Shamisen (a three stringed Japanese guitar), and can usually be discerned from western dance by its small, shuffling movements (in contrast with ballet's leaps, yet strangely similar to hip-hop's two step).
The girl who performed the dance had studied since the age of 3, but she said that not many Japanese enjoy studying the dance form because of its slow pace and slightly antiquated style. I thought it was amazing. She performed one dance which lasted about 15 minutes and was broken into three discernable sections. First, she depicted a young man with very powerful movements using a fishing pole and fan as props. The next stage involved the aging of the man, personified by looking inside of a box (during the real play, a mask would be applied from the box). In the final stage the man was blind, yet still carried his fishing pole. By the end of the show I was completely floored by the skill and precision of the dance. I attempted some of the intricate fan movements but could barely keep myself from tossing the would-be weapon across the room.
After some tea I said goodbye to Nakahara-sensei and her student, and set off on a 3 hour bus and train ride from Tamano to Tsuyama. Janna and her host mother picked me up at the station and drove us to Michiko's house on the edge of the city.
Michiko, who studied English in London, was once a model. She now works with her husband selling avant-garde style houses in Japan. As expected, her house was much different than the traditional Japanese dwelling, resembling a more western style house. Just to make my father jealous, they also live right next to a golf course.
Michiko took Janna and me (Cori couldn't come until the following day) to Karaoke with two of her friends. One was very quiet, and didn't say much when he first introduced himself. However, he ended up only singing loud, screaming songs with crazy half-Japanese half-English lyrics (I can only remember a song with the chorus "Come on...SHAKE HIP SHAKE HIP!"). Michiko, on the other hand, sang Madonna. At first I thought it was going to be funny, but Michiko had a really great Madonna voice. She even got up and made Janna and me dance with her. After karaoke, we went to a small late night okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) restaurant bustling with Japanese locals. Tsuyama's okonomiyaki is more of the Hiroshima style (thin like a pancake and folded like an omelet), while in Tamano the okonomiyaki is Kansai style (thick and meaty). You might ask yourself "What difference does that make?" Truthfully, both styles are delicious, and perhaps I was especially hungry after the strain of Karaoke, but the Tsuyama okonomiyaki was first rate.
That night Janna, Michiko, and I watched two movies, a rare occurrence for me. The first, Casshern, was shot entirely with a "digital backlot" (green screen) with all backgrounds added in post production (another example would be Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). Anime fans, rejoice, because lens flares and matrix style moves abound. This movie started to give me a seizure around the middle when I not only couldn't understand what was going on (even with English subtitles) but the camera was cut every 5 seconds to heighten the never-ending tension. The ending of this movie could be described as "crazy," "nonsensical," or "stupid." It does get points for looking beautiful, though. The second movie, "Sekai no Chu shin de, Ai wo Sakebu," or Sekai Chu (pronounced to rhyme with Pokemon's Pikachu) for short, is a love story that was inspired from a book and made into a movie as well as a TV drama. Its English title is "Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World," and most everyone in Japan has either seen or heard of Sekai Chu. I thought it was good, especially because of the totally unexpected cameo appearance of the Aboriginal guy from Crocodile Dundee.
The next day, I thanked Michiko profusely for letting me stay at her house and left with Hikasa-san, Janna, and Cori to Ombara Ski Resort. Cori and I snowboarded while Janna chose skis. Although there was a large crowd of people, the weather was perfect and the lift lines moved quickly. That evening we ate my favorite, Kaiten Zushi (a type of serve-yourself sushi that moves along on a massive conveyor belt) before I caught a train and a bus back to Tamano.
Before the trip, I experienced the Japanese traditional dance form of Nihon Buyou. A teacher of the dance lives near Kawai-san's house, so I spent the morning with Nakahara-sensei and her student who was on vacation from her college in Osaka. Nihon Buyou is classified as “any form of traditional Japanese dance,” but can most often be seen in both Kabuki and Noh plays. The dance is accompanied by the Shamisen (a three stringed Japanese guitar), and can usually be discerned from western dance by its small, shuffling movements (in contrast with ballet's leaps, yet strangely similar to hip-hop's two step).
The girl who performed the dance had studied since the age of 3, but she said that not many Japanese enjoy studying the dance form because of its slow pace and slightly antiquated style. I thought it was amazing. She performed one dance which lasted about 15 minutes and was broken into three discernable sections. First, she depicted a young man with very powerful movements using a fishing pole and fan as props. The next stage involved the aging of the man, personified by looking inside of a box (during the real play, a mask would be applied from the box). In the final stage the man was blind, yet still carried his fishing pole. By the end of the show I was completely floored by the skill and precision of the dance. I attempted some of the intricate fan movements but could barely keep myself from tossing the would-be weapon across the room.
After some tea I said goodbye to Nakahara-sensei and her student, and set off on a 3 hour bus and train ride from Tamano to Tsuyama. Janna and her host mother picked me up at the station and drove us to Michiko's house on the edge of the city.
Michiko, who studied English in London, was once a model. She now works with her husband selling avant-garde style houses in Japan. As expected, her house was much different than the traditional Japanese dwelling, resembling a more western style house. Just to make my father jealous, they also live right next to a golf course.
Michiko took Janna and me (Cori couldn't come until the following day) to Karaoke with two of her friends. One was very quiet, and didn't say much when he first introduced himself. However, he ended up only singing loud, screaming songs with crazy half-Japanese half-English lyrics (I can only remember a song with the chorus "Come on...SHAKE HIP SHAKE HIP!"). Michiko, on the other hand, sang Madonna. At first I thought it was going to be funny, but Michiko had a really great Madonna voice. She even got up and made Janna and me dance with her. After karaoke, we went to a small late night okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) restaurant bustling with Japanese locals. Tsuyama's okonomiyaki is more of the Hiroshima style (thin like a pancake and folded like an omelet), while in Tamano the okonomiyaki is Kansai style (thick and meaty). You might ask yourself "What difference does that make?" Truthfully, both styles are delicious, and perhaps I was especially hungry after the strain of Karaoke, but the Tsuyama okonomiyaki was first rate.
That night Janna, Michiko, and I watched two movies, a rare occurrence for me. The first, Casshern, was shot entirely with a "digital backlot" (green screen) with all backgrounds added in post production (another example would be Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). Anime fans, rejoice, because lens flares and matrix style moves abound. This movie started to give me a seizure around the middle when I not only couldn't understand what was going on (even with English subtitles) but the camera was cut every 5 seconds to heighten the never-ending tension. The ending of this movie could be described as "crazy," "nonsensical," or "stupid." It does get points for looking beautiful, though. The second movie, "Sekai no Chu shin de, Ai wo Sakebu," or Sekai Chu (pronounced to rhyme with Pokemon's Pikachu) for short, is a love story that was inspired from a book and made into a movie as well as a TV drama. Its English title is "Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World," and most everyone in Japan has either seen or heard of Sekai Chu. I thought it was good, especially because of the totally unexpected cameo appearance of the Aboriginal guy from Crocodile Dundee.
The next day, I thanked Michiko profusely for letting me stay at her house and left with Hikasa-san, Janna, and Cori to Ombara Ski Resort. Cori and I snowboarded while Janna chose skis. Although there was a large crowd of people, the weather was perfect and the lift lines moved quickly. That evening we ate my favorite, Kaiten Zushi (a type of serve-yourself sushi that moves along on a massive conveyor belt) before I caught a train and a bus back to Tamano.
2/21/2005
There it is! What hundreds of men stripped down and fought over. The shingi! (Why does that remind me of the "the golden snitch?")
Journey to Saidaiji
Towns, districts, and cities in Japan periodically have interesting or exciting celebrations. Perhaps they will throw a parade every once in a while, or show an open-air movie in the park. “Free popcorn, bring the kids!” In the case of Saidaiji, in Okayama, throngs of men (of various intoxication levels) gather and strip down for the annual Hadaka Matsuri, or "Naked Festival," held at the local temple. With the ultimate goal of being able to touch one of the two sacred sticks (Shingi) thrown into the teeming crowd by the temple priest, the men gather in groups of 10-30 to run around a preset course shouting "Washoi, washoi, washoi!" From what I could tell, "washoi" would be the Japanese equivalent of "heave, ho!" oft spoken by pirates and other naval folk. For over 400 years, men have gathered to celebrate this momentous occasion.
I left home around 7 in the evening and met Tamano High School's English teacher John on the train to Okayama. His friend gave us a ride the short distance from Okayama city to Saidaiji, where thousands of people had gathered to witness the spectacle. Neil and Jez, the other English teachers from Tamano, had decided to join the other gaijin and participate in this historic festival. I met them at the changing booth, and for about 10 seconds I gave serious thought to participating in the festival as well, but the story of the exchange student from Tamano who was seriously injured the previous year came rushing back to me. You could say I was a wimp, but who wants to spend the rest of their Japanese exchange in a full body cast?
To be honest, the festival isn't performed completely naked. Instead, the participants don a "fundoshi," or modest loincloth made from either 10 or 20 foot rolls of cloth (I hear purchasing the 20 foot roll is totally worth the expense). In a large tent, certified Japanese Fundoshi vendors give the appropriate "atomic wedgie" to keep the cloth from falling off once the festival begins. Then it is off to the temple where between the hours of 10 and midnight hundreds of men run laps in the freezing mid-winter weather, all the while chanting "washoi, washoi, WASHOI!"
Towards midnight, the men began to gather on the steps and "porch" of the main temple. Priests dump freezing water on the crowd, which is quickly warmed to a misty steam which lingers above the chanting men. Men try to push their way up the stairs; often causing whole bunches of fundoshi clad guys to tumble down the stairs. I witnessed quite a few punches to the face, pulling of fundoshi, and a ton of shoving.
When talking to Japanese people about Hadaka Matsuri, they often describe it as what they believe hell would be like. Indeed, after reviewing the newspaper the following day, the picture outside the temple depicting hundreds of men with the with groping arms reaching toward the sky certainly reminded me of something hellish, albeit impressive.
At the stroke of midnight, yells reaching a feverish pace, the lights were cut and the two "shingi" were thrown to the waiting mass. Just like at the bottom of the 9th with two outs with the bases loaded, the crowd went wild. Neil later told me that you had to breathe out and then in again quickly or your chest would get compressed with the force of everyone around you. Once someone had finally claimed the sticks police tried to escort the men from the temple. Some fights erupted (which I hear is completely normal) as hundreds of men were led back to their changing rooms.
Following the festival, I had planned to stay at a friend's house in Osafune, a close distance from Saidaiji. Neil and I walked to Saidaiji station to find a taxi, striking up plenty of conversations with Japanese people along the way. We almost convinced a group of people to drive us all the way to Osafune but they said they were going in the other direction.
At three in the morning, the taxi driver dropped us off at Osafune Station, in the proverbial "middle of nowhere." The taxi driver must have thought we were crazy but accepted his fare and drove away. Surprisingly, it was a clear night with a bright moon, making for an easy walk to Neil's friend's house. Leis (from England) had taught English in Japan for 2 years, and at her house were 5 other English teachers from England and the U.S.
The next morning, Neil and I snuck out early to catch a train back to Tamano. Osafune is a beautiful part of Japan, with mountains rising from the rice fields in the distance. We stopped at a small grocery store to speak with the locals and purchase some drinks for the road. Walking in the early morning along the country road and drinking my tea with Neil gave me a great feeling and I promised myself I'd do more exploring on my own in the future.
We came to the Osafune Station just in time, and ran to catch the train. Unfortunately, at a junction after Okayama station we had a wait of 50 minutes before the next train arrived. Neil and I walked around Chayamachi Station, subsequently finding a small pizza shop that happened to be open for business. Perhaps it was because we were starving, or it could have been the massive chunks of ham, but it was the best pizza I've eaten in Japan.
I stumbled home around 12, eager to tell my family all about the excellent night. They were happy I hadn't killed myself, so everyone came away a winner.
Check out the craziness on the video page
I left home around 7 in the evening and met Tamano High School's English teacher John on the train to Okayama. His friend gave us a ride the short distance from Okayama city to Saidaiji, where thousands of people had gathered to witness the spectacle. Neil and Jez, the other English teachers from Tamano, had decided to join the other gaijin and participate in this historic festival. I met them at the changing booth, and for about 10 seconds I gave serious thought to participating in the festival as well, but the story of the exchange student from Tamano who was seriously injured the previous year came rushing back to me. You could say I was a wimp, but who wants to spend the rest of their Japanese exchange in a full body cast?
To be honest, the festival isn't performed completely naked. Instead, the participants don a "fundoshi," or modest loincloth made from either 10 or 20 foot rolls of cloth (I hear purchasing the 20 foot roll is totally worth the expense). In a large tent, certified Japanese Fundoshi vendors give the appropriate "atomic wedgie" to keep the cloth from falling off once the festival begins. Then it is off to the temple where between the hours of 10 and midnight hundreds of men run laps in the freezing mid-winter weather, all the while chanting "washoi, washoi, WASHOI!"
Towards midnight, the men began to gather on the steps and "porch" of the main temple. Priests dump freezing water on the crowd, which is quickly warmed to a misty steam which lingers above the chanting men. Men try to push their way up the stairs; often causing whole bunches of fundoshi clad guys to tumble down the stairs. I witnessed quite a few punches to the face, pulling of fundoshi, and a ton of shoving.
When talking to Japanese people about Hadaka Matsuri, they often describe it as what they believe hell would be like. Indeed, after reviewing the newspaper the following day, the picture outside the temple depicting hundreds of men with the with groping arms reaching toward the sky certainly reminded me of something hellish, albeit impressive.
At the stroke of midnight, yells reaching a feverish pace, the lights were cut and the two "shingi" were thrown to the waiting mass. Just like at the bottom of the 9th with two outs with the bases loaded, the crowd went wild. Neil later told me that you had to breathe out and then in again quickly or your chest would get compressed with the force of everyone around you. Once someone had finally claimed the sticks police tried to escort the men from the temple. Some fights erupted (which I hear is completely normal) as hundreds of men were led back to their changing rooms.
Following the festival, I had planned to stay at a friend's house in Osafune, a close distance from Saidaiji. Neil and I walked to Saidaiji station to find a taxi, striking up plenty of conversations with Japanese people along the way. We almost convinced a group of people to drive us all the way to Osafune but they said they were going in the other direction.
At three in the morning, the taxi driver dropped us off at Osafune Station, in the proverbial "middle of nowhere." The taxi driver must have thought we were crazy but accepted his fare and drove away. Surprisingly, it was a clear night with a bright moon, making for an easy walk to Neil's friend's house. Leis (from England) had taught English in Japan for 2 years, and at her house were 5 other English teachers from England and the U.S.
The next morning, Neil and I snuck out early to catch a train back to Tamano. Osafune is a beautiful part of Japan, with mountains rising from the rice fields in the distance. We stopped at a small grocery store to speak with the locals and purchase some drinks for the road. Walking in the early morning along the country road and drinking my tea with Neil gave me a great feeling and I promised myself I'd do more exploring on my own in the future.
We came to the Osafune Station just in time, and ran to catch the train. Unfortunately, at a junction after Okayama station we had a wait of 50 minutes before the next train arrived. Neil and I walked around Chayamachi Station, subsequently finding a small pizza shop that happened to be open for business. Perhaps it was because we were starving, or it could have been the massive chunks of ham, but it was the best pizza I've eaten in Japan.
I stumbled home around 12, eager to tell my family all about the excellent night. They were happy I hadn't killed myself, so everyone came away a winner.
Check out the craziness on the video page
2/18/2005
He he he, ho ho ho, and a couple of ha ha ha's, that how we laugh the day away in the merry old land of Oz
Fashion Show #2
I am constantly and repeatedly impressed with the Japanese sense of fashion. It appears to me that Japanese fashion isn't so much a separate entity from world fashion, but rather the concentrated culmination of every style one could imagine. Japanese people take Italian, French, and American designs, wear it all at once, and make the clothing look real good.
Furthermore, the proportion of fashionable people is much higher than I ever experienced in America. Most of my classmates are carrying Louis Vuitton wallets and purses on a regular basis, and in the city you can't go anywhere without seeing someone that seems to know a little something about good (or at least outrageous) fashion. Girls wear short skirts with high boots, large frilly parkas, and t-shirts with ridiculous English plastered on the front.
When offered, I jumped at the opportunity to go to the Chugoku Design College's fashion show in Okayama with Katrin (the exchange student from Germany), Michelle (from Canada), and some of their friends from Joto High School.
We all met outside Okayama Station around noon, and then did some shopping and a little eating before the show began. We hit Loft, a six story department store filled with postcards, food, tableware, furniture, office supplies, costumes, cell phone accessories, and crazy pop art curiosities. It happened to be the day before Valentine's Day, so the 4th floor was crammed with girls buying last minute gifts (in Japan, girls give guys gifts on Valentine's Day, while guys get a whole extra month until March 14, White Day, to return the favor).
We then walked past Symphony Hall to where the design college was located, arriving just in time as two huge projectors and a fleet of strobe lights flashed while Bjork pump-up music played in the background. As far as I can tell most Japanese fashion shows (and this could be true all over the world) have the same format:
A very high beats-per-minute song plays while searchlights and colored strobes blind the audience (with the ultimate goal of distracting the onlookers from the clothing they came to view). Tall, stone-faced models then powerfully stride onto the stage, walking in rhythm to the music alongside their equally stone-faced cohorts. Usually one model will be the center of attention and will carry an accessory such as a devil's pitchfork or princess's wand to augment the clothing on display.
All of the clothing I saw was themed, with about 10 or 12 small performances ranging from Jamaican dancers sporting red, yellow, and green to a spooky "Men in Black" type outfit with fake smoke and sleeves that reached all the way to the floor.
I don't ever aspire to be a fashion designer, but I did get a kick out of the stunning display.
Furthermore, the proportion of fashionable people is much higher than I ever experienced in America. Most of my classmates are carrying Louis Vuitton wallets and purses on a regular basis, and in the city you can't go anywhere without seeing someone that seems to know a little something about good (or at least outrageous) fashion. Girls wear short skirts with high boots, large frilly parkas, and t-shirts with ridiculous English plastered on the front.
When offered, I jumped at the opportunity to go to the Chugoku Design College's fashion show in Okayama with Katrin (the exchange student from Germany), Michelle (from Canada), and some of their friends from Joto High School.
We all met outside Okayama Station around noon, and then did some shopping and a little eating before the show began. We hit Loft, a six story department store filled with postcards, food, tableware, furniture, office supplies, costumes, cell phone accessories, and crazy pop art curiosities. It happened to be the day before Valentine's Day, so the 4th floor was crammed with girls buying last minute gifts (in Japan, girls give guys gifts on Valentine's Day, while guys get a whole extra month until March 14, White Day, to return the favor).
We then walked past Symphony Hall to where the design college was located, arriving just in time as two huge projectors and a fleet of strobe lights flashed while Bjork pump-up music played in the background. As far as I can tell most Japanese fashion shows (and this could be true all over the world) have the same format:
A very high beats-per-minute song plays while searchlights and colored strobes blind the audience (with the ultimate goal of distracting the onlookers from the clothing they came to view). Tall, stone-faced models then powerfully stride onto the stage, walking in rhythm to the music alongside their equally stone-faced cohorts. Usually one model will be the center of attention and will carry an accessory such as a devil's pitchfork or princess's wand to augment the clothing on display.
All of the clothing I saw was themed, with about 10 or 12 small performances ranging from Jamaican dancers sporting red, yellow, and green to a spooky "Men in Black" type outfit with fake smoke and sleeves that reached all the way to the floor.
I don't ever aspire to be a fashion designer, but I did get a kick out of the stunning display.
2/17/2005
Janna brought in this bag she found in the ladies department of a clothing store. Kimura-san instantly puts it on her head. We all laugh hysterically while she explains that is what you are supposed to do when trying on clothing to keep the makeup from rubbing off on the merchandise
Get to Class
Every Wednesday I take an hour bus ride to the city, my ultimate destination being the Okayama Institute of Languages. I am joined by the other Rotary exchange students in Okayama prefecture, Janna and Cori. Class runs for about three hours, and we usually go out to lunch (and often dinner) together before and after school. Our teacher, Kimura-sensei, is consistently outgoing and happy about teaching Japanese. She knows enough English to make the class hilarious every week, as we all try to explain ourselves in a mix of Japanese, English, and Janglish.
The best part about Japanese school is that it is completely paid for by the Tamano, Tsuyama, and Okayama Rotary Clubs. Also, it gives me a chance to get out of Tamano and into a decent sized city.
The best part about Japanese school is that it is completely paid for by the Tamano, Tsuyama, and Okayama Rotary Clubs. Also, it gives me a chance to get out of Tamano and into a decent sized city.
2/15/2005
Wisking the tea with the right hand was difficult but I eventually brought the mixture to a bright green froth
This is the door through which you enter the tea room. It made me feel a little silly but you could exit by gracefully swinging out like Spiderman (Samuraiman)
My host mother explains something to Mio while she opens her "oil-free" salad dressing she brought from home
Tea Please
I received another invite to my host mother's tea ceremony teacher's house over the weekend. I had experienced the tea ceremony before at school and in Tama, but was informed that I would be practicing the "Okayama" style of tea ceremony, which differs from my previous teacher's "Kansai" style of tea. As of now, I am currently developing my own "Old Skool" style of tea preparation.
First, my host mother served me a cup of tea, and then I tried my hand at the process, thoroughly confusing the left-hand/right-hand maneuvers but ultimately producing a nice cup of tea.
Lunch followed the tea ceremony at the always delicious Jacasse.
First, my host mother served me a cup of tea, and then I tried my hand at the process, thoroughly confusing the left-hand/right-hand maneuvers but ultimately producing a nice cup of tea.
Lunch followed the tea ceremony at the always delicious Jacasse.
2/14/2005
Like yawning or burping, piling as many people as possible into a tiny car is an involuntary muscular response
Rotary District Orientation
Last Saturday was Andee's final day in Japan. He was leaving on the Shinkansen in the evening, and I had to attend a Rotary meeting that night in Kurashiki. To compromise, we both went to Okayama City in the morning to see another person in Andee's exchange program that was also leaving that day. I had never met the girl before, and sadly I cannot remember much about her, but she was from Thailand and seemed very friendly for the hour or so I spent with her at the train station. Many people came to see her leave, and she was crying rather hard by the time she left the station.
After seeing her depart, Andee and I spent our final morning at Mister Donut with some honey glaze pastries and a coffee. We talked about things that made us laugh, and it didn't quite feel like he was leaving for good. When I said goodbye to him at the station I felt a pang of sadness, but smiled because I was happy to have met someone like him. I gave him a hug right there at the turnstile, and then got on a train for Tamano.
Back at the house, my host counselor was waiting with a Japanese girl from my school who went to Texas on exchange last year. I had already packed my bag for the weekend, so we struck out on our journey. The motley crew; Keiko, the girl from my school, Aketa-san, my host counselor who I have recently realized looks exactly like Ho Chi Minh, and I, wearing a sweatshirt that said “beautiful rainbow to the sky,” left in Aketa-san’s car. The Rotary meeting was being held at the Kurashiki Seaside Hotel, and aside from seeing a brief schedule I didn't know what to expect. My previous Rotary meetings had involved only the students from Okayama Prefecture (about 5, including outbounds from last year) so I expected something along those lines.
We were the first people to arrive at the hotel, so after a delicious lunch (during which Aketa-san smoked about a pack of cigarettes) we left to put our baggage in the main meeting room. I met Janna from Tsuyama in an elevator, and she said that lots of kids were there from all over the surrounding prefectures. Exiting the elevator, I instantly spotted Micah Ginnis, who happened to be my room mate at the Outbound Orientation in America earlier in the year. We had e-mailed a few times back and forth in Japan, but I didn't expect to see him at all. He said all the exchange students from his prefecture were there, and introduced me to Shaun, Carter, and Tom (from America), and Urte (from Lithuania). In total, about 30 students had gathered for the meeting, mostly from America and Canada but also two girls from France and one from Finland. There were also about 15 Japanese girls that had either been on exchange last year or were waiting to leave this year.
Shaun's main reason for coming to Japan is to learn how to be an entrepreneur from Japanese businessmen, and then start a string of arcades back in the States. It struck me as an odd reason, but at least it's better than "I came for the culture," which is everyone's usual reply. Before the meeting started, the Rotary district president told me to tell the other students to prepare a skit for that evening about something strange or funny that we had experienced in Japan. I am not sure why he asked me in particular, and in fact I think he called me "Jason" the first time he saw me, but I did as I was told. Everyone introduced themselves by district, and then we had a small meeting followed by dinner. After dinner all the exchange students retired to a room to make the skits. I found a very large loudspeaker, and under the auspices of using the music for skit preparation played various tunes during the meeting.
Later that evening we presented the skits, some of which were hilarious in their use of Japanese and English, and then all the kids went to a large party in the hotel while the Rotary members went out to drink. Micah, Shaun, Carter, and I hit the hotel's Onsen, and then hung out in various rooms for a while. I got a chance to talk with many of the Japanese kids about their exchanges, which was exciting because I rarely get to talk with Japanese kids in a completely relaxed atmosphere.
For the rest of the night, using the large loudspeaker, we continued the party from room to room. I don't think anyone else was staying in the hotel besides Rotary members so we had the whole place to ourselves. There was dancing, laughing, and sitting on the roof looking at the nearby Kurashiki chemical plants, bright against the night sky.
In the morning, we took a tour of Konpira-san, crossing the massive Seto-Ohashi Bridge. I had been to Konpira-san once before, but it was a lot more fun traveling with the other Rotary kids. A lot of students live on Shikoku, the island south of Tamano, which I can easily reach by ferry. Hopefully I will get to take some trips there in the coming weekends. At Konpira-san we ate Udon for lunch, after which Micah and I bought ice cream. While walking away from the ice cream stand, we spotted another ice cream stand on the corner. The following conversation ensued:
Micah: "Hey, why don't we eat this ice cream cone real fast and buy another?"
Me: "That's a little gluttonous, don't you think? Two ice creams right after each other."
Micah: "Especially when you're lactose intolerant!"
Me: "What?! Why are you even eating that ice cream cone?"
Micah: "I only get dizzy, don't worry."
(Micah then moonwalks through a glass window)
The rest of the afternoon was spent touring historic Konpira-san. After a closing ceremony back at the hotel, everyone said goodbye for the evening. Aketa-san gave me a ride back to Tamano, where I promptly fell asleep after a large sushi dinner.
After seeing her depart, Andee and I spent our final morning at Mister Donut with some honey glaze pastries and a coffee. We talked about things that made us laugh, and it didn't quite feel like he was leaving for good. When I said goodbye to him at the station I felt a pang of sadness, but smiled because I was happy to have met someone like him. I gave him a hug right there at the turnstile, and then got on a train for Tamano.
Back at the house, my host counselor was waiting with a Japanese girl from my school who went to Texas on exchange last year. I had already packed my bag for the weekend, so we struck out on our journey. The motley crew; Keiko, the girl from my school, Aketa-san, my host counselor who I have recently realized looks exactly like Ho Chi Minh, and I, wearing a sweatshirt that said “beautiful rainbow to the sky,” left in Aketa-san’s car. The Rotary meeting was being held at the Kurashiki Seaside Hotel, and aside from seeing a brief schedule I didn't know what to expect. My previous Rotary meetings had involved only the students from Okayama Prefecture (about 5, including outbounds from last year) so I expected something along those lines.
We were the first people to arrive at the hotel, so after a delicious lunch (during which Aketa-san smoked about a pack of cigarettes) we left to put our baggage in the main meeting room. I met Janna from Tsuyama in an elevator, and she said that lots of kids were there from all over the surrounding prefectures. Exiting the elevator, I instantly spotted Micah Ginnis, who happened to be my room mate at the Outbound Orientation in America earlier in the year. We had e-mailed a few times back and forth in Japan, but I didn't expect to see him at all. He said all the exchange students from his prefecture were there, and introduced me to Shaun, Carter, and Tom (from America), and Urte (from Lithuania). In total, about 30 students had gathered for the meeting, mostly from America and Canada but also two girls from France and one from Finland. There were also about 15 Japanese girls that had either been on exchange last year or were waiting to leave this year.
Shaun's main reason for coming to Japan is to learn how to be an entrepreneur from Japanese businessmen, and then start a string of arcades back in the States. It struck me as an odd reason, but at least it's better than "I came for the culture," which is everyone's usual reply. Before the meeting started, the Rotary district president told me to tell the other students to prepare a skit for that evening about something strange or funny that we had experienced in Japan. I am not sure why he asked me in particular, and in fact I think he called me "Jason" the first time he saw me, but I did as I was told. Everyone introduced themselves by district, and then we had a small meeting followed by dinner. After dinner all the exchange students retired to a room to make the skits. I found a very large loudspeaker, and under the auspices of using the music for skit preparation played various tunes during the meeting.
Later that evening we presented the skits, some of which were hilarious in their use of Japanese and English, and then all the kids went to a large party in the hotel while the Rotary members went out to drink. Micah, Shaun, Carter, and I hit the hotel's Onsen, and then hung out in various rooms for a while. I got a chance to talk with many of the Japanese kids about their exchanges, which was exciting because I rarely get to talk with Japanese kids in a completely relaxed atmosphere.
For the rest of the night, using the large loudspeaker, we continued the party from room to room. I don't think anyone else was staying in the hotel besides Rotary members so we had the whole place to ourselves. There was dancing, laughing, and sitting on the roof looking at the nearby Kurashiki chemical plants, bright against the night sky.
In the morning, we took a tour of Konpira-san, crossing the massive Seto-Ohashi Bridge. I had been to Konpira-san once before, but it was a lot more fun traveling with the other Rotary kids. A lot of students live on Shikoku, the island south of Tamano, which I can easily reach by ferry. Hopefully I will get to take some trips there in the coming weekends. At Konpira-san we ate Udon for lunch, after which Micah and I bought ice cream. While walking away from the ice cream stand, we spotted another ice cream stand on the corner. The following conversation ensued:
Micah: "Hey, why don't we eat this ice cream cone real fast and buy another?"
Me: "That's a little gluttonous, don't you think? Two ice creams right after each other."
Micah: "Especially when you're lactose intolerant!"
Me: "What?! Why are you even eating that ice cream cone?"
Micah: "I only get dizzy, don't worry."
(Micah then moonwalks through a glass window)
The rest of the afternoon was spent touring historic Konpira-san. After a closing ceremony back at the hotel, everyone said goodbye for the evening. Aketa-san gave me a ride back to Tamano, where I promptly fell asleep after a large sushi dinner.
2/13/2005
Not a Real Entry
I would like to give a large thank you to blogger for fixing the stats on the profile page. For a while I though no one had visited the site since November.
And to make you feel REAL special, you can now use HTML when posting comments.
But the moral of the story is: this movie will be deleted shortly and replaced with a slightly truncated version, so get it while it's hot:
Guitar Zamurai
And to make you feel REAL special, you can now use HTML when posting comments.
But the moral of the story is: this movie will be deleted shortly and replaced with a slightly truncated version, so get it while it's hot:
Guitar Zamurai
2/10/2005
Setsubun Showdown!
Yesterday afternoon was spent riding around on my bicycle after school, slicing at people with a green plastic samurai sword and screaming what probably ended up being unintelligible Japanese until I felt my work was done. This morning I made my host family strawberry and banana pancakes. With that in mind, the Japanese festival of Setsubun:
Setsubun or "seasonal division" is held on February 2 or 3, one day before the start of spring. Various rituals are performed with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits. Most of these rituals are family based, differing from household to household. On the day of the celebration, my host mother tried to explain what we would be doing that evening. She said, and I quote, "We will throw beans at Oni."
Andee came over for the celebration, which was held at the Saeki's house, where we performed a unique ritual. First, we ate a special uncut sushi roll that is extra long to welcome the spring (maki-zushi). You are supposed to eat said sushi roll in complete silence, facing a certain direction, which changes every year. This year's direction was "west, southwest." I asked how the direction is chosen, but couldn't understand the process. (I later learned it is based on the Zodiac) I would have liked to believe that it is similar to groundhog day, with perhaps a special bird selecting various directions. Following the sushi was the Throwing of the Beans. To quote the process, "When throwing the beans, you are supposed to shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Devils out, happiness in"). Afterwards you should pick up and eat the number of beans which corresponds to your age." We all gathered at the front door while Jirou sensei put on an Oni mask. He rang the doorbell, opened the door, and we all threw beans in his face. "Oni wa soto!" I screamed, banishing the plastic Oni mask from my presence. "Fuku wa uchi!" soon followed, with a handful of beans tossed into the house. We all took turns being Oni, and getting pelted with beans.
After that crazy display, we ate a tasty Oni cake topped with fruit deliciousness. A trip to the Saeki's house is always a great experience, and we welcomed the spring in true fashion.
Setsubun or "seasonal division" is held on February 2 or 3, one day before the start of spring. Various rituals are performed with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits. Most of these rituals are family based, differing from household to household. On the day of the celebration, my host mother tried to explain what we would be doing that evening. She said, and I quote, "We will throw beans at Oni."
Andee came over for the celebration, which was held at the Saeki's house, where we performed a unique ritual. First, we ate a special uncut sushi roll that is extra long to welcome the spring (maki-zushi). You are supposed to eat said sushi roll in complete silence, facing a certain direction, which changes every year. This year's direction was "west, southwest." I asked how the direction is chosen, but couldn't understand the process. (I later learned it is based on the Zodiac) I would have liked to believe that it is similar to groundhog day, with perhaps a special bird selecting various directions. Following the sushi was the Throwing of the Beans. To quote the process, "When throwing the beans, you are supposed to shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Devils out, happiness in"). Afterwards you should pick up and eat the number of beans which corresponds to your age." We all gathered at the front door while Jirou sensei put on an Oni mask. He rang the doorbell, opened the door, and we all threw beans in his face. "Oni wa soto!" I screamed, banishing the plastic Oni mask from my presence. "Fuku wa uchi!" soon followed, with a handful of beans tossed into the house. We all took turns being Oni, and getting pelted with beans.
After that crazy display, we ate a tasty Oni cake topped with fruit deliciousness. A trip to the Saeki's house is always a great experience, and we welcomed the spring in true fashion.
2/7/2005
Neil holding a priest's outfit, apparently Sam now marries people as a side job and wanted Neil to fill in for him
Get Out of Here!
Today was an amazing day. Nothing particularly special happened, and in fact it rained, but I still felt the residual effect of this weekend's Rotary outbound orientation in Kurashiki. I will first take you back to last weekend, at Jittan and Andee's going away party.
The location was Shoko's house, the usual party location. I invited Yuudai and Nakkan from school, along with Neil and Sam, the local English teachers. Shoko called all her older Japanese friends and Chinese teacher who came with his wife to the party. Everyone who had known Andee or Jittan from Tamano attended. That may appear to be a calm, reclined crowd but if you had been present you would know otherwise. A large assortment of foods were prepared by Jittan, Shoko, the Chinese teacher and his wife, and other members in the house for consumption at the party. Miyu was also in town from Kobe so I got a chance to speak with her in Japanese. She leaves in a few days for Washington State as an exchange student for a few months.
Caution!! very large and temporary video file (33MB) Guitar Zamurai download for this short time only!
The party was a free for all with Lost in Translation and equally exciting music playing in the background. After a few hours, I decided to give Jittan and Andee their big surprise, a live rendition of Guitar Zamurai. Guitar Zamurai, for those who don't know, is a very famous comedian in Japan who plays a guitar while wearing a Kimono and makes fun of people, like a musical Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. When I first came to Japan, Jittan told me Guitar Zamurai was her favorite comic, and while I couldn't understand a thing he said, she died laughing.
I wrote the lyrics myself, with some help from my host brother to make it more understandable and funny. Also thanks to Jirou sensei for showing me the Guitar Zamurai chords. All the Japanese people at the party thought it was great.
After the party began to wind down, Neil struck up a large game of cards. He is a massive card fan, and is in fact starting a weekly potluck dinner and card night for anyone interested. Music was played, cards were dealt, and people danced until the wee hours. When only Andee, Jittan, Neil, Shoko, and myself were left awake someone put on Cold Mountain (Shoko is a big Jude Law fan) and Neil left after the movie was over. Andee then gave us parting gifts of Malaysian clothing which seemed like an excellent thing to try on at 5 in the morning.
Everyone went to sleep for a few hours, and then woke up for a traditional Japanese lunch of party leftovers (so much better than cold pizza). We played cards and Nintendo Mario Party until that evening. Andee's host family took Jittan, Andee, and me to a very fancy Japanese restaurant in Uno. Andee's host sister and father playfully argued about colleges (she wants business, he wants language) which was interesting to watch and soon involved everyone at the party. The food and drink were delicious and I felt plenty stuffed after 40 hours of continual eating. Everyone then went back to their respective houses, but the party was not over yet.
Andee, Jittan, and I met in Okayama the next day to go to Aeon (pronounced Ion), a large shopping mall in Kurashiki. We laughed, shopped, purikura-ed, and ate large pieces of cake for dinner. We also watched a movie, Howl's Moving Castle, which is the next movie in the Ghibli line of films including Spirited Away, Laputa, and Totoro. Expensive at $15 but well worth the money. To top off the three days of craziness, my mind was blown by finding a very inexpensive MIT sweatshirt at the mall. Other choices included Boston University, Texas A&M, and the seemingly out of place University of Southern Georgia.
Back in Okayama, Andee and Jittan said goodbye to each other for the last time at the train station in a very sad and strikingly movie-like display: walking backwards and waving, time ticking by slowly. We may have only been together for a short while, but we had some great times. And thus the going away party drew to a close. Andee and I returned to Tamano to get some rest.
The location was Shoko's house, the usual party location. I invited Yuudai and Nakkan from school, along with Neil and Sam, the local English teachers. Shoko called all her older Japanese friends and Chinese teacher who came with his wife to the party. Everyone who had known Andee or Jittan from Tamano attended. That may appear to be a calm, reclined crowd but if you had been present you would know otherwise. A large assortment of foods were prepared by Jittan, Shoko, the Chinese teacher and his wife, and other members in the house for consumption at the party. Miyu was also in town from Kobe so I got a chance to speak with her in Japanese. She leaves in a few days for Washington State as an exchange student for a few months.
Caution!! very large and temporary video file (33MB) Guitar Zamurai download for this short time only!
The party was a free for all with Lost in Translation and equally exciting music playing in the background. After a few hours, I decided to give Jittan and Andee their big surprise, a live rendition of Guitar Zamurai. Guitar Zamurai, for those who don't know, is a very famous comedian in Japan who plays a guitar while wearing a Kimono and makes fun of people, like a musical Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. When I first came to Japan, Jittan told me Guitar Zamurai was her favorite comic, and while I couldn't understand a thing he said, she died laughing.
I wrote the lyrics myself, with some help from my host brother to make it more understandable and funny. Also thanks to Jirou sensei for showing me the Guitar Zamurai chords. All the Japanese people at the party thought it was great.
After the party began to wind down, Neil struck up a large game of cards. He is a massive card fan, and is in fact starting a weekly potluck dinner and card night for anyone interested. Music was played, cards were dealt, and people danced until the wee hours. When only Andee, Jittan, Neil, Shoko, and myself were left awake someone put on Cold Mountain (Shoko is a big Jude Law fan) and Neil left after the movie was over. Andee then gave us parting gifts of Malaysian clothing which seemed like an excellent thing to try on at 5 in the morning.
Everyone went to sleep for a few hours, and then woke up for a traditional Japanese lunch of party leftovers (so much better than cold pizza). We played cards and Nintendo Mario Party until that evening. Andee's host family took Jittan, Andee, and me to a very fancy Japanese restaurant in Uno. Andee's host sister and father playfully argued about colleges (she wants business, he wants language) which was interesting to watch and soon involved everyone at the party. The food and drink were delicious and I felt plenty stuffed after 40 hours of continual eating. Everyone then went back to their respective houses, but the party was not over yet.
Andee, Jittan, and I met in Okayama the next day to go to Aeon (pronounced Ion), a large shopping mall in Kurashiki. We laughed, shopped, purikura-ed, and ate large pieces of cake for dinner. We also watched a movie, Howl's Moving Castle, which is the next movie in the Ghibli line of films including Spirited Away, Laputa, and Totoro. Expensive at $15 but well worth the money. To top off the three days of craziness, my mind was blown by finding a very inexpensive MIT sweatshirt at the mall. Other choices included Boston University, Texas A&M, and the seemingly out of place University of Southern Georgia.
Back in Okayama, Andee and Jittan said goodbye to each other for the last time at the train station in a very sad and strikingly movie-like display: walking backwards and waving, time ticking by slowly. We may have only been together for a short while, but we had some great times. And thus the going away party drew to a close. Andee and I returned to Tamano to get some rest.
2/2/2005
Mitsui Zosen Extravaganza
If anyone in Japan knows how to have a good time, it's Tamano's Mitsui Zosen shipbuilding company. Back when I met the Mayor of Tamano, I mentioned wanting a tour of the massive and frankly ominous shipyard located in the Watanabe's back yard.
If anyone in Japan knows how to have a good time, it's Tamano's Mitsui Zosen shipbuilding company. Back when I met the mayor of Tamano (not to be confused with this other famous mayor), I mentioned wanting a tour of the massive, and frankly ominous shipyard located essentially in the Watanabe's back yard.
I suppose asking the mayor for a favor really gets you the whole nine yards, because he talked to some Rotary members and arranged for a private tour of the grounds. I was not allowed many pictures on the premises, so I will do my best to explain the somewhat secret and decidedly awesome goings-on at the Mitsui Company.
First a little background, discerned from a PowerPoint presentation given with tea before the tour. Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1917 (Taisho 6 on the Japanese calendar), supplying Japan with both ships and diesel motors. Among other projects, the company has placed pillars for the Seto-Ohashi Bridge and holds world records for deep-sea ocean drilling. Today's projects include rescue ships, tankers, autonomous drilling vessels, hovercraft, and my favorite, "high speed chase boats" (my translator mentioned something about North Korea). After the diesel bust in the 80's (before which the Tamano Mitsui Company employed over 10,000 workers), the company focused on constructing solar panels, LCD monitors, and X-ray machines that check for stress and cracks in tunnels. However, they are still best known for their work on engines and tankers, including "Ogasawara," the world's largest aluminum ship.
After the slide presentation, I donned a hard hat and steel tipped boots for the real tour of the factory. Accompanying me was an official from Mitsui, my Rotary host counselor, and Mitsui's on-site English teacher as a translator. We took a car around the massive complex (988,000 square meters) where I saw various processing plants, huge cranes, and partially constructed ships. In one "off-limits" area, we could partially see three enormous military hovercrafts awaiting deployment. After the drive we set off on foot to tour an engine factory. Mitsui does not only make ship engines, but is also well known for power plant diesel motors. The size of the factory was staggering, with engines that looked much like that of a car, except you could easily fit inside one of the pistons.
After the tour, which lasted about an hour and a half, I came back to the slide presentation room for tea and cookies and got a chance to ask a few questions about the factory. Mostly I spoke with my translator about whether he enjoyed his job and how he came to work in Tamano. It turns out that he is married, expecting a second child soon, and his brother (who got him the job) also works as an English teacher at Mitsui.
There is also another branch of Mitsui near Chiba, which manufactures many of the same ships as Tamano but in larger quantities. I believe the Tamano branch builds 40 ships a year, and also has a hand in research, development, and plant engineering around the world. Next month my host father, who works for the Mitsui Chemical branch, is traveling to Iran to plan and coordinate the building of a chemical refinery plant near the Iran/Iraq border. I asked if I could go too and he said I would need to buy a gun first.
I left the Mitsui Shipyard feeling enlightened as to the large clanging noises I used to hear from the Watanabe's house throughout the day. I have never been a ship buff, but something about seeing a massive tanker in construction would give anyone a sense of wonder and awe.
If anyone in Japan knows how to have a good time, it's Tamano's Mitsui Zosen shipbuilding company. Back when I met the mayor of Tamano (not to be confused with this other famous mayor), I mentioned wanting a tour of the massive, and frankly ominous shipyard located essentially in the Watanabe's back yard.
I suppose asking the mayor for a favor really gets you the whole nine yards, because he talked to some Rotary members and arranged for a private tour of the grounds. I was not allowed many pictures on the premises, so I will do my best to explain the somewhat secret and decidedly awesome goings-on at the Mitsui Company.
First a little background, discerned from a PowerPoint presentation given with tea before the tour. Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1917 (Taisho 6 on the Japanese calendar), supplying Japan with both ships and diesel motors. Among other projects, the company has placed pillars for the Seto-Ohashi Bridge and holds world records for deep-sea ocean drilling. Today's projects include rescue ships, tankers, autonomous drilling vessels, hovercraft, and my favorite, "high speed chase boats" (my translator mentioned something about North Korea). After the diesel bust in the 80's (before which the Tamano Mitsui Company employed over 10,000 workers), the company focused on constructing solar panels, LCD monitors, and X-ray machines that check for stress and cracks in tunnels. However, they are still best known for their work on engines and tankers, including "Ogasawara," the world's largest aluminum ship.
After the slide presentation, I donned a hard hat and steel tipped boots for the real tour of the factory. Accompanying me was an official from Mitsui, my Rotary host counselor, and Mitsui's on-site English teacher as a translator. We took a car around the massive complex (988,000 square meters) where I saw various processing plants, huge cranes, and partially constructed ships. In one "off-limits" area, we could partially see three enormous military hovercrafts awaiting deployment. After the drive we set off on foot to tour an engine factory. Mitsui does not only make ship engines, but is also well known for power plant diesel motors. The size of the factory was staggering, with engines that looked much like that of a car, except you could easily fit inside one of the pistons.
After the tour, which lasted about an hour and a half, I came back to the slide presentation room for tea and cookies and got a chance to ask a few questions about the factory. Mostly I spoke with my translator about whether he enjoyed his job and how he came to work in Tamano. It turns out that he is married, expecting a second child soon, and his brother (who got him the job) also works as an English teacher at Mitsui.
There is also another branch of Mitsui near Chiba, which manufactures many of the same ships as Tamano but in larger quantities. I believe the Tamano branch builds 40 ships a year, and also has a hand in research, development, and plant engineering around the world. Next month my host father, who works for the Mitsui Chemical branch, is traveling to Iran to plan and coordinate the building of a chemical refinery plant near the Iran/Iraq border. I asked if I could go too and he said I would need to buy a gun first.
I left the Mitsui Shipyard feeling enlightened as to the large clanging noises I used to hear from the Watanabe's house throughout the day. I have never been a ship buff, but something about seeing a massive tanker in construction would give anyone a sense of wonder and awe.
