On the evening of Sports Day, I went to my second enkai (work party). It was fabulous; a few of the teachers did their own Soran dance (if I can figure out how to upload videos, I'll get that up ASAP), but the best part was when Enami-Sensei took a nap. She is absolutely my favorite person, and the fact that she took a nap at the party perfectly illustrates the Japanese work ethic of putting in your time, whether you're being a productive addition to the task at hand or not!
My kind of party!
Some of my teachers. They invited me to the second and third parties to be held that night, but I figured I should pace myself...
The day after Sports Day I went to Kobe with Lexy to kick off my three-day weekend. She is super cool, and we had a great time just window shopping and "soaking in the city life." On the way there, I saw the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge from the train, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world. I was really sad because it looked really short. (Fortunately, though, it was just perspective; when I saw it from the freeway the following weekend, it was much more impressive. I hope to walk across it sometime.) While in Kobe, we did Purikura, which is like a photo booth on steroids. It's so much fun and it's such a forgiving camera! You stand in front of a green screen and strike poses that are superimposed over different background scenes of your choice, and then you are alotted a certain amount of time to edit them afterwards, adding all kinds of text and stars and wigs and props and anything you can imagine. The pictures are printed out on sticky paper, so girls always decorate their notebooks and cell phones with pictures of their girlfriends. It's so cute!
The next day, Tuesday the 19th, I got a crazy Japanese haircut! I got my hair cut in Phoenix just before I left, and I got it cut by the woman who has been cutting it for the last seven years with the express intention of NOT letting ANYONE ELSE touch it in the coming year. But alas, that didn't work so much. I wanted to feel comfortable wearing my hair down (I never have, even though it's longer than it's ever been), so Lexy helped me translate my thoughts to the stylist, and he layered it all up and gave me bangs. Yeah! Haven't had those since I was like seven, but I love it! I love the cut because it's like bedhead for long hair, totally low maintenance. I've tried taking pictures of myself but they always turn out really awkward and googley-eyed since my face is only two and a half feet from the blinding flash, so as soon as I trade pictures with my friends, maybe I'll find some decent candid pictures of myself to show you.
That Thursday I started taking Japanese classes at Egret, the local community center. As much as I love everyone I live with, I've enjoyed the chance to widen my social circle a bit. I get along with everyone in class really well, and we usually hang out afterwards. Plus, having something to study A) gives me something to fill my time at work, and B) has temporarily satisfied my desire to go back to school.
That Saturday I drove two hours to the Costco in Amagasaki (which was when I got to see the bridge again). Eight of us piled into a van that belonged to some of our Japanese friends. I'm not sure exactly whose it was, but Mayumi-San drove, and even though you can't throw a stone without hitting twenty-seven toll booths, she absolutely refused to let us compensate her for gas or toll fares. Everyone I've met is that generous! We had a great trip...my American membership worked here, and it was just like being at home! They even had hotdogs and churros! I stocked up on a lot of the essentials...sometimes Japanese just doesn't hit the spot and you gotta have your refried beans. When we got home late that afternoon, Mayumi-san gave me a free tennis lesson. She has competed across the globe and is a total pro. I hope to have more lessons with her because I had great time! I don't have any pictures of her yet, but I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to take one in the future as she always attends community events if she isn't hosting them herself.
The funniest thing that happened that day was my mini panic attack in the back seat before the trip even began. I can't get used to the fact that the driver's seat is on the right here, so when I saw the person up front get out and we started to roll forward, I hollered, "Oh my God, the car's not in park!" But then I realized Gayleen wasn't driving, she was merely the passenger. There's always something to adjust to!
On Sunday I drove four hours to Koya-San with my friend Allison and her two Japanese friends from her Aikido class, Kakeuchi-san and Kobayashi-san. I was so glad she invited me because even though it was kind of an exhausting drive, it was completely worth it. Koya-san was the center of the establishment of esoteric Buddhism in Japan in 816. As a result, there are over a hundred temples even though it is just a tiny little town at the top of a remote mountain. We toured a few of the main temples:
Me with a rather large piece of wood (sorry, the sign wasn't much help). [Oh, those are my bangs! My hair is still long, it's just pulled back.]
The stones in this garden are said to represent monks in prayer.
The temple in the back is the Dai-to.
It is seven stories tall and is the center of a geographic representation of a lotus flower formed by eight mountains surrounding Koya-san.
I totally illegally snapped this picture inside (the railing in the middle of the picture is waist-high).
The highlight of the town was definitely Okuno-in, the cemetery for prominent Japanese Buddhists. It is over two kilometers long, and every square inch fifty to a hundred feet off each side of the path is covered by breathtakingly beautiful and complex ancient shrines. At the end of the path is Toro-do, a temple of lanterns which is tended by the monks; two of the lanterns supposedly have been burning for over 900 years. We happened to be there when about a hundred monks arrived for their daily prayers. Their devotion was humbling. (Unfortunately I only got a few pictures of Okuno-in and NO pictures of Toro-do because my 1 gigabite memory card was full!)
I loved the offerings...
and the bibs and hats.
The next week I fought off a cold which finally hit me last weekend. It wasn't too miserable, but it was enough that I decided to skip an all-nighter in Osaka with Lexy. Everyone said it was a good idea to lay low because a lot of people get colds they can't shake off for a few months. Whether it's adjusting to teaching and using your voice in a new way, or exposure to new kinds of bacteria, or working with kids, or just your body's way of telling you to slow down, everyone seems to get the same cold a month into their stay here. Enami-Sensei hooked me up with some good cold medicine from the school nurse's stash.
Last Thursday, the 5th, I taught at my first elementary school. Every Thursday I rotate between three different local elementary schools and teach first- through sixth-graders to get them excited about junior high school English instruction and to satisfy their parents' demands for earlier learning opportunities. I got to teach first graders all day, and they were so much fun! I got to sing and dance and do animal impressions all day long, but man, I was so tired after only four classes! The best part of the day was eating school lunch with them. Half the students don white coats, hats and masks and go to the kitchen to retrieve lunch (bread, salad, stew, milk). Then they form an assembly line and serve their classmates. Six years old and they do it without any instruction! I wish I had pictures...I'll definitely take some next time!
Friday there was a moon viewing ceremony at Himeji-castle. The full moon was the kick off for all the community harvest festivals this month. The party was what we like to call "nomi hodai". Oh yes, all you can drink: I know it well. 500 Yen (under five bucks!) and endless locally brewed sake! But it was such a subdued gathering, considering the amount of free-flowing alcohol. There were dance and musical performances, and people sat around on picnic blankets. And they love their schedules here; when 9:30 rolled around, I turned around and everyone had packed up and left. The whole park just cleared out in a matter of minutes and there was NO trash anywhere. Japan rocks. Afterwards, a few of us went out to karaoke. I tell you, karaoke is wonderful...I never thought I would love it, but it's such a blast!
Yesterday, Sunday, was so awesomely bad. My community, Shinzaike, had its festival, which began at 8am. Traditionally, all the community members wear their hapi coats and pull their own shrine around town. Inside the shrine are two children who constantly beat a drum for at least four hours as we walk through neighborhood streets (it was a great tour of the area). Sometimes the men carry the shrine above their heads, and they "battle" other community shrines.
Even though they always took breaks and fed us snacks along the way, I think all the sun exposure on top of merely picking at a bento lunch (I never considered myself a picky eater until coming to Japan) compounded to make the endless beer and sake a bad, BAD IDEA. I was passed out drunk by 3pm and hungover by 7pm. I don't ever want to look at another beer again. EVER! But at least I remember every part of last night, which is more than some others can say!
Fortunately, we got a long weekend. As sick as we all were, today was such a lovely day. It was cool enough for me to justify wearing a light sweater when a few of us rode our bikes downtown. We decided a few Bic Macs were in order, but the McDonald's didn't help as much as the ice cream. The Baskin Robbin's is definitely what made us feel better!
And now we're all caught up, so this concludes our broadcast special. Thank you for tuning in!
