Midarashi Matsuri

The Midarashi Matsuri is a festival dating back to the Heian Period (794-1183). There is a pond in the back of Shimo-gamo Shrine that is associated with a water kami. It was/is believed that if you walk through this pond during a certain period each year, you will be cleansed of all your impurities and illnesses. In addition, if one takes one of the black stones from the pond, it is particularly effective in curing a certain childhood illness (vague on which one it is..).

My friend and I went to this festival tonight. We took off our shoes and waded through the surprisingly cold water to light a candle. After coming up out of the water we drank a cup of the fresh spring water particularly blessed by the kami. I am now all clean, they say.

Shinto is a very purity related tradition, and this festival epitomizes this. Washing away, sending away, or giving away impurites is a common act in many festivals. The gods do not like death, blood, or sickness, and therefore, you must rid yourself of these things to have a prosperous life. Impurities, however, do not usually imply the moral stigma of "sins" as in Christianity. It's a cleanliness thing, pure and simple, something even a little kid in a pink yukata can understand.

Somewhat coherent notes

We flew into Naha on the main island. The southern part of this island is dominated by military bases. We left that area ASAP and headed up north for camping and beaches. The temperature was about the same as Kyoto, but there was a lovely sea breeze blowing to keep us a little cooler.

We took a little dip in the ocean at the beach where we camped before moving on to a sandier location up the road. And by sandier, I mean soft white sand in which umbrellas were stuck shading wealthy resort guests. We forewent the $30 for our own umbrella and dove right in to the crystal blue water.

Okinawa soba is like thicker ramen with larger pieces of pork.

I pulled off onto a tiny road to get a closer look at the Okinawan graves. Burial rituals in Okinawa are unique. The body of the deceased is buried and left to decompose. After a set amount of time, the remains are dug up, and the skull removed and washed in the ocean. The skull is then placed in the family grave which resembles a small stone house.

Down the road from the graves was a cape with an "elephant cliff" and a woman who was willing to give me a deal on a sanshin. I declined, but not without seriously thinking about paying $250 for this Okinawan musical instrument.

Shuri-jo is an old castle built back in the day when Okinawa was its own country. Okinawa did not officialy become part of Japan until 1972. Way before that it had quite a bit of direct contact with China. The southern islands are closer to Taiwan than to mainland Japan. The castle has a very famous gate that is pictured on the 2000 yen bill. The 2000 yen bill is like the US $2. Rare and hardly used.

We had dinner at an izakaya where the Okinawans laughed at us as we ate four dishes of Champuru, fish guts on tofu, and tried to choke down the incredibly strong Awamori, Okinawan specialty, sake.

We stopped by the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, set up to commemorate those who died, both Japanese and American (I'd say 5% of those who died were American), in the Battle of Okinawa at the end of WWII. Then we went to see a limestone cave the Okinawa World Park. We also had a once in a lifetime chance to taste sake made with snake poison. You could even buy a bottle with the snake in it for a mere $400.

A little trip to the beach, and we got on the ferry heading to Ishigakijima, a southern island.
This not without a little mishap where the two guys got stuck in traffic returning the rent a car and missed the ferry. They had to fly to the island the next day. The ferry only leaves once a week.

The reef stretching from Naha to Ishigakijima is the largest in Japan. So of course, we went snorkeling. I'd never been snorkeling before. We found this cheap mom and pop's inn/snorkeling/boat place. The wizened old man took us out on his rickety boat, told us to put our masks on, and Go! He let us do whatever we wanted for three hours. Occasionally he'd say something and point, but since we couldn't understand a word of the Okinawan dialect, we just followed the direction of his finger.

It was amazing. The coral was at times a mere 6 inches below me. The fish were not afraid. They'd come up and stare at me and then nonchalantly swim away. I was even nibbled on once by the most amazingly striped fish. We saw "Nemo," neon blue, white, striped, orange, rainbow, flourescent, tiny, large, puffer, flat, round, and all sorts of other fish. Many I had only ever seen in the zoo. The coral was amazing too. It looked so soft, but I accidently knocked my knee on a bit and I can tell you, not soft.

Live Okinawan music after dinner.

The next day we went out to Iriomote Island, "Japan's last frontier." The inside of the island is jungle. The only road goes around the edges. We took a boat up the river and hiked a bit through the jungle to some waterfalls. There were lots of lizards, including blue tailed ones.

Before we left we walked to the Moon Beach, and the Star Sand Beach. Star sand is sand that is in the shape of stars. In actuality, it is dead sea creatures of some sort.

On our way back we stopped at another little island, Taketomi, where there is a traditional Okinawan village. Dirt/sand roads, red tiled houses, coral rock walls surrounding the houses, water buffalo, goats. It seemed really calm and peaceful.

Ferry back to Naha, where we made a brief visit to "International Street" before taking full advantage of the luxuries of a very very nice hotel. One of which was the television showing AFN, American Forces Network. It was nice to see Dave Letterman. I have to say, however, that the commercials on the station make me scared to be an American. How would you like to have commercials on your TV saying how good the Apache Attack Helicopter is? "This helicopter was instrumental in killing a whole lot of people. It has lots of guns and we should be commemorating it's use." There was that kind of commercial, and then there were public service announcements that looked like they were filmed with my digital camera and edited in the 1980's. Yikes.

Our flight back to Osaka was on ANA, a flight that was only 1/4 full. My friend's non-Japanese speaking friend who came with us asked the flight attendent why ANA sends flights that are not in any way full. She couldn't tell him why they would be so wasteful.

It's nice to be back in Kyoto again, but at the same time, I would really like to go back to Okinawa soon. I could possibily even conceive of living there. The people are so much more relaxed than the rest of Japan. The Japanese need to learn to take things a little easier.

Okinawa

The First Few Days

Okinawa, the main island: Beaches. Blue water. Sweltering heat. Run-down campgrounds. Fireworks. Resorts. Okinawa soba. Champuru. Military bases. Beach hopping. Sugar cane fields. Peace monuments. Snake venom sake. Dripping cave. Shamisen music.

On My Way to the Beach

Me: If we see an American restaurant I wouldn't be opposed to stopping.
KT: Me neither.
Dave: If there's an A&W, I'm pulling over.

Two seconds later we were heading down a tiny sidestreet chasing signs to an A&W. 40 minutes, one burger with curly fries, and two root beer floats(free refills!) later, we were back on the road.
Two miles down the road there's another one. Oh, how America has taken over Okinawa.

The System is Pointless

If you are a Japanese student and your teacher assigns a paper as your final exam you must do these things.

1. Look up the course in the coursebook and see how long the paper should be and whether it should be written horizontally or vertically.
2. Write it.
3. Print it on B4 size paper, in two columns.
4. Fold the B4 size paper in half.
5. Attach the official bright orange cover sheet on which is written your name, class name, teacher's name, and paper title. Twice.
6. Stamp it with your hanko (name seal).
7. Turn it in between 1pm and 3pm on the designated day when everyone in the school is supposed to turn in their final papers.

Have you every heard of anything so ridiculous?

And what happens when I am asked by my professor to turn in a final paper, even though I don't get credit for it, and I will be in Okinawa on the "everyone hands in their paper" day? It was a question that had the Office running around like crazy trying to figure out.

Not Quite What I Was Looking For

I celebrated the finishing of one of my two final papers (in Japanese) by ordering tacos at this little Mexican-looking restaurant I found. I should have realized I wouldn't be getting what I craved when I read "Avacado and Smoked Salmon Taco" on the menu.

Where Does Everyone Go?

It's finals period, but:
the library closes the at same time as usual.
the study room closes earlier.
there are no students around past 8pm.
campus is locked up by 9pm.

I am not surprised that the Japanese education system is failing.

Frank Lives At My University

At 8:45pm the lights in all the buildings on campus start to go out one by one. The loudspeakers crackle, and soon the security men are locking up doors to the soft sounds of Frank Sinatra crooning "My Way."

Freedom Has Many Faces

Ever since I came to Japan the first time, I have been trying to fit in. Yes, I realize that it is difficult to lose a tall blond girl in a crowd, but I figured that if I tried hard enough I might just be able to pass as someone who lives here.

So, I got rid of the shorts. I made sure all the skirts I bought fell below my knees. Spaghetti straps were replaced by sleeveless or covered up by a another layer. My bowing became habitual, as did the automatic sumimasen that passed from my lips in accompaniment. Meeting the eyes of a stranger, let alone another foreigner, was a mistake I no longer made. If someone started speaking to me in English, I quickly responded in Japanese, just to let them know that I was not a tourist in this country.

All of this to try to fit in, to become one of the faceless mass of Japanese society.

I am done with that now.

I have lived here for almost two years put together and I have finally realized that no matter what, I am always going to stick out. The effort I put in to try to convince others who really do not care what I say is not worth it. This revelation came to me as the temperature shot up the other day and I realized that I was considering wearing pants in 90 degree weather. Pants! What was I thinking? Is trying to not offend the little old grandma on the bus worth the potential heat stroke that I could incur? No. It is not.

And so yesterday I wore shorts, above the knees.
And today I am wearing a skirt, above the knees.
And when I go to Okinawa next week, I will wear a bikini.

There are times to fit in, and there are times to not care. I think it is time for me to stop being angry when the woman at the bakery thinks I do not know Japanese because I am talking to my friend in English. It is time for me to pull that miniskirt* out of the wardrobe and ride my bike aimlessly down the right side of the street. Who cares? Not me.

*I do not actually own a miniskirt.

10 Things That Make Me Want To Live Here Forever

1. I don't ever have to walk more than seven minutes to find a convenience store. (condition - in the city)
2. Fireworks by the river are not illegal.
3. I can ride my bike anywhere.
4. Soy bean products!!
5. Rice products!!
6. The trains are on time. There are schedules.
7. Regardless of whether the customer is right or wrong, the clerk will apologize for a full five minutes.
8. More National Holidays than you could ever imagine.
9. 100 yen stores. 99 yen stores.
10. Speaking English is a highly valued skill.

10 Things That Annoy Me About Japan

1. No noise pollution laws mean trucks with blow horns can cruise my neighborhood at 7am every morning.
2. There are no garbage cans in public places.
3. The tables in cafeterias and classrooms have shelves underneath for your purses, etc. perfectly aligned to my knee level. I am never without bruises.
4. Closed stacks abound at libraries.
5. Smoking. Everywhere.
6. There are more places where you can't park your bike than places where you can.
7. Screaming junior high and high school girls.
8. It's 90 degrees and it's not okay to wear shorts and spaghetti strap shirts.
9. Extreme shortage of Mexican food.
10. The three foot tall grandmas who feel they are entitled to shove everyone out of the way to be the first person off the bus.

The Yukata Style

Back in the day, all the women in Japan wore kimono. The Western world brought Western clothes, and soon enough only the old women were wearing traditional Japanese clothing. A few years ago, yukata started to come back in style as "the thing to be wearing" at summer festivals and fireworks.

These days, you can walk into any UniQlo (Japan's Old Navy) and buy a yukata, complete with snap on obi, for a mere 3,000 yen (about $30). That is, you can do this if a) you are of Japanese size and height, and b) you don't care that you'll look like everyone else who bought a cheap yukata.

Since I fit into neither category a. nor b., I did the yukata style my own way: I made one. And of course, having spent a good amount of time making such a wonderful piece of clothing, I had to make sure I accessorized it correctly as well. I went all out. Here's what all the Japanese girls and I are wearing:

1. The Yukata: A summer kimono should have a summer pattern - flowers, fireworks, dragonflies. Mine is pink with white cherry blossoms.
2. Geta: Tradional style wooden flip flops. I had to buy the slightly more square-toed men's size because of my big feet.
3. Drawstring handbag: Again, flowers are good. It's better if it's not the same color as your yukata.
4. Floppy silk flower in your hair: Traditionally, there are decorated, dangly pins that one sticks in one's hair, but this year flowers are in.
5. Fan: Regardless of whether it's a folding fan or the one the man on the street is handing out, it should be stuck in your obi - big ones in the back, little ones in the front.

Wearing a yukata for the Gion Matsuri was a great experience. I learned to tie my own obi, and I was completely comfortable walking around in my geta. I didn't get as many stares as I expected, and I was glad about that too. Either the yukata made me blend in, or people in Kyoto are getting used to foreigners doing weird Japanese-like things. I went out two nights in a row, walking around with friends, looking at the floats, and eating festival food. I didn't go to the parade in the morning, and it's a good thing too. I watched a bit on TV, and the people lining the streets did not seem so comfortable packed in and sweating in 90 degree heat.

Anyway, the Gion Matsuri was fun. You can see some of my random pictures here. I tried to get some photos of cute little Japanese kids, because there is nothing cuter than a little kid in a yukata, but it was too dark. Oh well. Enjoy anyway.

Gion Matsuri

We made them. We wore them. Yay for yukata!

Evening Out

I'm sure that not all Japanese Fulbright Alumni are higher-ups in major companies in Japan, but there are quite a few. And one of them took us out to dinner last night.

Dinner on Pontocho at one of the restaurants overlooking the river is just one of those things you always think you would like to do, but could never afford. Sadly, the rain lessened our viewing pleasure, but the food was good and the alcohol flowed freely.

The night continued with karaoke at another sort of place I had always wanted to check out: a hostess bar. Now, these sort of places are most everywhere in Japan. The more numerous ones are really just small bars run by one or two women whose job it is to keep you well beveraged and thoroughly entertained. We were both. In addition, our English and Japanese singing skills were a hit with the few other guests (who took pictures with us to capture the moment).

Overall, I am glad I was able to experience the Japanese salaryman's evening out.

Update

June pictures are up here.

Done. Almost.

I would have thought that with four years of experience in college I would have been completely over that so-nervous-I-can't-eat feeling right before giving a presentation. I mean, how many times have I partially prepared the night before and crammed the morning of and come out just fine?

Today was different. Today I was giving my year's work of research presentation in Japanese to some grad students, my advisor, and the professor who could provide me with an in to Japanese graduate school.

Bad Points:
-I was only 75% done when I went to bed last night.
-I had had minimal sleep the entire weekend.
-I spoke nothing but English the entire weekend.
-I lost my copy card.
-I was three minutes late to class.
-My Japanese was so bad that even I couldn't understand what I was saying. So I started over.
-In my haste, I forgot to change my "so I know what I'm talking about" headers into something more professional.

Good Points:
-They didn't laugh.
-I used up an entire hour with the presentation, so I only had to answer questions for 30 minutes.
-My advisor said he was impressed that I talked for one whole hour.
-I'm done.

So I'm celebrating tonight with hours and hours of JJ100, All-You-Can-Play Game Center, for free!

We Are the Champions

The Champions of the 2005 Tajima Ultimate Tournament are the Kinki Trolls.
That would be my team. Yeah Kinki!

This weekend in the little mountain town of Tajima, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan the foreign ultimate players of Japan gathered for a tournament. The highlights:

1. There was no force middle to be seen anywhere.
2. Long hucks and tall guys who could catch.
3. American English, British English, Australian English. ENGLISH.
4. Barbeque with free flowing beer, and people who could drink a lot of it.
5. First game at 12 noon on Sunday.
6. Going 4-0. Winning the final 12-11.
7. Drinking sake from the trophy cup.
8. Team picture in a kinki pose.
9. Onsens.
10. Playing the best ultimate I have played (teams, spirit, competition) since I came to Japan.

Taking "Belated" to the Limit

I opened the mailbox today to find a package...from myself.

Three months ago I sent a birthday present to my friend, Jill, in Egypt. It came back to me today. It had been opened, searched, repacked, and tied with a string and this really cool lead button thing that looks like it was hand-made somewhere by an unstudious apprentice.

The contents were all present and accounted for, although the chocolate had melted and reformed into a state beyond edibility. It's a shame that I already told Jill what she was supposed to have gotten, but now, instead of a surprise about what she's getting, she'll be surprised that she's getting anything at all!

Thanks to the combined efforts of the Egyptian and Japanese Postal Systems, my friend will have a wonderful belated birthday present.

Under Attack

My floor looks like a miniature battle field; ant carcasses dot the tatami.
It seems that as the infintry invades the first floor, the air units have been sent to my room.
I am doing all in my power - bleach, vinegar, peppermint, boric acid, insecticide, cockroach spray - to hold them at bay, but their numbers are overpowering.

All I can think about as I go to bed is:
"It is estimated that the average person consumes a pound of insects in their lifetime."
And I sleep on the floor.

The Cost of Being Environmentally Friendly

One thing that usually impresses people when they come to Japan is how orderly and on time everything is. I, too, am a big fan of predictable train and bus arrivals. But lately, I am not too happy about the schedule of my recycle truck.

I was told the garbage truck comes every Tuesday and Friday at 9am. I can safely put my garbage out at 10am and it still gets picked up.

I was told that the recycle truck comes every Wednesday at 8:30am. Every Wednesday for the past three weeks I have tried to recycle unsuccessfully. I go at 8:30am, and the truck has gone. I go at 8:20am, and the truck has gone. I went this morning at 8:15am, and the woman across the street says, "It just left."

If I put the recyclables out the night before, the neighborhood ladies give me evil glares. If I try in the morning, I inevitably fail. I'll try one more time next week, but if that doesn't work, I'm going to start taking my bottles and cans one by one to the convenience store where they have recycling bins that say "Not for household recyclables" sitting right outside.

Is there a fourth of July in Japan?

Of course there is. But it isn't accompanied by barbeques, fireworks, beer, and red, white, and blue t-shirts. When I got an invitation to the American Consulate General's Fourth of July Celebration, I thought I might get lucky enough to see an American flag shirt or tie adorning a beer drinking ex-pat. I was mistaken.

In a casual skirt and sandals, I was the least dressed up among the suits, cocktail dresses, and kimonos passing from the seared katsuo steaks to the "Salads of the World." It was either the clothes, the name tag, or the way I bee-lined for the food that kept other guests away while I took full advantage of such a generous offering of delicacies. Whatever the case, I dined in true American style by stuffing myself silly.

Apparently, the national anthem was played before I showed up fashionably late, but I was just in time for a jazz set and a tsugaru shamisen highlight. There were really only two things at this party which I could absolutely say were American.

1. Cold bottles of Sam Adams. Sadly, too few for such a thirsty crowd, but much appreciated by those of us who got our hands on a few bottles.
2. Pecan Pie. Japanese in size, but American in taste.

Hooray for another year of Independence for US.
Hope we can learn to use it more wisely this year than we did last.

Don't Have the Skills

A couple weeks ago I said that the rainy season had started. I was wrong. The rainy season is now. So far we've had four days of pouring down rain. There are no smiling sun faces on the weather forecast.

I don't mind the rain. What I don't like is getting wet. And when you rely on your bicycle for transportation, you get a lot of wet. I don't know how they do it, but every Japanese person riding a bike holding an umbrella is miraculously dry. I can ride with an umbrella too, but the only part of me that stays dry is my head. I either need more practice or money for the bus.

Sayonara Tomodachi!

The last of my visitors left this morning. My house seems too quiet and extrememly bare now. I had a great time while everyone was here, though.

Anna and Jeff and Sarah reminded me of how much fun we had back in the good old KCJS days. A Bar, purikura, shabu-shabu, fireworks by the river, wandering Shijo Karasuma...crazy good times.

Jill and Erik taught me that walking is good. Yes, there are famous things in Japan, and yes it is nice to see them, but just wandering around the neighborhoods at a leisurely pace is often better than rushing to see golden temples and such. We also learned that the Japanese think that walking farther than ten minutes is too far for walking. I don't know how many times they said, "You can't walk there," and twenty minutes later, we had walked there.

Thank you all for coming and visiting me and making this month exciting and happy! I will visit you all in the fall, I promise!!!