JHS Culture Festival and Hockey Tournament in Okayama

The past weekend was busy, as I had a Culture festival at my Junior High School and a Hockey Tournament in Okayama. On Saturday, I went to school and spent the day watching my kids Bunkasai (Culture festival). Most culture festivals are pretty similar, as they always have a signing competition. The kids have been practicing pretty hard the past month, as I always hear them singing after school. (Picture below: My second year students)

In each of the three grades there are 3 classes that took turns singing two songs. One of the songs in each grade was the same and the other was a choice made by the specific class. The first and second years sang pretty well, but as expected the girls gave it their all and the boys were much quieter.

The third years though were amazing. They sang their hearts out and some of the boys from grade 3-1 even broke down after they finished their song because they knew that had nailed it. I really love my third years as they are always energetic, polite and just a lot of fun to teach and be around. The grade 3-1 class won the overall singing completion and they really deserved the top prize. I was also one of the 15 or so judges and luckily, every class I picked won. There was an additional prize for each grade on top of the overall champion class. (Picture below: My first year student doing his english speech performance)

The rest of the Culture festival had a debate and even an English speech contest by a student in each of the three grades. I have been helping the grade 1 and 3 student a lot, since their will be a city wide speech contest next month. Both students are doing pretty well and I’m hoping one of my kids wins, which might be a bit easier because I am one of the three judges for the speech contest. Not that I would be bias or anything....(Picture below: Tanto-Ex peforming)

The kids then had a few more speeches and a performance by the Brass band club, who manages to consistently finish top 1 or 2 in the prefecture. There was also a performance by the schools hip hop dance group Tanto-Ex, which was also very interesting. The grade 3’s put on a Japanese comedy skit were they dressed up and did a couple of routines making fun of teachers. There were pretty funny and the trio are three of my favorite students, which made watching their performance very enjoyable.

On Sunday, I woke up around 5 and took the first train out to the most Western part of the prefecture and got picked up by my hockey team. We drove for about an hour and reached Okayama- the prefecture beside Hiroshima. (Picture below: The Hiroshima Beer Lovers in Pink-Left to right from the back row: Hiki, Nakashima, Me, Misan, Yoshi, Midori, Satou and Tawara )

We went to this sweet sports complex that had not only a hockey rink but a massive skate park, indoor baseball stadium and climbing walls. During game breaks we would watch these little kids do some pretty sweet tricks on their skateboards and Rollerblades. The complex was amazing I really wished that had something like this back home.

Our team won the tournament and to be fair, the other teams really weren’t at our level and every game was a bit of a romp. Nevertheless, it was a blast getting back out there, even though I was super rusty from not playing the past few months. I also got new skates which made things even worse as I hadn’t broken them in yet. (Picture below: My team trying the skate ramps, I fell on my ass!)

The game was also the first time the Hiroshima team unveiled their new Jerseys, with the primary color being pink. I had ordered the Jersey without knowing the price or color and when I found out it would cost me 170 bucks for the Jersey, I was a bit shocked but still level headed as I heard the Jersey is custom made and really nice. But when I saw it was pink, I can honestly say I was crushed. If only it was blue, it would be so much cooler. It even has my name written in Japanese on the back and a pretty nice logo on the front, but how do they expect me to ever wear this back home. The pain of a pink jersey still stings as I write this.

Well next weekend we are having a Halloween party and I should be keeping busy with school and a few events here and there. In November there are 2 holidays, so trying to plan a few trips since I can rent a car now. I’m not really looking forward to the cold winter as I know it is going to be freezing indoors soon. Going to try and enjoy the last few weeks of semi-warmness.

Japanese Factoid#35- The Japanese art of bowing is a custom that most foreigners know about and even get accustom to if they work and live here for an extended period of time. It’s not just bowing, but also the degrees of bowing that depends on the status of the person you are bowing to and the situation. Also, as a teacher you never bow to your students, since they are lower then you so you often just give them a head nod.

When I first came last year, I thought bowing was one of the hardest things to get use to and to do right. Now bowing has become second nature to me and I can pretty much nail the proper degree and when I am suppose to do it. The biggest indicator of how comfortable I am with bowing is when I'm on the phone. When I am talking to a superior, I even unconsciously bow without noticing…scary. I’m not sure how often I do it, but bowing happens daily and even before and after hockey games, when you bow to the referee, players and the crowd.

A weekend in Okinawa

I just got back from Okinawa with Asuka yesterday. We left Saturday morning and got back late last night for a pretty fun filled 3 day trip.Okinawa is about a one and a half hour plane ride from Hiroshima and it was still pretty warm in mid-October. It was nice getting back out the shorts and walking around in T-shirts again, as Hiroshima has gotten colder the past few weeks.

On Saturday, we rented a car (with my new license) and drove around the main island of Okinawa. The car rental was really cheap at abour 35 dollars for the day.

We first went to the Himeyuri monument, which was a monument erected in remembrance of 219 female high school students and teachers who supported the Japanese Army as nurses, but were killed during the Battle of Okinawa. It also had a museum that chronicled the history of the Okinawa Women’s Normal School and the First Prefectural Girls High School and various personal stories of the students. After the monument, we had lunch at a traditional Okinawan house and some of the local cusine that Okinawa is known for. Very simliar to a lot of Chinese food, so it was nothing overly surprising. (Picture Below: Inside the converted resturant which use to be a private house)

After visiting the monument we drove to the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum which had a very detailed museum chronicling the conflict and a large park full of various memorials for both the American and Japanese soldiers and civilians who perished. I looked at the American casualties and was surprised to find a solider who died with the last name Wong.

It was quite horrific what occurred on Okinawa, especially to the civilians as 1 in 4 Okinawan’s died during the battle of Okinawa. Personally, I find it hard to visit some of the memorial parks in Japan, as there is always a degree of propaganda and some mix feelings over what occurred during the war. But, nevertheless, the people there suffered greatly and it’s good that there is a place for people to remember them.

After the memorials, we drove back to Naha city, the capital of Okinawa and dropped of our rental car and checked into our hotel. Our hotel was really affordable and and nice. Part of the reason, could be that it was located in a shadier part of the town; but the lobby and the rooms were all really pretty. For dinner, I sort of had another birthday dinner at a popular Maui Steakhouse. Maui Steakhouse

The restaurant was a tad pricey, but the atmosphere and the food was excellent. I ordered a steak and they cook everything right in front of you on a hot plate built into the table. The steak just melted in my mouth, Asuka had lobster which was just just as good. The chef cooks all your food in front of you and even has flair doing it, as they juggle and prepare your food with some showmanship. Overall, it was just a great meal.

The next day Asuka and I got up earlier and went to a beach with a diving and snorkelling company. We had intended to go snorkelling on an uninhabited island , but the winds were to strong, so we ended going to a beach on the southern tip of the island. We wore wetsuits and hit the water for a good 4 to 5 hours snorkelling and swimming with the fishes.It was a blast and some of the most fun I’ve had. I was also able to utilize the snazzy underwater camera I got a few months back and took some great pictures underwater of us feeding the fishes. It was really cool seeing the schools of fishes swim at you and having the fish so close to you. Some of the fish give you a little nip on your finger and it can actually hurts a bit too. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone.

At night we walked around International Street, the main area of Naha and visited a lot of t-shirt shops and tourist shops. It’s a real fun place with a food market and even a place where you can pick any kind of fish you want and have them cook it upstairs at one of the restaurants. I also managed to pick up two t-shirts and Asuka got a cool hat and some earrings.

The next day we visited the Shuri castle, the main residence of the former “Ryukuian” or Okinawan kings. The castle, as with much of Okinawa is rebuilt as the War pretty much destroyed everything on the island. The castle grounds is huge and had lots of gates and various other artefacts from the Okinawan kingdom. The castle looked really nice, as it had just been recently rebuilt. Okinawa is a really interesting place because of its history. The people don’t really look Japanese because they really aren’t, as Okinawa use to be its own nation called the Ryukyu kingdom until it was invaded by Japan. The people are a mix of Chinese, Japanese and Mulay. When you go to Okinawa you really feel the uniqueness of the people and the different customs and traditions they have. It was a real good trip and it was a lot of fun.

Japanese factoid #34 – Okinawa is famous for a few things, for one it was where Karate is thought to have originated. Okinawa is also famous for its own version of “Shochu” called Awamori, which is distilled from rice and not brewed like other forms of Shochu. But one really cool beverage we saw and purchased was Habu Sake. Habu is the name for the 4 species of venomous snakes found in Okinawa. The alcoholic drink contains Habu venom and some bottles even has a dead snake inside.

Another Birthday and Hockey at Elementary School

I just want to make a quick post on the past week before I head to Okinawa. On Tuesday I spent the day running around getting documents translated and then applied and received my Japanese driver’s license. It wasn’t too painful of a process though it did end up taking the whole day to complete. The driver’s license center is located in the mountains in Hiroshima, but they staff were really helpful and after a few hours-I walked out being able to drive legally in Japan. Canadians and the U.K are lucky in that we only need to transfer our license, but Americans need to actually take the driver’s license exam, sucks to be American.

On Wednesday I visited my elementary school, Noro-Nakagiri and had my first hockey lesson with the elementary school kids. There were all amazed by the amount of hockey sticks I had brought and I think they really enjoyed playing the game. (Picture below: My grade 3/4 students holding my Naslund Jersey) The first and second graders played like headless chickens, but the older grades had a bit more teamwork and managed to score a few nice goals. I showed them all my hockey equipment first then let them duke it out on the gym floor. Thanks once again to everyone that pitched in a few dollars for me to buy the sticks and bring them over. The kids had a great time and I look forward to playing with a few more of my other schools. (Picture below: Kana Handing my my Birthday Cake)

The past week was also when I managed to hit the ripe age of 24. Wow, after 22 you really start feeling old as the years add up. Well I was lucky enough to not have one, but three birthday parties. I had the dinner on Saturday with about ten JETs, then on the actually day of my birthday, I met a few JETs at the local Chinese restaurant for dinner. Masato, Vicki, Krissy and Jacki were nice enough to treat me for dinner and Vicki, even got me a cool t-shirt and a naked anime figure. (Picture below: Kana with Chucky!)

Then on Friday, I milked it for another birthday since I was born in Canada, my actually birthday wasn’t till Friday. So went to the local bar all the JETs hang out and had a few drinks. The bar is called Memories, and besides being the coolest bar in Kure, it is also the smallest. I can’t really describe it but lets say its approximately 15ft by 30ft. (Picture below: My trying to eat the wax Happy Birthday Brandon vake decoration ) What’s cool about it is that it has free karaoke and also the cheapest and largest beers in the world. The owner and workes are really friendly and nice. They even ordered me a birthday cake and sang me a song, so it really felt like a birthday. (Picture below: Tea master from Mitsuguchi)

Japanese factoid # 33- At Noro-nakagiri elementary school, we had a “Cha-do” or Japanese tea ceremony demonstration for the 3^rd to 6^th graders. They school was nice enough to let me participate. Tea ceremony in Japan is traditionally considered a highly skilled artform and every process of the tea ceremony has precise steps and movements. We had a really nice “oba-san” or old lady come into the school and showed us the proper way to preform tea ceremony. It started with precise movements walking it to the room, reading a scroll and observing “ikebana” or flower arrangement to help properly appreciate the tea. We then enjoyed some sweets and made our own tea by whisking it with a special type of brush and then drinking the tea by picking, holding and turning the bowl in a set pattern. Even getting up had precise steps (left foot over the right). It was quite enjoyable as this was the first time I was able to participate in it after briefly studying tea ceremony in University. The tea is bitter, but also quite good.

A weekend of Festivals in Takehara, Yasuura and Kure

I just had a long weekend and had a good time attending a few festivals and dinners with friends. On Friday, Jeffery made his way up from Oita and we met up with a Rob, Vicki, Beth and Krissy. We went to a local Izakaya (bar and grill) for dinner then proceeded to a pretty cool whisky bar and then to our favorite bar in kure, Memories. We had a really good night, probably too good of a night as we stumbled back home around six in the morning when it was just getting light out. (Picture below: Temple at Takehara during the full moon)

The next day, we met up with a bunch of JETs for a birthday dinner, since I will be turning 24 this week. We went to this restaurant in Kazehaya, one stop away from Yassuura and had a great dinner at this restaurant overlooking the water. I went their with all teachers once and the food was great, so I’ve been meaning to come back. Once again the food was great and on that Saturday, it was also the night when the moon is closest to the earth, so we had a bright view of the moon during dinner.(Picture below: Jason, Jeffery and Me)

After dinner, we went to Takehara and saw the lantern festival there. I must say it was one of the best festivals I have been to in Japan, as it wasn’t crowded and didn’t have the typical food stands that most festivals have. Instead, since it is located in an old historical district, it had a lot of local mom and pop shops selling homemade foods. The whole district was lit up with bamboo lanterns and various light displays with candles, as Takehara is famous for bamboo. With the moon on the backdrop, it made walking around and seeing the different light arrangements fantastic.

We stayed for a good 2 hours and it was a really enjoyable festival. The city even hired performers to walking along the streets wearing kimonos and playing traditional Japanese instruments, like the shamisen and the koto. (Picture below: A bunch of my 1st to 3rd graders)

The next day, Jeffery and I went to Yasuura, the town I teach in and caught the local festival at one of my elementary schools. Yasuura town is split into 5 districts and I went to the Mitsuguchi district which is right by the water and only spanning a few blocks. It was fun seeing all my students dress up, including the whole elementary school and some of my junior high students. This long weekend is when all the autumn festivals take place and the this one consisted of a shrine that is suppose to resemble a boat being carried or pushed along the streets. Inside the boat were 4 of my elementary students chanting and playing the drums during the festival. There was a bigger “mikoshi” or shrine being pushed by the adults and a smaller one for the junior high and elementary students. The path to the shrine where they were too end up, took them through a number of narrow streets.
mitsuguchi fight
At certain times the boat would be rushed by the men dress in blue who were trying to push the “boat” back. The men in blue, represents the dangers in the sea, who rush the shrine carriers and the defenders end up beating the crap out of each other.The whole festival is suppose to represent the difficulties in the sea. It was a great festival and it was really fun to attend and to see a lot of my students outside of class. (Picture below: Vicki and Jackie carrying the Shrine after 4 hours)

After the festival in Mitsuguchi, we made our way to Kure and got a few of the female Kure JETs participated in one of the biggest festival of the year in Kure. The girls, Vicki, Krissy and Jacki where all dolled up in shorts and makeup and had to carry a shrine for about 6 hours all along the main streets of Kure. It was fun watching, knowing that I wasn’t performing it and seeing them heave the shrine up and down. I walked with them for a bit of the festival and I must commend them for all their hard work. (Picture below: Krissy, Vicki and Jacki looking great!)

The coolest part of the festival was seeing about a dozen “oni” or demons leading the processing of the shrine. When we hit the main street, the girls got to have a rest while the guys, being wrapped in these huge ropes and wearing yellow kimonos and a demon mask proceeded to run around in a set route then beat each other bamboo sticks. All in all, it was a really cool festival and a great weekend. I was pretty beat by the end of it, being out all 3 days, but I was glad to have caught all the festivals and had great weekend with friends.

Japanese factoid#32- The demons at the festival would not only wear their masks of varying different designs, their goal was also to scare the living crap out of little babies. Yes, parents would hand their babies to the people dressed up as demons and if they baby cried, it is considered good luck. So throughout the festival, tons of babies were given to these demons for taking pictures and to make them cry. I would be pretty freaked out too, if I guy holding a big bamboo stick and a crazy mask was staring at me when I’m a few months old.