navigating nihon
| Navigating Nihon #2 - 4 Seconds, 4 Dollars and 4 Inches!
|
8.20.2002 |
This past week Mikame had its annual Sea Festival complete with many entertaining events to keep the locals amused for an entire year ?Euntil SeaFest2003! With much help from Toshie (if I haven`t mentioned her yet ?Eshe is absolutely wonderful! She helps me with everything even though it is not her job at all!) I was able to send a fax to the surrounding work place of nearby JETs inviting them to the festival. This method proved quite successful as 15+ foreigners bombarded Mikame to take part in the festivities?EI also think that many of them were desperately missing English conversation ?Eas apposed to broken, dictionary based Japanese! ;)
There were a number of events planned for the day, including human curling which involves pushing one person down a ramp into the sea (infested with jellyfish none the less). The team which gets closest to the end of the ramp without going off wins ?Efirst place (between 3 team members) was about 1100$ CDN. As you might have guesses, yours truly was nominated to be in the bucket ?Ebecause �I have a change of clothes at my apartment!?ENot only did my teammates push me down the ramp and into the water but they laughed the entire time! Oh, well. It was a good laugh for all of my students! Needless to say, we did not win that event.
One event that none of use competed in was the fish catch. This involved scooping up dinner from a large wading pool that had been stocked with fish caught in Mikame Bay. It was very funny to watch the children catch the flatfish ?Ethough at the same time I don`t know how humane it was. Following the children`s round, there was one for the adults. Let me tell you, the women went mad once they were told how much these fish were worth and that they were for free! Everyone in Mikame must have been eating fish for days!
Throughout the entire festival there was tonnes of free stuff! There was free curry and rice for lunch, free catch your own dinner?Eand at midday they also threw tonnes of candies and goodies for the kids to catch and fight over! I must say that I am quite surprised ?Egiven that Mikame is a seasonal village that depends on fish and mikan (mandarins) for most of it`s income. I had been told that the town was quite poor but I am unsure as to what standards this statement was made. If the festival was any indication I might choose not to agree.
This all aside, the main attraction and claim to fame of the Mikame Sea Festival is the annual pig rodeo! Yes, you did hear me right ?Eone must mount a pig, hold on for dear life and hope for the best! After getting suited up in riot gear (knee, elbow pads and a helmet) I was ready to go. I had been paying attention to the answers that each of the previous riders had been giving the announcer. From what I gathered, they were all saying place names so I decucted that she must have been asking where they were from. When the time came and she asked me my last question before I rode the pig, I answered with much confidence Canada!?EThe entire crowd erupted into laughter ?Eshe had changed the question to `Is this your first time riding a pig??E?ETo which I replied Canada!?EHaahaaaa Stupid Gaijin!
After that wonderful response, I got down into the gate and hung on for dear life ?Eunfortunately, it only lasted four short seconds! No long enough to even get an honourable mention! I am happy to report that neither myself nor the pig seemed worse for wear. Sarah May, an American from Yawatahama (the next town just north of me) won the woman`s event and took home a pig trophy, a t-shirt, a case of beer and 800$ Lucky her! I`m glad that she won because just a week earlier her and her boyfriend had to fork out 900$US for an air conditioner, so at least they made some of it back.
The following few days both Sarah and I were on local TV ?Ewhich everyone saw! It was very amusing. Even though I didn`t win, I was on TV because I was the hometown girl!
On a completely different note, I have been forced to come to terms with the outrageous price of fruit in this country. I assume that most of the price comes from the very energy intensive shipping and cooling. Nevertheless, I have yet to come across a bad or bruised piece of fruit ?Eeven though an apple does on average cost 4$ CDN! This morning I had one of the best peaches that I have ever eaten ?Ein Mikame of all places, proving this theory correct!
I am also happy to report that the dinosaurs are NOT extinct as I was awoken by one of them at 4 am this morning! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I had been warned a few days ago about monster centipedes that are poisonous! Man alive do they ever hurt when they bite! I was bitten by this huge 4 inch long centipede ( I might even be underestimating the size?E)! By the time that I woke up I realized what had happened and I started looking for the damn thing. I am usually OK around bugs but this thing was like nothing I had ever seen! I finally found the thing, sprayed it was tonnes of bug juice and squashed it with a towel. Yucky yucky yucky! That towel is going straight to the garbage can?E..I am happy to report that even though I am a little sore and bitter about the experience I don`t think I am allergic to their bites. Regardless, I think when I get paid next week I am going to go and invest in a bed to get up off the floor. I wanted to sleep on a futon while here in Japan ?EI have quite enjoyed it but the idea of being woken up again by a bug that should be classified as an animal based on sheer size does not appeal to me in the least. I`ll have to let you know how the bed shopping goes?E.. Mom was unfortunate enough to call me this morning directly following the incident ?EI don`t think I was much fun to talk to?E
Last night I returned from the prefectural orientation for first year JETs. It was a great chance to catch up with the surrounding JETs and the ones that are further away! There are two Canadians who live quite away from here in Japan me but actually departed from Ottawa ?EPaula and Richard. I hope that I can get to know them better. While at orientation we attended more seminars about team teaching and ideas for games and lesson topics, it was quite useful. During the evening of day one (2 day orientation) we all went out to an all you can drink/eat beer garden! It was a fun time ?Ethough I don`t think a single one of us was sober for an extended period of time. It was a good chance to socialize and go out dancing ?Ewhich will not be happening any time soon in Mikame. Karaoke maybe, but dancing I don`t think so.
This afternoon I will be heading to Uwa, a neighbouring town about 30 min away with my coworkers for an inter-town volleyball and softball tournament! I can`t wait, it should be a lot of fun! There should be about 400 participants from what I know and there is a party afterwards!
Hope that everyone at home is doing well!
Much love,
Emma
emma found her way @ 6:43 p.m.
There were a number of events planned for the day, including human curling which involves pushing one person down a ramp into the sea (infested with jellyfish none the less). The team which gets closest to the end of the ramp without going off wins ?Efirst place (between 3 team members) was about 1100$ CDN. As you might have guesses, yours truly was nominated to be in the bucket ?Ebecause �I have a change of clothes at my apartment!?ENot only did my teammates push me down the ramp and into the water but they laughed the entire time! Oh, well. It was a good laugh for all of my students! Needless to say, we did not win that event.
One event that none of use competed in was the fish catch. This involved scooping up dinner from a large wading pool that had been stocked with fish caught in Mikame Bay. It was very funny to watch the children catch the flatfish ?Ethough at the same time I don`t know how humane it was. Following the children`s round, there was one for the adults. Let me tell you, the women went mad once they were told how much these fish were worth and that they were for free! Everyone in Mikame must have been eating fish for days!
Throughout the entire festival there was tonnes of free stuff! There was free curry and rice for lunch, free catch your own dinner?Eand at midday they also threw tonnes of candies and goodies for the kids to catch and fight over! I must say that I am quite surprised ?Egiven that Mikame is a seasonal village that depends on fish and mikan (mandarins) for most of it`s income. I had been told that the town was quite poor but I am unsure as to what standards this statement was made. If the festival was any indication I might choose not to agree.
This all aside, the main attraction and claim to fame of the Mikame Sea Festival is the annual pig rodeo! Yes, you did hear me right ?Eone must mount a pig, hold on for dear life and hope for the best! After getting suited up in riot gear (knee, elbow pads and a helmet) I was ready to go. I had been paying attention to the answers that each of the previous riders had been giving the announcer. From what I gathered, they were all saying place names so I decucted that she must have been asking where they were from. When the time came and she asked me my last question before I rode the pig, I answered with much confidence Canada!?EThe entire crowd erupted into laughter ?Eshe had changed the question to `Is this your first time riding a pig??E?ETo which I replied Canada!?EHaahaaaa Stupid Gaijin!
After that wonderful response, I got down into the gate and hung on for dear life ?Eunfortunately, it only lasted four short seconds! No long enough to even get an honourable mention! I am happy to report that neither myself nor the pig seemed worse for wear. Sarah May, an American from Yawatahama (the next town just north of me) won the woman`s event and took home a pig trophy, a t-shirt, a case of beer and 800$ Lucky her! I`m glad that she won because just a week earlier her and her boyfriend had to fork out 900$US for an air conditioner, so at least they made some of it back.
The following few days both Sarah and I were on local TV ?Ewhich everyone saw! It was very amusing. Even though I didn`t win, I was on TV because I was the hometown girl!
On a completely different note, I have been forced to come to terms with the outrageous price of fruit in this country. I assume that most of the price comes from the very energy intensive shipping and cooling. Nevertheless, I have yet to come across a bad or bruised piece of fruit ?Eeven though an apple does on average cost 4$ CDN! This morning I had one of the best peaches that I have ever eaten ?Ein Mikame of all places, proving this theory correct!
I am also happy to report that the dinosaurs are NOT extinct as I was awoken by one of them at 4 am this morning! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I had been warned a few days ago about monster centipedes that are poisonous! Man alive do they ever hurt when they bite! I was bitten by this huge 4 inch long centipede ( I might even be underestimating the size?E)! By the time that I woke up I realized what had happened and I started looking for the damn thing. I am usually OK around bugs but this thing was like nothing I had ever seen! I finally found the thing, sprayed it was tonnes of bug juice and squashed it with a towel. Yucky yucky yucky! That towel is going straight to the garbage can?E..I am happy to report that even though I am a little sore and bitter about the experience I don`t think I am allergic to their bites. Regardless, I think when I get paid next week I am going to go and invest in a bed to get up off the floor. I wanted to sleep on a futon while here in Japan ?EI have quite enjoyed it but the idea of being woken up again by a bug that should be classified as an animal based on sheer size does not appeal to me in the least. I`ll have to let you know how the bed shopping goes?E.. Mom was unfortunate enough to call me this morning directly following the incident ?EI don`t think I was much fun to talk to?E
Last night I returned from the prefectural orientation for first year JETs. It was a great chance to catch up with the surrounding JETs and the ones that are further away! There are two Canadians who live quite away from here in Japan me but actually departed from Ottawa ?EPaula and Richard. I hope that I can get to know them better. While at orientation we attended more seminars about team teaching and ideas for games and lesson topics, it was quite useful. During the evening of day one (2 day orientation) we all went out to an all you can drink/eat beer garden! It was a fun time ?Ethough I don`t think a single one of us was sober for an extended period of time. It was a good chance to socialize and go out dancing ?Ewhich will not be happening any time soon in Mikame. Karaoke maybe, but dancing I don`t think so.
This afternoon I will be heading to Uwa, a neighbouring town about 30 min away with my coworkers for an inter-town volleyball and softball tournament! I can`t wait, it should be a lot of fun! There should be about 400 participants from what I know and there is a party afterwards!
Hope that everyone at home is doing well!
Much love,
Emma
emma found her way @ 6:43 p.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment