Konnichiwa!


I must apologize for being out of touch for so long! It�s been a busy summer and now that the school year has started again I don�t have much spare time. But, better busy than bored I say!



So I�ve been here in Japan for over a year now and though things are becoming all too familiar (I no longer do double takes when I see people pointing to their nose to indicate �me� rather than their chest), I am still left amazed at the end of every day. Last week in class one of my teachers asked me what was most different between Japan and Canada�..I drew a complete blank. Ahhhh, the assimilation has begun! This has been made all the more obvious with the arrival of the new JETs. Last year, a few positions were left unfilled for various reasons and now there are SO many of us in the area. How quickly I have forgotten what it is like to arrive and not understand a thing. It is funny to see the new JETs become frustrated when they can�t get money out of the ATM after 7pm - - what�s so strange about that? They also don�t understand why they have to pour beer for everyone or change shoes to go into the washroom. Poor things! I am beginning to fear that I am adapting all to well - - when in Vietnam with Victoria I was bowing when someone let me off the bus � *I think I�m turning Japanese, I think I�m�..* (as the song goes..) That is not to say that I understand everything but rather I adore the quirks of Japan rather than to question why it�s not like home.



That being said, watching this years� sports festival was a lot of fun, especially now that I know the students. At Junior HS I was on the Ryujin team � or the Dragon God Team. I had been told that the Ryujin team had been unbeaten for a number of years�..I guess it couldn�t last forever. We came third of three! The day consisted of a number of games and competitions between the three teams as well as a choreographed dance. I got to participate in a relay race, a folk dance (??) and the PTA race � which involved too much spinning around on the end of a bat and trying to run in a straight line.



The Elementary school sports days took place a few weekends ago � all on the same day! I tried my best to get to all of my five schools but only managed to get to four of them. The games played at elementary are much more silly � including one where a pair of students must launch a ball off a teeter-totter and catch it in a bucket � called the �Naisu Kaachu� � ie. Nice Catch Race! (see pic below). At several of the schools they had me participate in the tug-of-war��don�t think I was much of an asset, as every team I was on lost�J But the highlight of them all was Shimodomari Elementary school. It is the second smallest school I teach at � only 22 students � and they always have something special planned when I arrive. Sports day was no exception. I arrived just in time to see the PTA skit � they took the mickey out of a Chinese Circus. Complete with plates spinning on polls � ok, not really � they just used paper plates that blew away in the wind! It was hilarious to watch! (see pic). The principle also asked me to participate in the PTA relay race and I eagerly agreed without knowing what I was getting myself into! The race involved running around a track, washing your face with water, plunging head first into a bowl full of manju (rice paste goo) and flour after which one had to chug either a beer or a bottle of coke! I also should mention that the JHS students return to their elementary sports days to help out. Man, was I regretting making the 3rd year JHS students stand of their chairs and sing Mary Had a Little Lamb on Friday afternoon�� Lets just say that when I got to the manju and flour table I had more than a little help from my students�I have been sneezing flour for days, not a pleasant experience!



Victoria came to visit Japan at the start of August, enroute to her new positing in KL, Malaysia. This was Victoria�s second trip to Japan so she had some idea about what to expect. However, this was her first time to experience rural Japan, which is dramatically different to the busy streets and flashing lights of the big city. I was able to scam a few extra days off work to show Victoria around the area. I don�t even know where to start; we crammed so many things into such a short period of time! We visited a couple of onsens (Japanese hot springs) and I had to pry Victoria out of them, I think she�s developed an unhealthy addiction! We also went to a number of festivals! It seemed as though every town in the area had a festival on that week. I even managed to take her out for an evening of Karaoke � with much less hesitation that I had anticipated!!!



We took a weekend trip to visit Hiroshima and the war museum, which as always is depressing. So to lighten the mood we headed out to Miyajima, a small Shinto island about 45min out of the city. We also decided to splurge and stay in a gorgeous ryokan (Traditional Japanese Inn) for a night. It was beautiful! From the moment you arrive you are treated with supreme hospitality in a way the Japanese only know. There were only 10 rooms and I saw at least 30 staff! The entrance to our room was beautiful, complete with a Japanese paper umbrella, ikebana arrangement as well as a water garden! Ahhhh, it�s a hard life! Following a snack of perhaps the best ice cream I have ever had, we were told that the private bath had been reserved for us! Usually, everyone uses the public onsen but since it was slightly crowded (but really, how full can it get with only 10 rooms!) we were shown to the private bath. It consisted of a mini apartment, which screamed the words �RELAXXX� as you enter! There was an outdoor bath and lounge area as well as an upstairs with a beautiful view, cold drinks and a variety of whisky (a favourite of the Japanese). So after a soak and a relaxing cup of tea we headed back to our room in our Yukatas to wait for dinner! The meal was wonderful and went on for about 10 courses � though they are all quite small. Of the entire meal, the sushi needs to be mentioned. It was served on a very narrow and long platter complete with flower blossoms and orange twirls � it was so beautiful neither of us wanted to eat it! After dinner was cleared away, I escaped to one of the outdoor rooms � aimed again at nothing but relaxation! Tucked away in the garden were two of these rooms, each differently furnished and complete with a stereo and subdued lighting. I opted to stay out for a bit and read while Victoria was so exhausted from such a *taxing* day that she went to bed quite early. I think it is fair to say that after all the work she had to do to get from Canada to Japan enroute for Malaysia, she deserved it! I can�t say that I have EVER had a better sleep in my entire life � it was marvelous! We were woken up around 7.30 and told that the onsen was again ready for us and after we returned, our futons had been put away and breakfast we being served. Our ryokan experience ended with coffee in the lounge, before we were dropped off at the train station to make our journey home - ahhhhhh, it was great!



The next Wednesday was the famous Mikame Pig Rodeo � not to be missed! Unfortunately, the weather was less than ideal, getting worse as the day wore on � but at least the rain cooled things off! Dave, Phil and I competed in the human curling which involved putting one member in a large bucket and trying to get them as close to the end of a set of rollers (Like the ones at the grocery store) without putting them in the water. First place was about 500 CDN$ but neither Phil or I were feeling particularly skint so we gave Dave a bit of a saltwater bath! Our antics landed us on that nights� local news, though I didn�t get to see it! Luckily the rain held off in the evening and we were able to watch the fireworks, which where beautiful - - still not sure where Mikame gets the budget for these things!!!



The next day we were off early to catch a flight to Tokyo, unfortunately the rainy weather followed us there! We visited the National Museum of Modern Art as well as a local folk art museum. Both quite interesting. On the Friday we spent the day looking around the fabulous boutiques and shops of the Ginza before catching an evening flight to Hanoi.



Ahhh Vietnam *sigh*, what a wonderful country! We spent the first 4 days of our trip in Hanoi, the old colonial capital city. The buildings and architecture are unlike anything I have ever seen. I�m kicking myself now for not taking more pictures. The homes were tall and narrow � only about 10m wide at the most � and quite deep. There couldn�t have been more than one or two rooms on each floor. There were painted a wonderful variety of colours, from pastels to bright blue, green, yellow and red. The only words to describe the traffic are: complete and utter chaos! A mix of bikes, scooters, motorcycles, cars and motorized rickshaws � with the odd ox and cart thrown in for good measure � which zigzag in every which directions. Without a crosswalk in sight (but hey, who really uses them anyways), it was like running the gauntlet, to escape without injury was a miracle! Though I must say, there is something oddly comforting about such reckless abandon�.people are so happy and off to meet friends, or have dinner. Everyone has somewhere they have to be or something they have to do, always on the go. The energy in the air is contagious and intoxicating, I couldn�t get enough! During those four days we took in many sights of Hanoi, including the country�s oldest university, the National Museum of Ethnology and Culture (very interesting and highly recommended), Ho Chi Minh�s Mausoleum (though unfortunately it was not open for viewing) and many shopping streets and outdoor markets. The city itself was much flatter than I ever expected, with the tallest buildings being only about 10 stories, though the majority 3 or 4. The streets criss-cross around the city and not a single one is at right angle � atleast that�s what I told myself, a trained geographer, after getting lost *ahem* numerous times�.. In the centre of the Old Quarter (downtown) is Lake Hoan Kiem - or Lake of the Restored Sword. The name is from an ancient story about a turtle who stole a sword that was used to drive out the Chinese. Thus returning it to it's devine creators. The LP jokes that large turtles are released into the lake periodically to keep this tail alive, for anyone who if fortunate enough to see such a turtle with have good luck and happiness.



Next on the agenda was a trip to Halong Bay, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Comparable to Guilin in Southern China, Halong Bay is along the coast, about 3 hrs drive from Hanoi. We arranged to spend a night out on a Junk that toured around the area, stopping to visit a cave and swim. The karst topography was beautiful and it was great to be out on the water, though I was not all that thrilled with the diesel our boat was consuming. This, combined with dinner scraps and garbage from other tourboats did not make for the best experience. �Eco-tourism� is a relative term, let alone the sustainable, non-intrusive type. Since the area is a World Heritage site there are a number of environmental regulations that must be observed and we did see some people collecting trash in the more popular areas. This was encouraging�. Though, it would be much easier if the trash wasn�t there to begin with. The capitalist spirit is alive and well and the boats with the lowest cost fill up first, leaving environmental concerns low on the list of priorities. Tourism is perhaps one of the quickest growing industries in Vietnam and until visitors pay a fair amount and the standard of living increases, I'm afraid the environment will continue to suffer. And that class, concludes our lecture for today! (I sound like a geographer or something�..)



The rant aside, the scenery was beautiful and the group on our boat were particularly nice. There were people from Australia, Holland, Denmark and France. Perhaps on of the most memorable parts of the boat trip happened when we stopped to visit a cave. Our Junk pulled in to let us off, but unknown to the �captain� the water level was low and the boat was scratching the bottom�.so he quickly pulled back into deeper water, leaving 3 people still onboard. A small boat was sent out to ferry them to the dock, so they could come with the group through the cave. Victoria later recalled seeing this very same boat being bailed out just a few minutes earlier, apparently having trouble keeping one person afloat, nevermind 3 more! There was a family on the boat, an Australian couple and 2 of their children. The parents, along with another woman were left on the Junk and now were being places on this rather fragile rowboat (if boat is even the correct term!). As their kids and the rest of us looked on, they slowly made their way back to the dock. No more than 2m from their destination, the �boat� started to sink���and everyone was dumped in the water! I should mention at this point, the charismatic personality who was our guide, his name escapes my memory unfortunately, we�ll call him Sam. The couple managed to get out of the water quite quickly but during the panic, the other woman was still in the water, but being an Aussie she was having little difficulty and was patiently waiting her turn. Sam, had a different opinion and wanting to save the day, jumped in clothes and all � aside from his 5�2�� frame, he could have given David Hasselholf a run for his money based on eagerness alone!! In this moment of adrenaline, he also forgot to take his cell phone off his belt and it was toast as soon as he hit the water. Needless to say, everyone was ok, aside from a damaged digital camera and Sam�s phone.



Since we were short on time, we opted to fly from Hanoi to HCM. We then backtracked a bit up the coast to Mui Ne, a small beach town. I am embarrassed to say that there are no exciting stories from this part of the trip�We just flaked out on the beach for 3 days! The hotel was great and right on the beach, perfect for reading a good fluffy book! After perhaps the most *difficult* three days of my life, we headed back to HCM, which is much under-rated. Numerous people had told us not to spend any time there but from what we saw, it�s a great city! The commercial centre of the country, full of energy. I managed to squeeze in a bit of shopping before I caught my flight out that evening. V stayed on for one more night and flew to KL the next morning. I was sad to see her go L



Since returning from Vietnam the weeks have just flown by. I am amazed how much I have managed to pack in! The new JETs have arrived with their fresh-off-the-boat enthusiasm! Happily, three new Canadians are near me, as well as two Americans, a Scot and a Brit � making for very interesting dinner conversation. A few weeks ago we headed over to Beppu (a hot spring town on the next island) for a day trip! We were supposed to go whale watching but it had been cancelled L. We ended up going to a amusement part and having a blast! Sometimes, you just need to do something silly! After a long soak in an Onsen (hot spring) we boarded the ferry back to Ehime � but it wasn't the smoothest journey as a typhoon was in the area!



Last week I had the chance to see Kodo, perhaps the most famous Taiko group in the world! Wow! The show was amazing, and made even more special because it was held in an old Japanese Kabuki theatre. The sound and vibration from the drums was enough to send dust scattering out of all the old wood! You can feel this music! If they are ever touring in your area you MUST go! It was breathtaking!



A group of us also managed to squeeze in an evening of cormorant fishing! After having dinner on a small boat, you pull up alongside a boat with the birds on it. The birds are trained to catch fish for their owner and once their (not so) little bellies are full, they come aboard and spit up their catch! Quite the sight! I am always amazed when animals willingly work so hard for their owners.



My adult English class started this past week. I am hopeful that things will go well as there is a more clear division between the student�s ability. There are many students who speak a high level of English, and almost the same ability. There are a few with a lower level but this means that I can tutor them separately. Much easier than last year where I had a HUGE range of abilities making it very challenging to teach.



Karate is a blast as always! I am happy to say that I am no longer being treated like fine china and have, on numerous occasions been thrown to the floor � I have the bruises to prove it! There is a belt test this weekend, which I am hoping to watch and get an idea of what happens. The next one is in February � and I will try for my yellow belt! Ahhhhh, I�m worried just thinking about it!



Yesterday was the Aki Matsuri - or Autumn Festival. You might remember me mentioning it last year. It is comparable to Thanksgiving in Canada/US. The day consists of a number of Shinto ceremonies throughout the town. The festival starts early in the morning and continues all day! There are ongoing parties at many homes and it is not uncommon to go to 10 or more!! I only managed nine :) There are 2 huge shrines that are carried through town by about 30 people - to bring luck to everyone. Inside the shrine are usually 2 or 3 two-year olds beating away on drums. There are also two large red cows that are carried through town! Many people give gifts of money to those carrying the shrines as it is good luck to have one pass your house! Last year I asked friends to explain the significance, but without success. This year I got a better idea about what happens: each ushi-oni (Cow Devil) represents something different - one represents the sea (and fishing) and the other represents the mountains (and mikans). Mikans and fish are the two exports of Mikame town. Anyways, the two Ushi-Oni fight and run into each other, as do the two portable shrines. There is much commotion, loads of yelling and cheering and well, general chaos! That was the explanation I got this year - though there is still much (read *everything*) that I didn't understand! Nevertheless, it was very exciting to watch! This specific ceremony is found only in this area of Japan :) See the pictures below! I'll try to find out more and get back to you!





As a funny anecdote, I have developed a friendly rivalry with one of my first year students! Each day there is a cleaning period where everyone helps out. I usually sweep the front hallway until....... For some reason unknown to me, brooms are half a tall in Japan�.except for one - found the front broom closet! As a result, it has turned into a race to see who can get there first! Last week I lost and was down on my hands and knees scrubbing the hall, much to the amusement of my students! Yesterday I went to get the broom 10 min early, and JUST got there in time! I�ll show him! Kosei-kun doesn�t know what he�s up against - - I hid the broom earlier today - way out of his reach! Evil Emma! The kid is only 4 feet tall, why does he need the tall broom? Yeech� ;)





Ok, I think I�ll end here � much to your relief I�m sure! I hope that you are all well!



Much love,

Emma


emma found her way @ 6:14 p.m.