A Festival and a New Connection

Pics with the stories:

http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2095998&l=23961&id=59501063

Part I

Today is Sunday. It is almost 3pm and I haven’t even taken a shower for the day yet. I don’t know how I will be spending my Sundays this period of life in Japan yet, but for now I’m really doing nothing. Today I woke up at almost noon, read Knowing God by J.I.Packer for an hour or so, then started a load of laundry. After hanging my laundry outside (I did not purchase a dryer- they cost over $400 and almost everyone hangs laundry anyway) I started reading a new book I just purchased yesterday. Which takes me to meat of this story.

Friday evening I called Maureen on my new cell phone (which is much cooler than yours, I can assure you) to ask about what our plans were for climbing Mt. Fuji. Or “Mr. Fuji” Fujisan as the Japanese call him. Since Maureen’s friend wasn’t coming down anymore this weekend we decided to climb him next weekend with AJET, the social board of JETs from Shizuoka. I had paid my 1000 yen membership fee at the Kakegawa Orientation, so I was all for it. Plus it’s going to be a night climb so we can be at the top for the sunrise.

This left me with nothing to do yesterday, so I texted Ruth asking her what she was going to be doing Saturday day. Ruth is from Scotland and was in Japan last summer doing the Navigator’s BEST Program in Shizuoka City. This was one of my possibilities for after graduation. I had applied and was accepted, but whole-heartedly chose the JET Program when I found out I had been accepted to this as well. Ruth and I met up in her city of Numazu at 1:00 for lunch and bookstore shopping. We spent some time looking at the crazy shops and decided on a restaurant that had pictures of food in the menu. Outside was displayed dozens of plastic dishes which was what drew us in that direction initially. I asked Ruth if the dishes were real food with a preservative glaze and she said no, that they were entirely plastic and there is a large industry in Tokyo for the production of plastic look-a-like foods. Most of the dishes looked right on with moisture even worked into the textures. The gyoza looked particularly good, and being that I love gyoza already I decided this was an acceptable restaurant. I had to write down the kanji for what Ruth wanted to order because we didn’t know how we were going to pronounce it when we got inside.

The bookstore we visited had a very small English section on the 3rd floor. (I think 3rd floor is mikkai?) It really was only one shelf length and the books were heavily overpriced. I decided on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which was suggested by Ruth. I was looking for Blue Like Jazz but again, the titles were very limited. I think I will buy my books online. This time in Japan I would really like to start reading again. I devoured books as a child; mom took us to the library religiously where we filled a University of Indiana bag and a large plastic box on each visit. Also mom read us books way above our reading levels- The Hobbit, Sir Gibbie, The Chronicles of Narnia, Little Women, just to name a few of the titles. (Mom, would you please remind me of more titles?) And this was when we were in grade school. Earlier she had read probably 25 Boxcar Children books and the Little House on the Prairie series. Oh! Where the Red Fern Grows- this is one of the saddest books of all time. And on my own I read the Magic Bicycle Series several times, Every title by Sid Fleischman, Every Bill Peet book, Practically every Roald Dahl book- and on and on. It’s really sad that I stopped reading once I started getting homework. And of course friend’s consume much more time in high school- and sport activities… Ok, so I’ve resolved to start reading again.

After the bookstore I took a ride on the back of Ruth’s bicycle (quite the event everytime we hit a curb- the insides of my legs are still sore) to “Don Kihote” or this store called Don Quixote where practically everything is sold. It also has a small international food section with Doritos and tacos. I took some video and will attempt to post it on Facebook soon. Meanwhile I will try to describe it for you. Imagine a Casino but with more bright lights and much more noise. There are products stacked high to the ceiling and dense on the shelves. The layout is like an IKEA- maze like. But the aisles are only about 3 feet wide throughout the entire store. Nothing is in order- In a 10 foot length of shelf the store was displaying portable stove tops, light bulbs, jumpsuits and insect tanks. I found dartboards in two different locations, but no other board games. I think things are placed randomly to force shoppers to look through the entire store to get what they need (and discover what they didn’t need but now can’t live without). I left the store with a dart board (really a necessity, tho I don’t know now how I’m going to hang it) Ricola cough drops, beef jerky and fabric softener.

Afterward Ruth had to leave to meet a friend so I decided to stay in Numazu to venture a Pachinko store. I think I may have described this before, but basically gambling is illegal in Japan. So to get around this people purchase little metal balls, say 250 for 1000 yen. Then the little metal balls are put through these machines that may or may not produce more little metal balls. The little metal balls can be traded for prizes, then the prizes are sold for cash. All very shady and irresistibly appealing. I stood for probably over an hour watching people play (whilst going deaf- it is soooo loud in these places- oh, and getting cancer because every third person is smoking) trying to figure out how to play, first of all, and then trying to notice and follow the steps from putting money in to getting more money out. I finally sat down at a machine not knowing entirely what I was doing and put my 1000 yen in the slot. I had to press some buttons, but soon a handful of little metal balls poured into the receiving cup. I turned this handle thing and they started shooting up into the machine. Ten minutes later I was yenless and little-metal-ball-less, if not yet still retaining my own ballsiness. Pachinko is no different than gambling, and I think 10 bucks has been more than enough to satiate my fascination.

Part II (written Monday)

When I got home I decided to bike to Yui to see what I could buy for groceries and ended up stopping at this little Ramen place for dinner. It was kind of shady- the 12 year old son of the lady who apparently owned the shop and did all the cooking was filling beers for people and taking them out into the restaurant. Any garbage or scraps were just tossed on the floor where the lady was cooking. There was a long drain on the floor, but the sanitary conditions still made me a little uneasy. As I was eating my 350 en gyoza I struck up a very limited conversation with the man next to me. I mentioned that I lived in Kambara (the town over) and he said something about a festival in Kambara. I had forgotten! Not that I had been planning on going, but I wasn't doing anything else that evening, so I rushed through dinner and hopped back on my bike for the bunka center in the middle of my city. I arrived just in time for the fireworks that were being set off from a few blocks away. (See pictures)

The festival was very small townish! There were a dozen or so small booths selling drinks and food items and a guy doing chinsey little magic tricks for a crowd of children. Earlier in the day I guess there had been an entertainer on the main stage. All said I'm sure there were over 1000 people there, maybe 2000. The best part was the dancing. There was this 2 or 3 story high tower set up in the parking lot and many people were dancing around it in a circle. They were all doing the same moves at the same time just like the Shimizu street festival! I watched for probably 45 min. right on the edge of the action until an old lady stopped and motioned for me to join in the dance. I hesitated for about 3 seconds and then realized in the first second that I didn't know anybody so no one was going to make fun of me later, the second second I realized this is Japan and I'm not going to pass up any opportunities, and in the third second I decided that it was going to be a lot of fun and that I would do this no matter the circumstances. I just copied everyone's moves around me, and they repeated fairly frequently, so I picked it up alright. We danced about 3 songs and then it was time for the festival to end.

Afterwards I was talking with the older lady and another lady who was there about who I was and where I lived. They called over someone to translate to try and understand each other a little better. Her name was Eri Ogawa, and I remember because she made sure I remembered her name. She was (is?) the daughter of the younger lady I was speaking with and was interested because she graduated from Ihara High School 2 years ago. Eri is at nursing school right now in Fuji City and will be turning 20 in December, a very important age for a Japanese person. This is traditionally the age at which someone is considered an adult and with it comes drinking and smoking priveledges, etc. We discovered that she had been the server at the Chinese restaurant I ate at with my supervisor and a couple of other teachers the first night I was in town. Also in the conversation she asked me if I had any friends in Kambara and I said no, not other than Sarah (the other ALT) and Eri said that she wanted to be friends, so maybe I will have some opportunities to hang out with Japanese "kids" my age?

On Sunday I took a spur of the moment hike up into the green hills behind my city and discovered some magnificent plants and insects (and a quite humid atmosphere). As I climbed higher up the paved road it became narrower and narrower and much more grown over. Surprisingly enough tho, as far as I climbed there were still run down shacks and little gardens in the midst of the thick of the green, so people obviously traveled (or lived?) farther up the road than cars ever did. The path was often crossed by enormous spiderwebs with crazy looking spiders sitting in the middle. I felt like I was playing the spiderweb team building game except for this was real life and I didn't know how much poison the spiders held in their fangs. I was sidestepping and crawling for a good part of the way until finally it got too scary so I picked up a branch and knocked them down as I walked. I hadn't eaten before I charged up the mountain so I didn't make it as far as I wanted, but I will definitely be back for a much further climb.

I ended my weekend with 6 hours of cleaning in my apartment from 7pm-1am. My kitchen is finally finished and the toilet room and the sink/mirror area of my bathroom is in working order. I have yet to purchase a fridge- will be very glad to keep a pitcher of water in my new one, my current one is too small- for it continues to be hot, hot, hot. Luckily today I was asked why I looked so tired and I said it was because I haven't been sleeping very well because it is so hot (which is true- I think I've only slept all the way through the night 1 or 2 times in the past 3 weeks. Usually I wake up half a dozen to a dozen times) and Kenmotsu sensei said this is not ok. I was talking with the office staff today too because I had to have them make copies of my gaijin card and get my insurance card and I was asked about the weather and I said my airconditioner wasn't working. So they called Kenmotsu sensei down to do translation and the office got right on it and called someone to come out free of charge and look at my airconditioner to see if it can be fixed or not. Now I just have to see how much it may cost to get it fixed. If I have to buy a new one, I think I will opt for less quality sleep for awhile longer because a new airconditioner would cost about $600. And it's not going to stay hot forever- it gets quite cool here in the fall and winter so an "ea- kon" won't be needed. It is actually on record as the hottest summer here in Shizuoka in 74 years, so it is the hottest anyone in my school has experienced thus far as well. I do enjoy hot weather, but here's to hoping that record takes it easy soon.

Luther