Parading around

This weekend we went to a parade in the nearby town of Shimabara. I didn’t know there was a parade until I went to visit a Shorinji Kempo dojo there. They were practicing for the parade and told me about it. On a side note, I’m hoping to start practicing Shorinji Kempo again and this dojo has several of my students in it. There’s a big group of kids and some high level seniors and women. It seems like a good mix if they’ll have me.




Back to the parade, Scott and I met up with another JET teacher from Obama named Shane. He hails from Ireland and tells lots of great stories from his childhood there. We also bumped into some other JET people along the parade route.



None of us were quite sure what the parade was in celebration of, but we enjoyed it. It was quite a mix. There was traditional dancing by pretty ladies and men dressed in traditional outfits. Big floats that were lifted and twirled around in circles and one of a giant fish with dry ice spewing out.



They were also many costumes, mostly of samurai and people of that period, but also a crossdresser and women with their boobs and bottom stuffed with candy! Occasionally, certain groups would throw candy and mochi into the crowd and everyone would leap for it. One older woman fell trying to grab some candy and Scott tried to help her up but she thought he was trying to grab more candy so she fell again trying to grab it! At one point, Shane said, “It got a little like Somalia there!”



At the end of the parade, these men wearing funny masks started dancing and slightly harassed one of the girls I was with. He just aimed his crotch at her and started gyrating! It was funny, but also disturbing!

I hear that with it being harvest season, more festivals and events are to come. We’re enjoying them so far!

Harvest time

It's that time of year... the rice crops are ready! We've been hearing the plowing machines every morning this week, working hard. I've heard that some people still cut the crops by hand, but the field in front of our house was done by machine. We can't wait to taste the new rice from this crop. I took before and after shots of the field. It's kind of sad to see it empty now but we're also seeing the little frogs more clearly now which is fun. It's also neat to see the soil that is still kind of moist and cracked from being under water. We might be able to help plant the crops for next year. That would be really cool and just to watch will be an experience!

Pet project

So one night we looked up at our light and noticed the little cord moving around on its own. Then we saw that a spider decided to make its home on it. We watched it make a web and nestle into its new home. Then the other night, it caught its first meal. We think it was sucking the life out of a bug but it was hard to tell. Anyway, enjoy this fascinating video of our new pet.

Tears of a clown

Speaking of competitiveness and sportyness, I made some kids cry today! I was having a pretty good day teaching, I even played dodgeball at recess. Then in 3rd grade, we played some games in order to learn the alphabet. The first game was "telephone". I gave each team leader a letter and they would whisper it down the row of their team and the front person would write it on the board. All was well until some of them started yelling at each other when someone got it wrong. One boy started crying from the pressure not knowing what to write. Another girl cried because she got it wrong. It was awful! Luckily they were ok after a few moments and some distraction. Peer pressure is different here but pretty intense. The teacher told me they don't play games well because they all start arguing and yelling at each other. I'll have to keep that in mind for this class.



I also had my first Japanese physical exam last week. Apparently it's mandatory for all teachers. The exam was well organized and efficient with stations for each part. Urine, blood, blood pressure, eye, ear, chest xray, heart rate, etc. At one point I had to lie down and have these clamps on my ankles and wrists and a heart monitor thing on my chest. That felt a little scary. But it was all done in less than an hour.

The doctor at the end of the exam also consulted me in English which was reassuring. He told me all was well. (I still have to fill these bizarre plastic containers with a lovely stool sample though!)

On to more exciting news... Scott got a job! Our neighbor Kevin suggested they go together to this welding shop in our neighborhood and see if they have any jobs. They walked in and talked to the boss who happened to know my supervisor and whose daughter is a teacher and knows many JET teachers. He also said they had two Brazilians working there at one point but he was surprised to meet an American welder in our small town. Scott started today. He's so excited to be working and I'm so proud and happy for him. Apparently they make parts for Mitsubishi and Hyundai tanker ships that get sent to Korea. Maybe we can get discounts for Mitsubishi stuff! Yeh Scott!

And now presenting...

Let's get physical

This weekend my elementary schools had “Sports Day”. They had been rehearsing for it for weeks, marching, learning their town’s traditional dance, practicing cheers, and training for the big relay race. I was invited to 4 schools’ events so Scott and I hopped around to schools all day.



The kids and staff were very welcoming and happy to see us which was nice. Some schools even gave us V.I.P. seats and some tea. We felt like celebs at the Kentucky Derby or something!



On Sports Day, the whole community comes together to celebrate. People set up tatami mats and tents and bring a picnic lunch. Family members are also invited to join in some events. Grandparents joined their grandkids in a game where they toss bean bags into a basket, and parents joined their kids in an obstacle course race. Most of the time, parents have such obligations for work that they don’t get much family time together. On Sports Day though, families get to spend the whole day together playing games and having fun.



I was asked if the U.S. has an equivalent to Sports Day. I don’t think we really do. There are picnics and festivals but not any so organized where the whole community comes together. It’s nice to experience that kind of close knit environment here in Kunimi.



Some of the events that stood out were one where one kid rides on top of 4 others and they fight to take off each other’s hats. It was kind of like that game “chicken” that you play in a pool only this was on solid ground so it was kind of frightening to watch kids teetering off shoulders and almost falling off. It was super fun to watch though! Each school also performed a traditional Japanese dance that was specific to their town. It was cool to see this type of dancing being carried down to a new generation.



The relay races were the big finale. The kids had teams of 1st-6th graders, first all boys, then all girls. Then the PTA and staff member raced against each other. It was pretty funny watching adults racing around a tiny track and running their hearts out. I was just glad they didn’t ask me to run! They also had the PTA relay race while balancing a tennis ball on a racket. That was great. One guy even tripped and fell dramatically into the finish line!

It rained a little in the morning but otherwise it was a nice, cool day. We had a blast at our first Sports Day. Scott also got to see my students and staff which was nice. We got to know more people and Scott even got to practice Spanish with one teacher who lived in Venezuela for 3 years. He was so happy to have someone understand him!

Under a full moon

Last week, the moon was bright and full, so bright it lit up the sky at night. I believe it was a harvest moon and officially marked the beginning of fall. We still had some warm days but it's finally cooling down a bit.

Along with the moon, we had a resurgence of creepy creatures. Spiders, cockroaches, and snakes! Scott bravely caught a baby snake and threw it in our trash bin. That was a lovely surprise when I got home. We ended up going next door to our neighbor, an older gentleman who's lived here most of his life, to ask what we should do. You are all now sworn to secrecy as I reveal how to get "rid" of snakes in our town. Apparently the best thing to do is to toss it in the river and hope it gets whisked away. Of course, this should all be done late at night when no one's watching. I guess it worked for now. Sadly I didn't take a picture of the snake in the trash bin because I was freaked out that it would jump out and wrap around my neck or do something horrible like that.