Love and Peace: Hiroshima

March 20th (Friday) was a national holiday in Japan, the Vernal Equinox. With a three day holiday in hand, a group of eight ALTs decided to go to Hiroshima for the weekend and celebrate the passing of St. Patrick's Day and a bit of freedom that comes with being a city employee.

We boarded the bus for Hiroshima on Thursday night in what would be a 2.5 hour journey at a relatively inexpensive price. We arrived in the city and were immediately dazzled by the vastness of the place, with clear English written underneath Japanese signs and clean streets and trams. We made our way to K`s Hostel for the weekend and checked in before getting ready to hit Molly Malone's Irish pub for some good eating and drinking.(Derry, Chris, Juliana and I giving a traditional Irish toast: Sláinte!)

On Friday the four of us above decided to visit Miyajima island, 40 minutes outside Hiroshima City. The island hosts the Itsukushima Shrine, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Records say that the shrine was established over 1400 years ago. It sits on the shores of the island and during high tide, it seems to be floating above the sea.

There is a myth that this is the shrine for the Goddess of Purity. No one was allowed to die on the sacred island so they carried dying people off of it to retain its ... purity? (me goofing around the island)

The island hosts other attractions, but the one people remember the most are the domesticated deer that will walk right up to you and steal the wallet right out of your purse. We picniced outdoors which proved to be a fatal error as deer kept coming up to our table. The boys used interesting tactics to try to ward them off.

That evening was Thai food which drove the Irish/Scottish/British men to tears. Europeans and their spices. The night was suppose to be about dancing but the group was divided and I left with a headache. Traveling with a big group is exhausting when people waste time debating. I woke up early with Juliana and we made our way over to the A-bomb Dome and Hiroshima Peace Park. We didn't have time to pick it apart and digest it as much as we wanted (we had a bus to catch) and vowed to return at a warmer date. It was upsetting to see Japanese tourists (and foreigners as well) pose with cheerful expressions in front of WWII memorials. It was as if it weren't a reminder of death and suffering but an outing in the park. I couldn't take pictures with myself in them and instead opted to buy postcards. I couldn't find any modern-day photographs that suited my taste and took one to show the contrast of a city that built itself up again.

卒業式: A Junior High goodbye

After three years of Junior High School, the last of mandatory education as stated by the Land of the Rising Sun, one must make the decision as to whether to continue on to high school through entrance exams, or become a member of society. The last month of school, February-March, is full of late night studying and examinations. After that comes a sigh of relief from the third year students (read ninth graders) as they relax until their graduation.

Graduations in Japan are very formal events, with teachers wearing black suits (white tie preferred) or traditional Japanese hakama in muted colors and students in standard school uniform. There are various speeches made by the principle, the PTA president, the class president, the student representative of the second year students, as well as guest speakers. There is a ceremonial way of bowing as diplomas are collected across the stage, two students at a time, as the Principle (wearing pristine white gloves and coat tails) gives the appropriate salutations. The event ends with singing, from the whole school to just the third year students.

(Here, students are practicing for the main event)

The third year students then return to their classrooms where they spent the last year learning and receive a sendoff-address from their homeroom teacher. Parents crowd the rooms and try to take as many photographs as possible.

Afterward, they march outside and leave the school gates as the rest of the student body cheers for them. 

It is really quite poetic, especially when students cry during the singing; the men shoving their fists into their eyes in an attempt to remain collected while the girls hide themselves with their hands or handkerchiefs. (These girls stopped me on my bike ride how and asked me for a photo :D)

My Funny Valentine

Japan has a way of being enthusiastic about American holidays but making them their own traditions. St. Valentine's Day, held annually on the 14th of February, is the perfect example.

In the U.S., it has mixed meanings. There are those who feel that it is the most romantic day of the year, where one can snuggle with their sweetheart and exchange gifts (diamonds anyone? Forget chocolate and roses), hold candlelight dinners and spend the evening in various states of undress. For others, it is seen as the Hallmark™ Company's holiday bent on world domination and making everyone feel pressured to buy a card, write a soppy greeting, and acknowledge the people around us. For children, it can be seen as a popularity contest and/or a way to show friendship and affection for those around them. Candy is a bonus.

In Japan, there are two such days. First is on the 14th of February, known as St. Valentine's Day, where females either prepare or purchase chocolate to give to the male of their choice. This is a popular day for girls to confess their love to the boy they like. Teenage boys sometimes anticipate and even compete over who will get the most chocolate. Women may also give out chocolate to friends, co-workers, or supervisors as an expression of gratitude. In stores, booths are set up especially for this event, with flocks of females scouring chocolates from various confectioneries and hotels and making purchases that can exceed $100.

The second day is held on the 14th of March, named White Day. It is when boys reciprocate the gifts they received on Valentine's Day. Again, booths are set up for the cause, but this time bath products are also a popular selling item.

For the holiday, I decided to give all the students (and teachers!) at one of my junior high schools traditional American valentine cards used by primary school children. I secured a list of every student in the school, as well as a list of teachers, and wrote out their names onto over 200 valentine cards, attached over 1000 stickers and temporary tattoos, and finished with a signature. I WANTED TO KILL MYSELF.

Seriously, who's bright idea was it to give myself carpel tunnel in order to show students that Americans are hip when I'm so exhausted from staying up all night and a nice poster could have done the trick?

Oh yeah, <-- this guy.

I also bought chocolate for my principle, vice-principle, and head teacher, some of my closer male friends and even baked a chocolate heart fudge brownie cake for my supervisor and boy friend. Below is a snapshot of my homemade chocolate:

The exciting thing was I received chocolate from some of my teachers (which I gave away) and a box of strawberry sweets from Juliana. Delicious. I also received some letters (oooOOOOooo) from male and female persons and was delighted to read that one of my 7th grade students gave a chocolate to a boy and he accepted her feelings! Perhaps they'll date but the real jewel is she felt it important enough to write her English teacher a note and ask whether I will do the same because it's love love!

For White Day, I purchased some chocolate to give back to my teachers and received white-chocolate covered strawberries from David, my RA. I also received homemade chocolate from a Japanese high school boy and girl who I meet once a week for English conversation. Very fun.