Star Festival:Yukata party

There are festivals held throughout the year in Japan. I have already touch on one of them in a previous post (Taiko Festival). But really, summer is when it all comes together. There are several hanabi or firework festivals, O-Bon or the celebration of the dead (not to be confused with the Mexican holiday la dia de los muertos), and Tanabata or the star festival. Perhaps you are familiar with the story of the stars Vega (the brightest star in the constellation Lyra) and Altair (the brightest star in the constellation Aquila). Vega was the daughter/princess of a great king and an excellent weaver. Altair was but a poor herdsman. The king decided to have them marry. Soon, the two neglected their work and played together all day and night. The king, angered by this, took back his daughter and separated the two with a river (the Milky Way). Woeful, the two returned to their work and the kind, upon seeing their repentance, allowed them to see each other once a year. That day is July 7th. However, the wording is "the seventh day of the seventh lunar month" which sometimes results in August. Consequently, there are several festivals held toward the end of summer. Traditionally, yukata are worn during such festivals, a lighter version of a kimono made of of cotton:

So, my town decided to hold a yukata party, similar to the kimono party last fall, but with a festival twist. There were some familiar faces and some new ones. My bestest bud George came all the way from his study abroad school in Kyushu to visit me. (:D)

Activities included the tradition of writing down wishes on paper and tying them to bamboo leaves, watching a Chinese lion dance, and participating (albeit against our will) in the traditional dance with two sticks and song:

Sasa no ha sara-sara (笹の葉　さらさら)
The bamboo leaves rustle, rustle

Nokiba ni yureru (軒端にゆれる)
shaking away in the eaves.

Ohoshi-sama kira-kira (お星様　キラキラ)
The stars go twinkle, twinkle;

Kingin sunago (金銀砂子)
Gold and silver grains of sand.

The highlight for me had to be when I was asked to tell the story of Tanabata in front of the entire room. I had only just learned the Japanese version of the tale myself and was extremely nervous.

Golden Week

The national holidays of Japan are few and far between. However there is one which is highly anticipated above all else - the Chrismas break of Japan: Golden Week. Three consecutive days off**

May 3rd (憲法記念日) Constitution Day

May 4th (みどりの日) Greenery Day

May 5th (こどもの日) Children's Day

combined with the weekend add up to quite a vacation for those who do not belong to the government or an educational institution's sport club/team (they never get a break).

**NOTE: The April 29th holiday - (昭和の日) Showa Day - is also included into this, with people sometimes taking off work in between the days to extend the holiday.

As for me, I had special reason to celebrate - no, not my birthday - the coming of my dear >great<> aunt...Titi Evelyn.

She was to arrive on the first of May and return on the tenth. With such a length og time I wanted to introduce her to the real Japan, by taking her to a place I had never been to before - Kyoto. The reunion in Osaka (where she had flown to from Tokyo's Narita Airport) caused a burst of emotion that was quite unexpected. Ah well.

We checked into our hotel which turned out to be next to the train tracks.

I'm serious.

We were walking down the hall. There was a door at the end of the hall. A loud noise was heard- the passing of a train. A shadow moved across the frosted window. And again. And again. We turned to each other with questions in our eyes. Once we felt it was safe, we went to the door and turned the handle. Surprisingly, it opened and we looked down and saw the tracks.

Classy.

May 2nd

The next day we made our way to the station were we met up with Juliana, the girl I went to South Korea with. After we picked her up, we headed to the Osaka Castle for a bit of site-seeing. What a load of hooey. I've never seen such a tourist trap. The outside was shining and brilliant since I had last seen it. I was very excited to go inside, since my last visit had me waiting outside while certain boys took FOREVER. However, the inside had been hollowed out into a kitschy museum that was full of nothing. I sound upset. I beg pardon.

Next we headed out to Kyoto by train and then walked to our ryokan-style hostel, where we'd be staying for the next few days. Located in the north of Kyoto, it was quite pleasant and calm with easy bus access. That night we had okonomiya, which has been called "Japanese-style" pizza. IF you were to actually look/try this dish, you would find that the Western hemisphere has not been consulted on taste.

May 3rd

The day was spent in an exploration of temples, shrines, a

nd mountains. We started with Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺) the Golden Pavilion, which was originally built in the 14th century and covered with pure gold leaf. Originally intended as a villa, it was later converted into a Zen temple.

Next was the climb of Arashiyama, home to Iwatayama Monkey Park, otherwise known as free-for-all monkeys! As we climbed up the steep slope, there were these cute girls that kept crying about how scary the monkeys were. So I helped the mother by holding one of the daughter's hands as she carried the other. It got to the point where I ended up picking the little girl up! We met the most beautiful girl in kimono along the way back. We also had the chance to pose with a maiko.

Her proud papa is just beaming in the background. Her younger sister can be seen peeking from behind her father's legs. Of course, I had to play creepy tourist and ask to take a picture in Japan. Luckily, they didn't seem to mind.

May 4th

Another round of sight-seeing, but as the day before seemed to satisfy the group of Kyoto religious buildings, I suggested a day trip to Nara which took fruit. Nara was the first capital of Japan, afterward came Kyoto and finally Tokyo. We went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine in southern Kyoto first, as anyone who has seen Memoirs of a Geisha will immediately recognize the stream of orange gates stacked closely together. Inari is the Shinto God of business, so businesses across Japan have purchased a tori = gate in patronage.

Nara was next. Nara Park can boast that it holds some of the most interesting structures in the world, including the Tōdai-ji (東大寺 = Eastern Great Temple), which is not only the largest wooden structure in the world - but hosts one of the largest Buddha statues in the world.

May 5th

My aunt and I visited different places in Kyoto our last day:

Kyoto Botanical Garden

Kyoto Imerial Palace

Nijo Castle with its famous Nightingale floors

Kyoto International Manga Museum

SAKURA

Spring is a time of rebirth. The dark and chilly nights of winter give way to a newfound warmth and lush, vibrant colors flood the world once again. In Japan, the season is celebrated with hanami. Hana (花) = flower

and mi (見) = view is commonly known as flower viewing, a day spent under the cherry blossoms with good company, good food, and good booze.

But mainly booze.

After all, everthing looks a little rosier with a pint in you, right?

The flowers bloom for about one week, varying across Japan. Cowo

rkers hold picnics, youth enjoy innocent meetings under the pink petals. It's quite popular - sometimes impossible to find a good seat along the riverbank with "older" ladies and gentlemen taking up all the room as they sip lemonade and reflect on their lives.

Which in a way makes sense, since this practice dates back to the Heian period (794–1191) of Japan, also known as the age of the imperial court. At that time, the elite of Japan looked to China for cultural enrichment such as literature and beauty.

As for me, I went on two such excursions. The first was after visiting a museum and was quite literally a walk in the park.

The second was proper, with a blanket laid out on the riverbank and a potluck of Japanese and Western food and drink. Although I personally didn't drink, it was amusing to watch those who did.

I was told by some of my students that hanami isn't as popular in the country, most likely because there is easy access to the blossoms. In bigger cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, the industrial scenery makes the average salary man long for the aesthetic beauty that is old Japan.

Note the scattered sakura petals across the asphalt in the picture below.

*Spring Break* Bali INDONESIA

March 30th

Dave picks up up from the airport with a sign to welcome us:

We were immediately accosted by people trying to extort money from us by helping us with our bags. We headed to the hotel, which was a series of small villas around a central garden. There we met Feri, Ryan, and Shinya. They were talking about scuba diving the next day and somehow we ended up joining their plans. We had an early night.

March 31st

Derry rented a motorbike and together with Dave and the new guys we biked to Nusa Dua (see map). There, the guys (two of which are Indonesian) told they shop instructors to cut us a deal since we were with them. In Bali, it's all about connections and bartering. First, we learned to scuba dive. For a girl like me who can't swim, I was obsessed with learning everything:

Can you see my pained expression? Try learning to scuba in broken English. It's like how I'm learning to swim in Japanese. a-w-k-w-a-r-d.

There were hand signals to use under water for communication purposes. Since I have sensitive ears, the pressure that builds up from going underwater was intense and I had problems equalizing the water pressure with my ears. The instructor ignored me and kept dragging me down deeper so I burst into tears of frustration. After 10 mins, my ears popped and I was happy.

above: which one is me? The two people who couldn't swim!

However, I soon decided that I would run out of oxygen and panicked by taking bigger breaths of oxygen from my tank. Uh huh.

Next on the agenda for me was parasailing, another first:

Man, aren't you jealous of my professional manner?

April 1st - April 7th

So... the next week was spent relaxing. We went to the world famous beaches (a scene from Dreamland Beach at Uluwatu below) where Derry and Dave surfed (such manly men), and I worked on my tan and got a henna tattoo.

Getting around Bali is mad. There is no regard to traffic or laws of any kind. Here is a small tidbit:

We met up in the evening with Ciaran and Eric again, along with their friend Shawn also from Shikoku. Balinese food is delicious!

To add a bit of culture, I told Derry and Dave that we had to dress up one night, but twith the humid weather, only I ended up being comfortable enough to look good in public. The boy look more like my bodyguards. We ate at Pizza Hut, which >SURPRISE<>

I also convinced the guys how much fun visiting one of the major pilgrimage sites on Bali island, specifically Tanah Lot. Over 90% of Balinese people practice Hinduism, so I really wanted to see the famous temple that is floating in the sea.

With a purification ritual, you are permitted access to walk around the temple. On our way back, Derry and I decided to make a small detour...

*Spring Break* Taipei TAIWAN

Spring Break in Japan is about a month long for students. It is the period between the end of the school year and the beginning of a new one. Teachers still have work to do, but as an assistant language teacher, my presence is hardly needed. Therefore, I took a mini-break and was convinced by Derry to spend my holiday in Bali, an island that belongs to Indonesia. However, in using a travel agency to book the flight, is was determined that the cheapest way to fly would be to have a three day layover in Taipei, Taiwan.

March 26th

Took the overnight ferry to Osaka, where we ran into our friend Jay on his way to Singapore and I was discovered by one of my students and her family. Here Derry, Jay, and I pose for a snapshot.

The ferry has a tatami room so we were able to rest as the ferry is eight hours long. The only problem is you share that room with 30 other people and are stuck with the weirdos. We had this old man next to us that snored sporadically like a pig. Steerage class. Jack Dawson of Titanic anyone?

March 27th

We arrived in Osaka promptly at six and boarded a bus to the airport. There we said our goodbyes to Jay and were on our way. The flight was good, with only a few minor tiffs with Derry thus far. We're infamous for our banter.

We arrived in Taipei and took a bus to the main station and walked toward our hostel. The directions became increasingly vague (read impossible) as they were written by Taiwanese who learned English as a second (third?) language. We arrive at the place with help from a foreigner living in Taipei that we hailed off the streets and entered what would be our home away from home for three days. The room was a closet. Derry's arm span managed to touch opposite walls. We had little time as we were to meet up with our friends from the neighboring prefecture, Ciaran and Eric. They, along with Dave who we would later meet in Bali, would be our constant traveling companions for the rest of the trip.

Dinner was yakiniku (Korean-style barbarque), followed by a bar. At the restaurant, Ciaran asked the waitress who had lived in Canada for nine years about her thoughts on Chinese/Taiwanese relations... citing that it was okay because people asked him about Catholic/Protestant relations in Ireland...

... racism is alive and well.

Eric kept talking about a club he wanted to visit, Club PLUSH, which was located on the 12th floor of a mall and overlooked Taipei 101, the tallest (completed!) building in the world. We went to the location, rode the elevator up, and then walked out into an abandoned venue. It turns out the club had moved to a new location. So why was it unlocked? We wandered the place and finally a security guard came and tried to help us. We ended up leaving through the secret employees exit that took a million years.

above: outside the mall where Club PLUSH was "located". We looks so excited!

above: The empty club... Where are the people? Gotta love the decor!

We end up going to Club Luxy where there were two dance floors, one with live music and the other with techno/house. We returned in the wee hours because I put my foot down about being tired. I gave Derry the top bunk so he could have more head room.

March 28th

The four of us went to the Royal Palace Museum. Ciaran and Eric left early for Bali. We took a few snapshots outside to show that KNOWLEDGE is POWER! (do you know the reference?)

That evening we had mexican food with one of Derry's friends from Ireland who is currently living in Taipei as an English teacher.

March 29th

Last day in Taipei so I was determined to make it count. It was drizzling but that didn't stop me from making plans. First we visited the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (国立中正纪念堂) in honor of the former President of Taiwan:

above: the National Theatre in the left and the National Concert Hall on the right

above: DON'T CHEW GUM ON THE TRAIN!

Afterward we hopped on a train to the north part of the capital where a traditional village lay. There we went shopping and had traditional Taiwanese food. The far bowl has fish balls!

After lunch we headed back downtown and went shopping in Taipei 101, then went to the observation tower. Here is a view from the top of the world:

And a view as we left:

We then proceed to a flea market and ate at the stalls. The night, Derry managed to break the top bunk with his weight. The wooden slat popped right out and wacked me awake. I promptly wacked Derry awake and made him switch beds with me.

March 30th

We headed to Bali, Indonesia.

Potty-training

As the world turns, countries race to become up to date in the latest scientific and industrial advances while often trying to preserve local culture and traditions.

In Japan, you are going to realize that although it is a modern, seemingly Westernized country, there are still places that retain old-world technologies.

Namely, the toilet.

Now, this is a picture of a toilet as we are familiar with in the United States:
Known as a western-style toilet, it is made of porcelain and is built in the image of a chair in which a person can sit down when necessary. Of course, Japan is famous for taking Western technology, breaking it down and then reshaping it into a better, more efficient version:

Note the built-in sink that allows one to wash hands before it filters down into the toilet basin in order to not waste water. Of course, if that's not enough...


Clearly, the ability to heat the seat, transform the toilet into a bidet or as a separate spout, a "bottom" cleaner (note there is a powerful or mild setting). Some come with so many buttons that it becomes almost a challenge for the foreigner to be able to tell where to press for flushing.

With all this fabulous technology, it comes to a bit of a surprise (to me) that here in Shikoku, the Eastern-style toilet, otherwise known as a squat toilet, is more popular in practice. Also made of porcelain, it is a oblong in shape with an arch covering on one side. This covering is meant to trap the urine from spraying outside the toilet (although other countries sometimes do not have this rather useful device and I don't want to know how messy that can get). The user must squat facing the cove, getting as close as possible. It is advised to keep all loose particles of clothing safely out of range in order to avoid accidents:


Of course, where would a country be if the poor didn't have an 'outhouse' version as well, free of pipes and little more than a hole in the ground: