November 2009 Adventures: Petting Penguins, Climbing Aso, and Takachiho Gorge and Spirits

I am so giving up on any hope of continuity in this blog. I was looking back through 2009-2010 posts to see what else I've forgotten, and I can't believe I didn't write about my November 2009 trip with Laura (Smith College Chapin house 'little sib'). It was fabulous, so that's what I'm back-blogging about next: our extended-weekend trip to the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium, Mt. Aso, Kurokawa onsen, and Takachiho.

I met Laura in Fukuoka, and we took the train south to Nagasaki. Our first goal: to pet a penguin! Laura said it had been one of her dreams for awhile, and our trip coincided with the first weekend that the Nagasaki penguin aquarium opened for penguin-pettings (offered outside at a special penguin-petting area during the winter months). We arrived a bit early, though, so first we did some penguin-watching.

I think this guy posed for us.

I spent quite a while watching this penguin. He was poised on the top of a cliff-like drop-off with a pool of water at the bottom. I kept thinking he was going to jump: readying his little feet, shifting weight from one to the other like Saki does right before she pounces on something. But nope, this was the Penguin That Did Not Jump.

Meet the Penguin That Can't Remember if She Left the Gas On...

...the Penguin That Just Can't Reach That Itch...


...and the "What-are-YOU-Looking-At?" Penguin.

While I was freaking out the penguins (and mentally daring the non-jumper to jump), Laura was having deeper penguin interactions. Possibly even bordering on Penguin Meditation.

Their eyes connected...

...exchanged greetings...


...and enjoyed a quiet moment together.

While seeing penguins on land was pretty cool, watching them swim from below was way cooler.

Who said penguins can't fly?

While still waiting for penguin-petting time, we wandered outside to the beach area and met this fellow. We were going to say hello, but then it was time...

...for penguin-petting!!!

The penguin didn't feel at all like what I expected. Its feathers were very fune, more like fur, and almost a bit rubbery.

Afterwards, we wandered back down to the fenced-in beach where the penguins had returned to the water. Apparently these were rather warmish-water penguins; Nagasaki isn't all that cold in November.

With slightly different coloration, could almost be mistaken for a loon, huh?

And then, lo and behold, the penguins decided they'd had enough swim-time; out of the water they came, waddling over the sand to greet us!

I'm squinting against the sun, which was very bright!

The penguins coming out of the water was quite funny, for some reason it made me think of a jail break. We weren't allowed contact with these penguins, however. Because we were allowed inside their fence onto the beach, their handlers were waiting to hold them back, keeping them just inches out of our reach. The waddle of penguins spread out and tried multi-pronged charges through the line, but alas, the handlers were too good at their jobs.

For the future reference of my outdoorsy friends and relatives, here are what penguin tracks look like:

From Nagasaki, Laura and I took an interesting route-- a train to Shimabara (the rural southern tip of Nagasaki prefecture), then a ferry to Kumamoto, a bus into the middle of the city, and a rental car from Kumamoto city to a hostel at the foot of Mt. Aso. It was a rather long time traveling but put us right where we wanted to be: the middle of Kyushu and set up to climb Mt. Aso and drive to Kurokawa onsen the next day. (I really wanted to go to the Kurokawa onsen area, since it's rumored to be the basis for the bathhouse in "Spirited Away," but it's very difficult to reach without a car). The rental car also gave me the opportunity to drive in mainland Kyushu with my well-earned Nagasaki prefecture driving license. I'm very glad we got a GPS too; it was extremely helpful!

We settled into the very friendly hostel (cheap, too; it was the first weekend of off-season prices :) and met Dan (I think his name was..? It is now, anyway), another person planning to climb Mt. Aso the next day. To be technical, we were in the area of the Aso caldera (the largest active volcano in Japan), which has many peaks. Our hostel was near the start of the road up to Mt. Naka, one of the volcanically-active peaks (it's always emitting smoke). It's a long way up by car or bus, though, and since Dan wanted to get an early start and the first bus was later than he was hoping for, we offered him a ride up in exchange for climbing together. The trail maps for the area weren't very good, and he was an experienced climber. (Yes, Uncle Ben, I took a cell phone). You can drive almost all the way up to the volcanically-active area, but we also wanted to climb to a higher peak to look down on Mt. Naka in its steaming glory.

The day of our hike was a bit overcast and chilly but otherwise looked good. These are some pictures I took on the way up the road (no climbing yet).

The steaming Mt. Naka--

A smaller caldera in the opposite direction

..and then we were there! It was quite windy out in the open.

...and just in case the volcano decided to erupt, there were shelters off to the side designed to protect people from falling rocks, etc. I know sometimes things happen unexpectedly, but the volcano is actively monitored, and there are daily forecasts of amounts of ash released (on expecially bad days, people with asthma are advised to wear masks, and sometimes the area closes to tourists).

There was a little jizo-statue near the summit, also protecting us from harm.

It was really hard to take a picture of the inside of the crater, but I hope you can see the greenish water. It was murky and way cool.

The landscape was insane, too. Walking around the crater and especially later, when we began the climb up, the scenery was so different from anything else I've ever experienced. It reminded me of the set of an old Star Trek episode (like that one where the goo comes to life and replicates the crew).

Here's Dan from behind. We made him leader because, as you can see, there aren't really any trail markers.

A view of mountains, mist, and more mountains in the distance.

More Star Trek:TOS set-scenery.

I was really wondering if a monster was going to jump out from behind those rocks.

Dan and Laura were fast.
They also provide good perspective.

Not quite there yet. The place we were trying to climb to is actually engulfed in the steam/ash-cloud, to the right. When we got there, we couldn't see much. So this will have to do.

Did I mention it was COLD? ..a climbing-Mt.-Aso-haiku for you:

That's an icicle.

Right next to the volcano.

Why no monsters yet?

Another peak facing away from Mt. Naka.

So very surreal for this native low-lander!

Doesn't this look photo-shopped? (it's not, really!)

We finally got to where we were going and couldn't see anything. Well, except for this old Japanese man coming along the knife's-edge path that we just came across.

After descending, we were thoroughly frozen Laura and Kim-cycles. It was high time to soak in some onsen! We took the rental car, punched in Kurokawa onsen, and were on our way. For obvious reasons I couldn't take any pictures inside the onsen (I think all the naked Japanese ladies on our side would've protested, with just cause), but here is the onsen town:

..relative quiet, aside from the crowds near the traditional Japanese craft-y shops, and the guests staying at high-class ryokan clopping about in geta (traditional wooden shoes) from one onsen to the next.

After a great soak in beautiful rotenburo (outdoor baths), we headed to our hostel. Might I put in another plug for hostels? I don't know why I'd stay anywhere else in Japan; they're much cheaper than other accomodations, by at least half usually, and in more rural areas you can usually get a home-cooked breakfast too. (Ours included a specialty of the area, raw horse... which the hostel-owner refused to identify until we'd tried it, but I had my suspicions).

At the hostel, we also met this man, a camera afficionado.

Laura's also very into photography, so we chatted for a bit about picture-taking. This guy was headed around Kyushu the next day to take pictures of the Aso area before heading back to his home near Fukuoka. He offered to take us part of the way to Takachiho, our next stop, and show us scenic spots along the way. How could we resist?

Pictures from our drive:

I won't even try to count how many pictures I took of this, trying to get it just right. What miraculous Japanese plant is this, you might ask? Acutally, it's a weed. I just think it looks gorgeous when struck by sunlight.

I think our guide said that this is the longest covered wooden bridge in Japan. Maybe.

It was certainly very scenic!

The Aso Caldera peaks from afar:

Eventually, our guide left us to our GPS, and we made our way to Takachiho in Miyazaki prefecture. We went there to see a few things: the Ama-no-Iwato shrine, the Amano Yasugawara Cave, and Takachiho gorge, a scenically-famous gorge with a waterfall.

Our first stop was Ama-no-Iwato Shrine, which is very famous in Japanese mythology. As the story goes, Amaterasu (the sun goddess), got mad at the other gods and hid herself away in a cave... of course, blocking out all of her sunlight and plunging the world into darkness at the same time! The gods got together at another cave/rock out-cropping nearby and plotted what they could do to make her come out. Eventually, one god started dancing, and it was so funny that the other gods were all ROFL (they did invent it, you know). Amaterasu heard the laughter and, interested, peeked out. A mirror that had been placed in the cave's direction allowed her to see her own beautiful reflection, drawing her out further. The other gods sealed her cave so she couldn't go back inside, and thus, light was returned to the world.

Ama-no-Iwato Shrine is dedicated to the cave that Amaterasu hid in. I didn't know it until we got there, but you can't actually go inside the cave. You can't, actually, really even see the cave from Ama-no-Iwato Shrine. The shrine complex is sprawling, and from the back of one of the buildings, you can see across an undeveloped chasm. Amaterasu's "cave" is on the other side... blocked off as it has been since she came out of it so long ago. Because the "cave" is so sacred, you aren't allowed to take pictures, either. So I do apologize; I am unable to share with you a picture of the closed-cave which used to house Amaterasu.

Here's some beautifully carved beams of one of the buildings, though (oo, flashback to a particularly painful JYA art course: PURLIN!)

Somewhat let-down by the thrawted excitement of seeing Amaterasu's "cave" (which is no longer a cave), we went down a path to the Yasugawara Cave, the spot where the other gods met and discussed how they could make Amaterasu come out of her cave. On the way, there were a bunch of small stalls selling snacks and other foodstuffs, including ginko nuts.

After a delightful walk beside a stream in the forest, we got to Yasugawara Cave, and oh, how it made up for the earlier disappointment! For starters, it was much more cave-like.

AND many pilgrims over the years have made little rock piles, which were just gorgeous in the cave and forest's dappled light. Seriously, there were thousands of them. Tens of thousands, even.

Highly satisfied, we continued onto our next stop: Takachiho Gorge!

I was very happy at the first gorge-like signs.

And then, the classic image from all the "Takachiho Gorge" posters--

Absolutely gorgeous!!

Walking further up the gorge, nice mini-waterfalls, too.

You can rent little rowboats and row out to the main waterfall area (many of the boats got into my pictures), but unfortunately we got there late in the day and all the boats were already reserved until dusk. So we headed back to town to see Takachiho Shrine.

This is a visual pun. We were heading to Takachiho Shrine (a small, local affair compared with the previous nationally-renouned Ama-no-Iwato Shrine), and this was on the opposite side of the road. The sign says "Takachiho Health Office," and it's pointing to a mini-shrine! ..as if, in this town of historical spiritual connections, if you're sick then it's to the shrine for you!

I was very surprised when we got to Takachiho Shrine. I knew that there were nightly Yokagura dances, a kind of Shinto dance to reinact Shinto myths as written in the Kojiki, the oldest chronicle of Japan and dating from the 8th century. (The dances are also sometimes just called "Kagura".) The particular night that Laura and I went, however, was one of their special longer performances! The men of the town (no women are allowed in the dances) performed many of the dances, followed by a special harvest blessing ceremony.

We didn't stay for many performances (it was --very-- cold, and I was catching a cold; we watched a bit, retreated to the local onsen, and came back for the grand harvest blessing finale). It was also difficult to take pictures with the fast movements of the dancers and the low light of the shrine, but here's some of what we saw:

Oh, I should note that there was a series of masks (picture of a group of them to come later) that were used in some of the performances. I think that, like noh theater, they represent certain characters/demons/gods or a type of character.

Two different masks in play

There was a very long dance involving four men with this instrument studded with bells. It had a bunch of long ribbons attached to it, too.

I'm not really sure what the dance was about, but there's a video of part of it on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9S47RH8VjA&feature=related I took some videos, too.

Bell-studded instruments (I really loved them; wikipedia says that they are "Kagura suzu") and bows this time.

Although the dancers sometimes used the bell-studded instruments, most of the percussion was performed by separate musicians. It was mostly the occasional beat of a drum.

These are some of the masks used in the dances.
One more mask picture to come later on!

A really cool sword-dance. It started off with one dancer performing the movements, and gradually others entered in to involve 4 dancers at the end. The stage is rather small, and it was impressive to see all of them performing the same movements in unison within such a small space.

He's got my new favorite instrument!

I don't think all 33 of the dances were performed that night because of the special harvest festival, which was after the dances and not too late-- according to all the tourist info, when all of the dances are performed it goes on until dawn. But maybe they just got an earlier start than usual. In any case, the above picture is of the rotating titles of the dances. As one ended, someone would flip to the next dance's title, and it would begin immediately.

Beginning of crazy sword-dance:

Note that he's holding a very long sword by its end.

Now, he is leaning really far back, sword still in hand, and waving it about.

My camera couldn't really capture anything but the motion; like the other sword-dance, other members joined in as time went on, and they got progressively faster. Even watching from the audience, their arms were blurs.

Note the cut-paper hung around the stage; discussion to come later.

The last dance that Laura and I saw before our retreat to the onsen was a funny one, followed by a break for the dancers. Even not knowing what the play was about going in, it was still funny: the story was clearly about a husband and wife's squabbles. Here's the husband:

And the "wife" (remember that all dancers are male, even the female roles):

I got the dancers with the name of this dance, in case anyone is interested.

The promised second half of the masks.

Oh, yes, and the cut-paper hanging! I chatted with one of the locals about them (there were cloth prints of the pattern for sale), and if I remember right these are hand-made. They're also a design specific to Takachiho.

There is more info about the Yokagura dances from the local tourist center at: http://www.town-takachiho.jp/culture/tourism/entry100702450.html

...and the article is very accurate. Laura and I were able to feast on some of the delicious stew the town's group of obaachans kept late into the night : )

We headed off to the onsen, then, warmed up, and went back for the grand harvest festival finale. I don't have any pictures or videos because it was a participatory activity. There were ropes strung from a mikoshi (portable-shrine/temporary abode of a deity), which sat outside, into the deity's normal home inside the shrine. All of the villagers (and temporarily adopted villagers, which included me) stood inside the shrine on the tatami mats where we had just been sitting to watch the dances. There were many ropes leading in from the mikoshi, and people stood in lines in between the ropes. The ceremony, I think, was meant to bring the deity back from the mikoshi into its normal home inside the shrine because that day's special festival was at an end. This involved a bunch of guys chanting while all the people in and around the ropes slowly swayed them back and forth, right and left... increasing speed as the chanters did, until we were bashing into the next line of people over and a few seconds later being bashed right back.

Try to imagine a sacred Shinto mosh pit. It was something like that.

It was also pretty awesome. I can still remember the incredible excitement and energy-- the local deity, after all, had to move along the ropes through the crowd to get from his/her mikoshi to the figurative home base. So everyone in that sacred mosh pit got touched by a god. It was a lot of fun, too, I kept laughing and then trying not to laugh because I had to focus on keeping my footing; I certainly didn't want to get trampled by the gods, much less the spirit-high energetic obaachans around me. And, of course, keep on bashing.

Being part of the harvest ceremony ranks as one of my top 5 special moments in Japan. I'd definetely go back to Takachiho again!

Fukuoka Baseball Trip

In mid-September 2010 I took a weekend trip to Fukuoka with Jesse; this back-blog will focus on that trip.

I'd never seen a pro baseball game live before and had heard that Japanese pro baseball was a cultural experience not to be missed, so going to a game was the primary goal of the weekend. While I'm not particularly interested in the game itself, Japanese fans are absolutely insane about their teams, and I wanted to go watch the fans. I'd heard strange rumors, like that there were choreographed dances and cheers and everything was done a certain way with precise timing. Oh, and that there were people with kegs of beer strapped to their backs running up and down all of the steps in the stadium. I got tickets in the "gaiya," or outfield, which is where I was told the main fan-action was. It certainly did not disappoint.

Jesse and I went to the closest pro baseball stadium, the Fukuoka Yahoo Dome (yes, after the online company), home of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. (SoftBank is a cell phone company, much to the consternation of unknowing foreigners who go inside their offices looking for ATMs).


We went in fully prepared. Jesse demonstrates how to properly attend a Japanese baseball game.
He has mini plastic bats around his neck, attached to each other with string just like the mittens that used to thread through little kids' winter jackets. Each team has a variety of plastic cheering bats (some with charicatures of the team players), which are mostly used by fans sitting in the cheap outfield seats. Since we were sitting with the home team, we made sure to get the right bats. Jesse also has a packet of overpriced big yellow balloons, which are blown up by fans in the bottom of the 7th and released all at the same time. He'd heard about that tradition and watned to participate.

The home team's opponent that day was the Hokkaido Ham Fighters. I never did get a good explanation why a baseball team would call themselves the Hams (it's the same in Japanese as English... I asked someone if they were backed by a meat processing company, like the Hawks were backed by SoftBank, but that doesn't seem to be the case). I thought it was interesting that many merchandise stalls outside of the arena were also selling Ham Fighters paraphenalia. And, despite the fact that Hokkaido is about as far away from Fukuoka as Maine is from South Carolina (but much, much more expensive and difficult to travel from), there were a sizable group of fans there for the Hams. I think they may have been specially-imported, family members and the like.

So then, fully geared up, we went inside.

And, oh, how I understand a little more the awe that baseball fans have for the sport and their teams. I'd never been inside an arena or stadium even half that size before, and it was filling up quickly. Of course I'd seen many Red Sox games on TV, but TV can't really give you the same feeling of physical space... I felt very small when I first got inside. All of those people, gathered to cheer for the home team Hawks. How popular the team was, how famous! But as the game progressed (and I started learning the choreographed cheers better), the feeling of smallness disappated; I became part of the larger fan community, a small part, yes, but part of the sea of people sending hope towards the players on the field. One of many hoping that the ball will go this way, that he'll catch it, that the opposing batter will swing too late, everyone sitting on the edge of our collective seats when one of our players swung his bat. There were so many people cheering for the Hawks, so much energy filling up the dome.

Unfortunately, the Hawks didn't do so well. It was rather pitiful, actually. Although the Hawks had been on a huge winning streak (and after the abysmal game I saw, actually went on to win the Japanese version of the World Series), the Hams creamed them. We didn't even get our first run until the last inning, and by then it was way too late. Hawks fans started leaving the stadium in the bottom of the ninth because everyone knew it was over.

Despite the slight disappointment, I did get an education in Japanese pro baseball fan behavior (it was, afterall, them that I had come to watch). First, everyone stands up when your team is at bat. After the third out, everyone politely sits down and lets the other team stand up (unopposed) to cheer for their team's turn at bat. I suppose you could continue to stand while your team is in the outfield, but it would be considered very rude. The same goes for team cheers--they only happen when your team is at bat. (There is a minor exception for your pitcher managing a strike-out, but that team cheer is done from the seated position and is quietly subdued compared to the others).

When your team is at bat, though, things are much more lively. There are specific dance-cheers (chanted words plus choreographed waving about of your two plastic bats) for the following instances: when the teams are exchanging their positions, when a player is warming-up (favorite players have their own personalized cheers), when your batter has one out, when your batter has two outs (a much more fervored version than the one-out cheer), when your batter gets a hit, and when your batter gets a home run. (During the game I saw, only the opposing team got home-runs, but I'm sure the Hawks had a special cheer too).

I even worked up a bit of a sweat while twirling, twisting, pointing, and waving my plastic bats about (following the person in front of me in the correct fashion at the right times, of course).

Although we were rather in the nosebleed section of the outfield seats, I was able to get a few good pictures of the SoftBank mascot running about on the field during breaks.

(Note that the mascot has flags. In addition to the plastic bats there were SoftBank flags, too, that the more intense fans used, but they had their own separate rules of use. Maybe if we'd done better, gotten home runs and the like, the flags would've gotten more use, but during this game the fans only used them once).

During one of the breaks, a few lucky kids got to go out onto the field and play for a bit.

And Jesse got to be part of the Bottom-of-the-seventh Yellow Balloon Release. Since he had about 8 balloons and was only able to control one at a time, I got to blow one up too :)

Yup, there were a lot of yellow balloons.

In addition to going to the baseball game, I had my first "meditational ramen" experience that weekend. Jesse took me to a place called "Ichi-ran." (kanji logo on the chopstick wrapper below)

It was a very interesting restaurant and good ramen experience. We went for lunch, and the place was packed with a line out the door, which moved fairly quickly. While in line, we were given the sheet below to indiate our particular ramen preferences.

...I decided to go all-out ^^ Hakata (Fukuoka) ramen is famous for pork-based ramen, which makes it different from Hokkaido (miso-based) or Kanto/Tokyo (shoyu/soy sauce-based).

This is what my steaming bowl of delicious Hakata ramen looked like:

Green onions float on the left, the red dissipating in the middle is Ichi-ran store's individual flavor additions, and my pork bits are on the right. You can just see the noodles lurking under the broth with fatty gems floating on the surface.

In short, it was very good ramen. The best part of it, though, was the atmosphere. I didn't want to take any pictures because it would've been just too touristy, the place was packed, and I didn't want to disturb anyone else's ramen experience. Basically, though, you sit at something like a ramen cubicle. It's kind of set up like a bar with low red stools and a long dark plank of wood for the bar. There are wooden projections on top of the bar to separate individual customers; even if you come with a friend or a group, you eat your ramen alone. Talking is simply out of the question, you did --not-- come to this ramen meditation center to chat. Instead of the bar being open (so you can see what's going on behind the bar in the kitchen-area), there's a woven mat hanging between you and the kitchen with a small flap. You pay before being seated, then sit down and put your ramen preferences sheet in front of the slightly-open flap. The waiters and cooks have a high-tech system which measures the pressure of your bum on the seat and tells them where customers are sitting (the restaurant is a few stories high). You never see the cooks' faces, but they come and take your order preferences. Only a few minutes later, a cook comes back, bow from behind the curtain (you can barely see that they're bowing, but they do), slide your ramen in through the flap, and shut it. Your cubicle has its own water-dispensor and cups, and you can order extra noodles (there's enough broth that you could use more if you wanted them) by pressing a button. It's highly efficient and designed for one purpose: to leave you and your ramen alone in a bubble of contemplative consumption.

I would highly recommend ramen meditation, with one caveat: it helps greatly if you've watched "Tampopo," a Japanese film which focuses on a woman trying to improve her ramen shop and delves into all different ways of looking at food. There's one especially relevant clip about the proper way to eat pork-based ramen which is hilarious and includes (I'm paraphrasing only slightly), "Slurp the noodles while eyeing the pork affectionatly." Each cubicle at Ichi-ran had a sign which I think was describing in part how to eat ramen correctly, but it was completely in Japanese. So one should definetely be properly instructed, via "Tampopo," before attempting to eat at Ichi-ran.

On a side-note, I was also rather impressed by Ichi-ran's bathrooms.

Clearly there will never be any toilet paper shortages here.

I also went to a "Cat Cafe," which was quite nice. You pay an entrance fee, which includes a drink, and can hang out in the cafe for your allotted time petting any of the many cats while sipping a decent coffee or cocktail.

I rather liked the latticed beams near the ceiling which were designed with a series of step-ups for kitties to be able to get up there and hang out above the customers.

Cat-herd!

Some of the cats were very beautiful, but most seemed like normal (if friendly and adjusted to being around people) house-cats. I asked on our way out, and the cats used to be street-cats. You can, in fact, adopt any of them for free. I thought this cat-cafe concept, using formerly homeless kitties, was a great idea. Japan doesn't really have animal shelters (there may be -one- in Tokyo, but I've only heard rumors... that's like saying along the whole American east coast there may be one in NYC), and most people aren't allowed to have pets in their apartments. Given the incredible cost of real estate in urban areas, most people live in apartments. Therefore, most people aren't allowed to have pets... but that doesn't mean that they don't want a little fur-ball interaction now and then. The former-homeless-kitty cat-cafe concept both gets the kitties into a safe environment and gives the citizens of Fukuoka an opportunity for a little furball love. What could be better?

September: Sports Day and More Taiko!

This blog will focus on September (pics from 2010), back-to-school time!

If I had to choose one Japanese word to describe the back-to-school September activities at my schools, it would be "undokai," or "Sports Day." Sometimes during August I'd feel bad that my middle school students weren't really getting a summer break-- they're required to go to school for club activities, like tennis or basketball, from 8 AM every morning... most clubs even meet on the weekend! But then, when school starts up again in early September and we spend a month not really having classes because of preparations for Sports Day, I don't feel so bad.

I could try to compare Japanese Sports Day with my hometown's elementary/middle school's Field Day, but it would be rather pointless. They are too completely different. While my memories of Field Day have blurred into a lot of frolicking about, playing different games and sports for the first time with a team randomly assembled by our teachers (never knowing what we'll be doing next on the actual day before our team leader announced it), every minute of Sports Day is planned out and practiced extensively. (There also aren't really any sports, aside from running, involved in Sports Day). The two Sports Day teams, red and white (which harken back to that epic Japanese tale, the Tale of the Heike, and its warring clans' colors), are required to prepare many things by themselves, including a choreographed team cheer and separate dance. Depending on the size of the school, everyone or individual classes do their own cultural dances and/or athletic feats. There are various relay races (straight sprinting and various obstacle-like courses) too. Oh, and of course Sports Day is on a weekend so that parents, grandparents, and the whole neighborhood can come hang out, battle for shade under the tarp tents (for September is still brutally hot), and cheer for their respective team. Everyone is invited out onto the athletic field for the local traditional dance, w hich usually occurs just before or after the students gorge themselves on delicious home-made boxed lunches that their mothers probably woke up at 4 AM to start making.

While Sports Day is generally the same each year, the team members and most of the dances/performances change yearly, so there is always a lot of planning to do. As soon as the kids come back to school, then (and sometimes still during "summer break"), everyone is focused on Sports Day. Rehearsals take up many afternoons, and whole days are spent outside doing run-throughs; students set up and dismantle equipment, practice saying announcements and playing the right music at the right time, marching in unison for the teams' initial entrance onto the field (which is a judged event), and doing the choreographed warm-up exercises. The teachers are highly attentive to the slightest deviation from the set routines and drill the kids for weeks.

It's a lot more work for the teachers, of course (who must think of all the things that could go wrong and then implement plans to avoid them or cope if they do happen), but it means a lot of standing around outside for me (oh, well, and the occasional chance to chat with my students outside of class, which is nice). I think if I was a student, I would've gotten bored by the routine of Sports Day by middle school, but the kids seem to enjoy it. Which is a good thing, since high schools have Sports Day, too.

Here are some pictures of Sports Day--

The actual day, Nanyo JHS set up!

(note the random country flags--no, I don't have an explanation--and tents)

Some examples of "athletic feats," usually choreographed with music and transitioning from one thing to the next (pictures taken on a practice day).

This is one of my favorites although it was a boys'-only relay. Boys hold a bamboo pole or ropes attached to it to keep it steady (it's --not-- stuck into the ground)....

...and another boy climbs up (aided by a few students acting as 'steps' up) to stick his flag into the open top.

This is one of my more racuous students who shimmied up rather nicely, monkey-style,

flag in teeth so he could use both hands.

My favorite physical feat at Nanyo JHS' Sports Day:

The Human Wave-Machine and Surfer!

(the student on top balances on a long wooden board while the students underneath roll in unison to propel the board forward)

At one of the combined Sports Days, Toyo elementary and JHS students teamed up for tug of war--

--wearing their respective red and white caps, of course!

I didn't get any good pictures of the cultural dances (took videos this year instead), but I really liked Toyo JHS' outfits this year, long robes with everyone's hair tied back.

This is from one of the more wacky relay races (with a student and one parent cardboard-rolling along).

This is related to Sports Day, I swear.

I went to Nanyo Elementary/JHS' combined Sports Day last year. Even the teachers get involved in some of the relay races, and this year it was decided that certain teams would run in costume. My team (Nanyo Elementary teachers) decided to go as people/things related to Admiral Perry's opening up of Japan. Guess who got to be Admiral Perry? I thought I did a rather good job costume-wise for throwing things together the morning of, but another teacher build an awesome little cardboard boat that he stepped into (and held around his waist)... he got to be one of the "Black Ships."

Another fun relay to watch was a three-legged race plus a soccer ball.

Yeah, I think the kids had fun.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I played a --lot-- of taiko last July-November. So here are some pictures from one of my taiko concerts (the Yamaneko Music Festival). Don't we look cool? :)

This is from our song called 'Funaguro,' or a traditional small boat which is rowed with thin, straight oars.

Ughh, and this is from our Bon-odori (O-Bon Dance) song... the bane of my inner thigh muscles. Seriously, you have no idea how much it hurts to stand in this open squat for more than 5 minutes.

Wide group shot!

And our traditional post-performance photo shot. It's also traditional that we never look at the camera at the same time.

(I'm second from the left in the back row).