a year for the ox

hiROshima

three life lessons learned this past weekend. but first! let me tell you what i did this weekend.

i went to hiroshima! i took an express train, then a shinkansen, and then a short walk. it was a lovely three day weekend, and everyone was heading to the japanese town of yummy oysters for the annual sake festival. that's right, every sake producer in japan was there to be represented. a short local train ride out of hiroshima, and outside the station the streets are lined with men and women trying to get you to try some sake. kids and school children are passing out fliers, and the air smells of the favorite japanese past time. on the way to the park you see stands with 5 dollar sticks of chicken shishkabob, ridiculously cute doraemon shaped cakes, and googley-eyed goldfish waiting to be scooped by the skillful hand

here's where i ran into the first life lesson. never trust japanese atms. the thing about 5 dollar sticks of greasy chicken and seared pork is that they taste just as good as they smell and look. one might even be brought to believe they're worth the cash! however, when you go to another city in japan, take cash out from your local bank first. went to 7-eleven atm, and my bank decided to close its atm privileges... on saturday. in the middle of the day. when i was hungry. when i was broke. when i was... sad. for sad i was. i was hungry and without cash for shishkabob.

we make our way to the park, and i hope the dude that owes me money can save my butt. he's broke as well and with the same problem as me. a friend pays the $16 to get me into the festival, and i am indebted to him. minors permitted free of charge. i walk through the gate, a blonde haired japanese dude hands me a bag with a tiny sake cup and a list of every sake available. there are hundreds and hundreds to choose from. the booths are set up by province. okinawa sake over here, fukuoka sake over there, and rosy-nosed, staggering patrons in every corner. as long as i have cup in hand i don't have to pay another cent while i'm in the park. so...

let the fun begin! i walk up to a booth, and they ask me what i want. i think... food! so, my friend is kind enough to buy me some noodles... yum... i go back to the booth! there are about 30 bottles to choose from, and i tell him to pour his "osusume" (recommendation). it's strong! i go to the next booth, just following my friends, and try from all parts of japan, my sake cup getting stickier and grimier as i go. we meet up with friends, and a relaxing day follows sitting on the grass in the cool autumn weather.

we chill in the park until all the sake has been drunk and make for the station. 16 bucks for about 7 hours of festival fun. i'm doing fine, as japanese sake is, not surprisingly, about as strong as water for a non-japanese dude who paces himself. after an entertaining train ride home with a bunch of rowdy foreigners and frightened japanese people, i head straight back for the hostel, as i have no money for further entertainment until the next morning when my bank will let me pull out my money.

second life lesson? bring your own towel and soap when staying at a hostel...

i played mario and luigi (awesome game) and turned in early. the next day i had money, was able to buy something to eat, and walk around hiroshima. i went to the peace park! it was a sad place. i made my way to the river, met with some of my new friends nearby, and hung out for the afternoon.



the next day was me sleeping late, sleeping on trains, unpacking and going to bed earlier than anyone under 70 should ever do. after a six day workweek, i needed a lazy hiroshima vacation. thank you hiroshima. i won't forget you.

my apartment is super clean right now

oh my goodness! it has been quite a while since i made a decent update on kaedama! i guess that means that... it's about time!

the problem with not writing enough is that all of the stories pile up, and it's very hard to decide where to begin! well, as for work, i haven't been doing a ton of it lately. i have six schools that i'll be working at starting on monday - three junior high schools and three elementary schools. i'll have a "base" school each month, which is a junior high school where i spend most of my time. they rotate, so each month my base school will change. so far i've only been to each school once to have a short discussion with my supervising teachers. i'm a little overwhelmed right now! i always thought that i'd be working exclusively with one teacher per school, but at some of my schools i'll be working with many different teachers, especially in the elementary schools. between six schools (seven starting in january) i'm not sure how well i'll get to know each teacher. not to mention the hundreds upon hundreds of students that i'll be teaching! i must think of a groundbreaking, best-selling way to remember hundreds of names in a short period of time... can it be done?

obon in nagasaki city!

it was really pretty cool, cats and canaries! obon is a festival for the dead... with firecrackers! there were people walking down the streets from all over the city to gather at the wharf. they were carrying boats that they had made with pictures of people in the family who have died in the past year. everyone was in pretty good spirits, even though one old japanese lady told me that it was a really sad day for most of the participants. it's a day when the spirits of the deceased come back to say goodbye.

everyone was throwing firecrackers! by the end of the night, the streets were coated with the stuff. it was kind of mayhem, with people throwing them in the air and having them rain down on unsuspecting onlookers a couple of times. one even landed on me! it was loud and scary, but i survived. the cops were walking around to try and make sure people didn't do anything too ridiculous, but they were few in number, and we onlookers were many. thank goodness for earplugs.

i went to another nomikai with the teachers and principal of one of my elementary schools! this one was even more expensive, but good times! i got to eat.... WHALE!!! NOOOOOO! poor whales. i have to admit, however, that he (or she?) was particularly tasty and good to eat. here is a picture.



my friend the tasty whale is the dark mass of raw whaleness that you can see on the right. it was caught for scientific purposes perhaps, but it was not eaten for such! also, i had turban shell. it was the worst thing i've eaten in japan or my whole life. look in my photos for a picture of the little menace. he took me about three minutes to chew up! hm... stay away from them.

last thing to say for now is that LOUIS CAME TO VISIT ME YES! i was pretty excited about it. we had a good time, although he beat me to unzen. unzen is considered "hell" and is a city full of natural hot springs near a... volcano! the baths smell of sulfur, and i have yet to check them out properly. as soon as possible i will go there and hang out with a bunch of old naked men and shoot the breeze in japanese. it will most definitely make for good times.

until next time, read books every day, eat food pyramids, and stay in school!

the first of many