Trip to Taiwan (24th December - 10th January 1999)
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Rice Harvesting in Sonobe
Waterfall in the middle of nowhere
Preparing for the festival
All dressed up and waiting to go.
Chikara Honma and Class 1-6
Hiroshima Sensei and Kobori San took up the challenge and after I gave my whisky spiel and tried to answer their questions they were give tasting (or nosing) of 4 single malts and blend and a deluxe blend we found at the back of Hiroshima Sensei's cupboard. In the blind tasting Hiroshima Sensei got 4 out of 6 and first prize. The tasting took quite a while with much debate as there was a strong determination on their part to succeed.
Japanese style camping is starting to grow on me. Big tents, tables and chairs, big lamps, cooler boxes, BBQs and blow torches, toilet blocks and washing facilities do have there advantages. I suppose if you have the car, then it has to be filled to the brim with stuff. A couple days on the beach, good food, an early morning shower under a waterfall, snorkelling and an onsen on the way home were enough to give me the much needed fix of time on the coast.
Keihoku-cho is a village right in the middle the mountains about 40km north of Kyoto City. There was a gathering of AETs from north and south for a party by the river close to Joe Collins' farmhouse. I decided tomake the journey by bike and I would have got there is good time were it not for a puncture and a failed attempt to fix it. There is a cycle path right from my home to Arashiyama in the north of Kyoto City and from then the road is quite quiet. It was a great BBQ party with swimming in the river, a lot of food and many fireflies. The cycle home the next day was great till I reached the city and heavy rain. The cycle path is alongside a river and very flat so you can pick up a good speed until you round the corner and meet someone out walking with there dogs streamed out across the path. Met quite a few other cyclists on the roads including a German on his way round Japan.
The hike around Jibu San
It seems that once a year I feel the urge to cycle up this mountain. At the top there is a temple and from there an hour and a half hike round the mountain. I've been there a few time before and this time I was greeted with something to eat, a beer, coffee and cake. I took two and a half hours to get there but only 50 minutes to get back it is such a steep climb - hair pin bends all the way up to 2,000 ft and a bit of walking. It was here that last year, upon finding the temple by chance, I also met Ichimori San who took me round the mountain and since then to several other mountains further away.
This time, in a battle to get round before dark I set up and Ichimori San would head in the other direction and meet me. After the cycle I was feeling strong and was running along wherever I could and charging up the steep sections. There is one massive rock about 40 feet high which can climbed around but there is also a chain hanging down which lets you go straight up. As my head finally popped over the top I could see Ichimori San sitting there smoking away and laughing (a very distinctive loud laugh) at my red face relieved expression. On the route there are a couple great waterfalls and a few buddha carved into the rocks. I'm not sure if it the effort involved cycling up there or just the aura of this place but cycling back at full speed down to civilisation gives me a feeling that I have been in another world.
Third Year's School Excursion
For a school excursion some of the 3rd year students had chosen to have a BBQ. There were about 4 classes and they'd all brought their own food so there were about 20 different BBQs on the go and all of them wanted me to try their food so I ate far too much. Some of them were really cook making stir fry rice, a giant omelet, crepes and all sorts of stuff. They didn't have much of an idea about lighting fires though so that was my main job for the morning.
1998 in Japan it is a year of British Culture so yesterday there was a local event organised by another AET. In the grounds of a big Japanese house we had a garden party - tea and scones, a band playing Beatles, slide shows, a quiz and some Scottish dancing. The rest of the time I was just giving away free whisky that had been donated by some company - "Clan MacGregor" - a blend that must be for export only, but it was not too bad. The day was a huge success.
Hiking in the Omine-San Mountains on the Shungeno Pilgrimage Route (2nd - 4th May 1998)
Living in Kyoto has one particular problem - that it is land locked and I don't get to see the sea too often. Even in April is was warm enough to take a trip to the beach although nobody else seemed to think so. I could have gone swimming put the water looked fairly disgusting. Tuesday night was awesome just sitting on the beach listening to waves. I started a small BBQ which inevitably ended up as a raging bonfire as we collected bigger and bigger bits of drift wood. A big sandcastle competition the next day - but by lunch time I was turning pink so spent the afternoon in the shade of fantastic curly wurly bendy fir tree with some beer and a BBQ piled high.
Kate, an American friend who I'd met in Edinburgh and again last year in San Francisco was over with her parents visiting her brother who teaches in Shizuoka. It was great to see her and to join her family for a big meal. Later I took Kate and he brother to 'A', one of my favourite haunts where she got to meet some crazy Japanese hairdressers who left convinced that she was a famous folk singer. Kate was in good form and as ever was enjoying soaking up the experience.
Farewell / Welcome Party - Shoji Sensei and Otsuki San
Read below about the Nanyo High School party. This was a similar affair and was in fact in the same hotel as the previous week. The formalities were less and it was a little smaller. I had to get up and make my farewell speech and as ever for the evening was a prime target for being asked to down glasses of beer (reluctantly, as ever.) Quite a sad occasion to day farewell to these teachers. Jonan is a great school and I hope to see everyone again.
Every year a good friend Yukihiho arranges a day in a bamboo wood digging up the fresh sprouting bamboo shoots. After they are boiled for a while they are a seasonal delicacy and this time there were cooked up with rice and in a curry. In return we cut down all the dead bamboo and drag it out of the woods to leave room for next years takenoko (Bamboo's children.)
The Japanese school year begins in April and at this time of year many teachers transfer between schools. It is unusual for a teacher to stay at the same school for more than 10 years. To accompany this change there is a big party, often an all you can drink affair at a good hotel. Everyone gets gubbed and are too busy going around pouring each other drinks that they forget to eat their dinner. Each departing teacher gives a speech and gets some flowers and new teachers also give an introduction. This seems to last a while but the drinking and talking goes on regardless. At a set time the party is officially closed and moves on moves on to a second restaurant and karaoke.
Quite a big event on the Sea of Japan coast. Another T-shirt to add to the collection for my pains. I need to really so some king of training before these things. This time determined to beat my boss I shadowed him till half way without him noticing but on the run back he just edged away into the distance. Next time ?
Just the kind of inspiring event to lift the hearts of the new students and spur them on to academic, moral and creatice achievement for the coming years ahead. Alas no ! More of an induction in sobriery, rigid formality, procedure, silence and collective boredom. I think their were a few jokes from the new principal though and the head of the priest who turns up to school every once in a while - head of the PTA I think.
The students are 'marched' in class by class by their homeroom teachers who are required to wear formal black evening wear with white ties. A succession of speeches and then each of the homeroom teachers calls a role of his or her new class, each student standing up their hair pefectly black and their new uniforms crisp and clean. To think that they had to come to school the previous day for a rehearsal for such a series of tasks. Perhaps not... ... I suspect more that it was to check that uniforms were correct, skirts sufficiently below the knees. Died hair was sent away to be returned to the original colour.
After the students left for more instruction in school procedures from their homeroom teachers the parents were then woken up to endure more speeches, informed of the merits of the PTA and how much it was all going to cost them. The two young teachers sitting in front of me were asked to stand at the door during this half hour for no apparent reason. I must just have been coincidence that this put the two white foreign faces of their proud foreign teachers in full view of the parents. Having already been refused permission to take a newspaper into the ceremony (my request was a joke but I fear was taken seriously) was this to be my final test in looking alert awake and responsible ? This might have been a challenge or an signal to start writing a book, "Zen and the art of staying awake with a hangover during Japanese High School Ceremonies."
After a couple of weeks in Japan, Tony and Martia had to return home and their last night was also the only night we had no plans. I called round quite a few people in the hope that they'd coming round and Kathy cleared some space in my room. It turned out most people actually came and filled my place. There was nowhere for anyone to sleep so most people stayed up for the night till they went to catch the train at 5.30 in the morning the next day. It was a good mix of people from aspects of my life here in Japan aged from 6 to 60, from all round the world doing all sorts of interesting stuff. It was sad to see Tony and Martia leave and even the extra floor pace failed to compensate. Kathy stayed in Japan for a couple more weeks touring all over the country.
Was this just another aspect in the Japanese obsession / fascination with seasons and seasonal events. In spring the cherry blossom forecast is shown alongside the weather forcast. In the same way that the pink flowers sweep north each day on the map, in autumn the red azalea leafs work their way south showing where you can "enjoy momiji" autuwn colour viewing. Having missed out on the annual round of "Cherry Blossom Viewing" last year I was still unsure as to the appeal of thousands of people sitting around at night looking at flowering pink trees. Was this just a chance to look at lots of pink surrounded by thousands of others looking up at pink flowers and commenting as to just how they were in fact beautiful and pink ? Or was it, as I'd heard, just a giant piss up ?
In fact the truth was even closer to the rumour that I'd heard. A large amount of people gather bringing a lot of food and drink and sit under trees getting really drunk, singing , making new friends and later on dancing and later on stripping down to their underwear (only male medical students unfortunately). In all, not much different for any other festivals or Saturday nights round the world except done in a certain unique style. The concept is universal but the blossom viewing thing seems to provide something extra in addition to bringing so many people together and it appeared to me to lift people to even greater highs and enthusiasm which in turn consequently leads to higher levels of excess, intoxications and lack of inhibition. Which came first - the chicken or the egg ? Neither. The cherry blossom did - the highs and inebriation follow as a matter of course.
We were lucky to be there on the best and biggest nights of the year with perfect weather, perfect blooms, many people and great views from the four tiered flood-lit remains of Tsuyama Castle rising up over the city. From a distance it must have looked like a pink wedding cake being swamped by and secreted on by thousands of ants. It was good to be one of those ants for the night indulging in a the great feast.
Kathy & Tony Hiking near the farmhouse
A trip to stay in Okayama at one of the international villas is highly recommended. I'm told that Okayama, having problems attracting foreign tourists, built or renovated six houses in various parts of Okayama Prefecture and rent them out exclusively to any foreigner as very cheap rates. For more information you can visit their web site Okayama International Villa Group
Hoshihata Farmhouse is right out in the country in a small village amongst mountains. It is a renovated thatched farmhouse looking out accross the valley. In addition to three tatami rooms there is a big living room / kitchen with a shallow ash fireplace set in the middle of the floor and also a Western style kitchen.
After a walk up into the forest behind the house we sorted out some cooking and tried to light the "irori" (traditional fire place in the centre of the room). When we'd worked out how to get rid of the smoke from the whole house we set about to some serious eating and drinking. This was to be a common theme for our stay and as a result I don't think we ever got out of the house till past mid-day. Each day we ventured out in search of an onsen, a hill, or whatever and returned back with a couple of carloads full of food and drink for the evening.
Emerging into a state of enlightment - so the legend goes
Todaiji Temple, Nara Park, Nara City
Hiroshima Sensei - the guide
Nandaimon Gate, Nara Park, Nara City
Hiroshima Sensei, a good friend and one the kindest gentlemen I've had the pleasure to know was our guide for the day which could read like a guide to Japan's biggest, oldest, mostest, etc. etc. We started in Nara Park where visited Daibutsu-den the largest wooden building in the world which contains a 16 metre high stautue of Buddha made from bronze, vegetable wax and gold. Then after a liquid lunch we went the oldest temple in Japan. Horyo-ji covers a wide area and has the full range of halls pagodas and treasures on display. Hiroshima Sensei was the perfect tour guide prepared with a few interesting stories and facts and would endevour to find out and translate anything we asked.
Horyu-ji Temple, Nara Prefecture
Horyu-ji Temple, Nara Prefecture
Our third stop was Byakugoji Temple. The priest here from all accounts is a good drinking friend of Hiroshima Sensei via the Nara Australia Association, and this was one of the most interesting parts of the day. Although this temple has a view over Nara, a selection of rare statues and a famous old tree which flowers in four colours, it was much smaller than the main tourist attractions, a bit off the beaten track and more of a working temple. Speaking with the priest provided quite an insight into his life and beliefs. He seems to balance his life running the temple along with his interests in writing and his collection of model fighter airplanes and bombers which we were invited to see hanging in his study.
Bright lights, big city. Kathy,Tony and Martia in Osaka
On this Sunday, spring arrived and we got on the shorts and headed of to Osaka Castle Park where every Sunday young bands perform by the river. Along one section there are usually about ten bands lined up next to each, so from a distance their sound blends together but as you walk past each band you can each one them alone. This is a good place to see the most exceptional fashions and they are paraded by their owners either walking up and down or hanging around in front of one band. We decided to sit in front of one band with a few beers and a big bottle of sake and watch the world and Osaka walk on by. After the sun set and it started to get too cold for wearing shorts we took the subway to Namba (Minami-ku) - the biggest of and two main night life centres in Osaka. We took a wander around looking at the neon lights and walked up the arcade to Shinsaibashi to the Sapporo restaurant. For two hours we could eat as much and drink as much beer as we liked on any of the three floors offering yaki-niku (BBQ meat and veg), sushi or a tonkatsu (fried stuff). More print club and video games on the way back to the station returning with much more than our 3,000 Yen worth of food and beer inside.
Once again Shoji Sensei was kind enough to offer his services as tour guide round Kyoto and chauffeured us to some of the most famous and beautiful sights in the north of Kyoto City. First stop in the morning was Kinkakuji. (The Golden Temple) and on this my second visit the gardens were just as fascinating despite the heavy rain. If anything, in the rain the temple itself looked a lot less garish.
Next on the list was Ryoanji where we spent most of the time sitting looking out over the zen garden in contemplation. We explored more of the gardens and then went to eat lunch at Ninaji Temple. In the afternoon we went to Arashiayama further west and spend a long time at Tenryu-ji Temple. In the evening we had a huge dinner at Shoji Sensei's house and spent the rest of the evening dragging out many of his thousands of great books to read and spread all over the floor.
An early start and off to Kansai Airport to meet Tony and Kathy, friends from university and Martia, Tony's girlfriend. On the first day we went for a look at my school and then for a big dinner at a friend's family's house. The next day we spend in the cultural and historic capital, Kyoto.... .... playing video games, taking print club and shopping.
With the last of the snow falling a couple weeks ago it was starting to get a bit wet up in Nagano but all the runs were open and I was snowboarding all weekend. With only one days experience up in Hokkaido in December I could still get up and down OK and moved on to the intermediate slopes and succeeded in going down with both right and left leg forward.
I saw an accident which shook me up for a while. The guy was bleeding from his forehead a girl was lying still unconscious. I managed to get over there and she was out cold bleeding from the mouth. I got her turned over into recovery position and she choked up loads of blood before I could get her breathing though her nose. Ski patrol got there soon and got her down the hill. She was fine but her mouth was all cut up. I was quite pleased with my Japanese language in an emergency and I managed to snowboard down carrying her board.
Apart from the adventure it was non stop boarding, a bit of a party, taking onsens and a fairly unpleasant bus ride home overnight before getting to school in the morning.
My last day at Jonan was the day of the closing ceremony and I was required to give a speech. To say what I really wanted, meant that I couldn't do it in Japanese so an English teacher translated for me. Students are made to stand during speeches and after enduring the principal for about twenty minutes I'd barely started before one of the students showed his appreciation by collapsing. I was told to continue as he was stretchered out to recover. The first such ceremony I'd been to at Nanyo High School three students fainted. I suggested they all sit down but they continued to stand.
A long time ago I'd given in to pressure and promised to hold a party for some of the students at Jonan when they graduated. They held me to my promise and came round to sample some of my cooking. The cooking I could cope with but I had the spend the entire previous evening cleaning my room.
Eki-den is long distance relay race. This particular event was about 30 kilometres long divided into 8 legs ranging from 2 to 6 kilometres. Keihoku-cho is up a mountainous area to the north of Kyoto City and I seemed the whole town turned out to help organise the event - more organisers (proudly displaying their Keihoku Runners Festa baseball caps) than competitors. The run itself was good, my section the longest but slightly downhill. Racing as a team there is a lot of extra pressure to run well and not let anyone pass you. I was really glad to get running because for some reason we were bussed to our starting point an hour before the race started, with another forty minutes before the first runners arrived to pass on baton (they use a ribbon for eki-den). Waiting in a hut at the side of the road with the snow falling heavily outside was not so much fun. In the end our team came eleventh out of eighteen I think but were slightly handicapped by the effects of the pre-race preparation party the night before.
Graduation was quite an emotional experience. Such a mix of stuff going on in my head as I said farewells, signed year books, got pictures taken and wished the graduates well. In the morning I went to Nanyo, my base school, to see my old homeroom class - my first students in Japan. I made a small speech and I felt kind of sad - such great people - smiling faces - so friendly - full of potential heading off into the real world. They were like really good friends for me and I hope that at University they'll keep in touch by E-mail.
I waited with them as they entered the sports hall and then I caught a train to Jonan, my other school to see the graduation and the students as they left the hall. At the end of the ceremony the teachers lined up by the door and applauded the students as they left. I was moving to see them all coming out as some of them waved at you, big smiles, handshakes and one hug from this really sound guy. He is such a great student who pushed the rules and didn't like studying, but in my classes he was always contributing making jokes in English, laughing and encouraging other students. He wasn't going to get to graduate but he worked so hard near the end and he passed the finals tests to graduate.
For the next hour or so we were hanging around outside in the sun getting pictures taken, laughing, shaking hands, swapping print club and just sharing in their joy and excitement. Another part of me knew that I would not see most of them ever again - they'd given me so much pleasure and so many fine moments. The experiences at Jonan were so rich and real that they have left a deep imprint in my mind. I'll never know what happens to all of them or where their lives will go - but they deserve to do some great things.
Fresh from the previous weeks run at Nanyo I was on great form for the Jonan run. I finished about 20th place among the boys in a time of 1 hour 17 minutes. I don't think that I've ever felt better running than on this day feeling strong and boosted by so much encouragement from all my students.
A minute and a half faster than last year in a time of 1 hour 46 mins and I didn't feel too bad the next day either unlike last year when I could hardly walk. Perhaps those couple training runs were a good idea after all.
In this years cultural festival I played the part of a cocktail barman in my homeroom class drama and as an alien in the teacher's comedy. Really enjoyed my moments up there on stage though really nervous about forgetting my Japanese. My homeroom class won almost all the first prizes so we were all really happy .... .... despite a few arguments during rehearsal.
The groom was a friend of mine -a biology teacher at Nanyo - not who I would have expected to be getting married - bit of a self styled playboy. It was what we call Omiai which translates as "a meeting with a view to marriage." Parents here often arrange meetings for their children but in modern times it is not so strict and they will have many meetings before finding someone they like.
The wedding was in one of Osaka's poshest hotels complete with its own small chapel on the top floor for weddings. For some reason, nobody could explain, there are many Christian weddings with hymns, a priest, white dress and morning suit etc. I thought the ceremony was a bit cheesy and glitzy which made it interesting in itself - an attempt to be a Western wedding but missing the mark somehow. The page boy and bridesmaid seemed to get more attention that the bride and groom.
The reception was a lot more natural - a 10 course meal that lasted all afternoon interspersed with a lot of speeches and acts and costume changes. First from the white wedding dress to traditional Shinto costume - then into a evening wear and then back into the wedding dress again at the end although I my memory may have been slightly dazed by that point.
There was one particularly kitsch moment where they re-entered the room with a giant sparkler, and with the lights down, the circled round the room lighting all the candles before preceding to the top table where they lit a giant phallice / candle whilst everyone took their pictures and the lights came up. The whole event was professionally videoed with the camera man wearing headphones in radio contact with the lighting and sound man. Apparently we were saved the 'coming down the escalator emerging through dry ice' option I've heard about for some weddings here.
Near the end was time for my own costume change. Another teacher, Suzuki Sensei, and I sang a Japanese song - something to do with ladybirds getting married in dream world and having some kind of samba dance party - apparently a wedding classic to get the groom to kiss the bride. The singer is a famous Japanese woman called E-chan who I was to play the part of. With the help of the Jonan High School drama club, a pair of socks and Yoko's make up instruction I did the act in drag. Not content with listening at the door for my cue they had someone radio linked waiting to open the door and for the spotlights to be shinning. No karaoke machine so I had to sing from a bit of paper - I think I did OK with the singing but the costume got a lot of laughs so I could get away with my terrible singing and bad Japanese. For the finale I went up the groom and planted a big kiss leaving a perfect smack of lipstick on his cheek. I was glad to get back into the kilt and able to relax and finish my dinner. Wearing the kilt made sure I got lots of photos taken with beautiful women wearing kimonos. Unfortunately the principal, vice-principal, some of the teachers and students were there so I've was on the end of few jokes at school for a week or so.
Another unusual wedding custom is that of gift giving. You give money (the amount depending on your relationship to the family) in a named envelope with the amount written. By the end of the party you are returned in a bag, along with your chopsticks, a bit of cake, menu place setting and a gift worth approximately half of what you gave. I received a beautiful sake pouring decanter blown with a hollow inside for ice to keep the sake cold.
Following the main wedding reception in a "second party" or in some cases even a "third party," where friends of the bride and groom get together and have a much more informal party.
I went with some teachers again skiing to Nagano where for 3 days I had some great skiing down some really challenging runs - the last day the whole resort was about a metre deep in powder snow - quite a day although my face froze with a mix of snow, wind and sweat. I feel that on these few days I'd done my best skiing ever in my lifetime. I skied like I'd never before with such power, confidence and freedom. I know that after so many years skiing at the same level that the barrier was broken by the perfect blend of excitement and calm in my mind and heart. Imagine the ocean had been turned up side down. At the bottom you can feel the waves so strong amongst the colour and life of the ocean floor, yet you can float to the surface, breath the air and float on the calmest warm waters. That I've been spending so much time below the surface, to breath at the surface is all the more wonderful.
I'm quite sure this was the best club I've ever been to in Japan, if not ever - so much so with 6 hours solid great tunes I didn't even make it to the bar till it was all over. I think Soil is held at the Metro once every two months on the first Saturday of the month.
On New Years Day a good friend invited me to her family New Years Day lunch. We spent the day talking, drinking the best wine and sake, eating the best Japanese food, taking a wonderful nap and going for a walk with the dog to a shrine before starting to eat again another huge meal eating some Kobe beef - great beef from cows fed on beer. We stayed up talking most of the night before taking a long awaited sleep - my first over 2 hours long in 8 days - before being awakened by her husband at mid day with a "wake up" cold beer - was I in heaven or what ? More food and wine before going home to hang up my Xmas Cards 7 days late and clean my house before going into Kyoto again to a club.
The Japanese New Year reminded me a lot of Christmas back home this being they biggest family get together of the year, the exchange of presents, the big meal, drinking, the nap in the evening, the walk with the dog, and the next day lying in and eating leftovers. I'm really grateful to Yoko and her family for sharing their New Year's Day with me while I was so far from home missing my own family.
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