Festivalfest!

For at least the first 5-7 days of my life in Japan, I was kindly treated to a number of parties, meals out, and festivals! Here was my busy busy itinery! The day after my arrival and my Onsen/meal event, I went out to a smart looking restaurant in Akayu called EST! with my Supervisor and some other Elementary school teacher and my supervisors 16 year old son who speaks very good English. The Elementary teachers spoke little or no English but were very friendly and my Supervisor can understand English pretty OK but he’ll only speak English when he has too! I was quite grateful for my supervisors son being there because otherwise it was a little Japanese intensive! We had Italian food, which is a bit of a cool style of food in Japan at the moment - but of course it’s got a Japanese kind of feel to it. So along with pizza, which I ate with chopsticks, there was Tofu and Natto! The famous Japanese food, which is a popular question for a foreigner to get asked: ‘Do you like Natto?’ - because the consensus of foreigners think that Natto is absolutely disgusting! I was challenged to try it and eat it by my supervisor and I actually liked it! (I am the first ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Nanyo City to like it straight away (they have had seven other ALTs before me). Whilst it typically has quite a potent smell, I believe it tastes a bit like a mix between Peanut Butter, and Blue Cheese! It’s actually fermented Soybeans and other such things - which does actually make it sound disgusting. The meal was then followed by the most famous of all Japanese institutions - Karaoke! And we had a private eating booth complete with karaoke system (microphones, flat-screen TV, electronic computer for song selection etc.) - it was my first time in Japan doing Karaoke and when it’s done properly like the Japanese do it, with a little bit of beer to enhance performances - you can’t help but have some great, innocent fun. After that, I was ushered out to go with my supervisors son to go for some Spicy Miso Ramen. Ramen is like soup but with good portions of meat, vegetables and noodles in it. The restaurant we went to is very popular and well known for its good Ramen.

The day after - Friday, after the two events on the previous two days - it was finally my official welcome party. My bosses and some co-workers were all there and we had a traditional style Japanese meal with lots of beer (and a good opportunity for me to fill up the big bosses glasses with beer - it is very rude for a Japanese person to have to fill their own glass, but they don’t assume foreigners know about this custom straight away so it normally impresses them and looks good!) It was at this point in time, after formal introductions that I realised I had believe my supervisor to be somebody different! I got their names mixed up because the other guy, Mr Hosokawa seemed to be doing more things to help me get settled in Japan. I hope they didn’t notice but not quite being 100% certain is a common encounter in this kind of situation! After telling them I was a pianist, one of the guys in the office had taken the trouble to find somebody with a keyboard for me to play something at the party for my coworkers. Unfortunately the keyboard they’d found was the tiniest kind you can find with horrible sounds, no pedal or any such thing. Nevertheless - I played a little ’something’ (I’m not sure what !) but they clapped politely and told me I was very good - just wait till they hear me on a Yamaha grand!

Following the meal, we went on to the second party (always a custom in Japan to have more than one party - which was….Karaoke! In a charming little bar where we had Nomihodai (’All you can drink’) and lots of Karaoke. They were quite impressed when I started catching on to the choruses of the Japanese songs and singing along! On Saturday, Mr Hosokawa, one of the workers with a good grasp of English, and a keenness to practise speaking, took me around Akayu. He showed me the shops nearby and what I could buy from them. He also took me to some of the more remoter areas of Nanyo City. We went to Kuguri falls - I beautiful waterfall deep in the forests of Yamgata, and he took me to a bridge high up over the mountains where all you could see were thick trees and other green mountains in front and behind. In the evening, I was invited to (or made to go?!) to a school party - it was a nice opportunity to meet some of the teacher and the children too! They had long half-pipes of bamboo outside - like a long slide - and made a little flow of water run down them, then they would send Somen noodles shooting down them and the trick was to catch them with your chopsticks and place them into your bowl to eat! I got quite good at this in the end! There was also Yakitori cooking on barbeques - skewered Chicken with a delicious sauce! I love it!




See how the kids look up at me in adoration and amazement!!!

Sunday was a free day, but I thought I would visit a Japanese lady who speaks great English and loves to befriend each JET that comes to stay in Nanyo. She is fantastic and we had a nice chat and she told me about another festival that was happening later that evening on Akayu’s main street! So, I went along and watched some brilliant dancing and again saw a few of the kids - it was nice not to be escorted and I could wander around the different stalls and show my face around the rest of the community! Watched some great dancing too - the Japanese seem to love dance routines! Anyone know Billy Blacks/Blaxx? He’s American and really popular over here?!

Monday evening after work was a Tug of War festival - the tenth and final one being held in Nanyo. It wasn’t just any old Tug of War competition - this was a 500 metre rope and so thick! I couldn’t see the end of the rope from the middle of it, either way! Apparently this is why that festival won’t happen anymore, because they’re afraid that the rope will break soon and it’s very expensive to buy another one! Everybody from the area came out, young and old to take a side and ‘heave’ or ‘ho’ (there are Japanese words, but I can’t remember them at all!) - unfortunately, nobody who I asked seemed to know which side won - it must be the taking part that counts! And then, people kept giving me free beer tokens!


There were a lot more people pulling on either side of me outside of the photograph!!

A few days later it was the important Obon festival. Obon is a traditional Buddhist festival for the dead - I was invited to dance on the main street of Akayu with Nanyo City Hall who I work for. We danced traditional Japanese dances for such a long time around the street, but it was so much fun. I was wearing a traditional Japanese Yukata and met some great friends from the City Hall who speak impressive English! A very long winded blog entry but it just gives you a taster of how busy I was in my first week and how many amazing things I experience and people I met! There will definitely be more to come I know that for sure!