多く物 (Many things)

What has it been, six days? Time flies when you're really busy and don't have access to an internet connection. A number of different things have happened in the last couple days, so it's time for a series of blurbs:

Blurb the First:

Murakami adult language class party (Saturday)
If there were a hyphen in the above phrase, it would be between "language and class," not "adult and language." Just so we're all on the same page.

Katrina and some friendly Murakamijin picked me up at the Murakami train station and drove me up to the expansive but sparsely populated municipality of Asahi. Here, we were introduced to a friendly table full of English-learning Nihonjin and yet another table full of food (some JETs manage to gain weight in Japan in spite of the relatively healthy diet here, this being due to the unceasing string of party invitations from various locals). The food didn't present many new challenges- raw meat roasted on grills on the table, vegetables (pickled and in ratatouille, believe it or not). The only surprise came after I had enjoyed half a cup of unusual but not disagreeable tasting Nihonshu (sake- we say sake, they say Nihonshu- the kanji for it basically read "Japan booze"): when I was confronted with the pot in which the Nihonshu was heated- I made I contact with the fish cadavers still suspended inside. A little weird, but not bad tasting, and less scary than some things I've already voluntarily eaten.

Here's a pic for posterity:




Blurb the Second: Sado and Kodo (Sunday to Monday)

I did not initially realize that getting down to Sado meant an hour train ride, a fifteen minute bus ride, a 2.5 hour ferry ride, and a 70 minute bus ride, or else I might have left earlier to actually spend more time on the Island. It was still worth it, however, the ferry alone was an interesting experience.

Unfortunately, the Ferry is all I really got an pictures of, because by the time I arrived at the earth celebration, I was travel-weary and just wanted to look around without documenting it. Also, it was dark, and I was dancing for a good portion of the concert anyhow.

The ferry, however, was cool enough to warrant snapping some pics. It's basically a lot of empty, carpeted floor space inside a huge boat, and people tend to stretch out, eat, relax, sleep, or head out on deck to enjoy the view. As to the latter, here are some photographs taken from the deck of the ferry-





Here are some photos of the JETs I was traveling with (these were taken on the return trip, but they were at the concert as well)- Daphne (from Singapore), and Mia and Laura (Americajin, although I couldn't tell you exactly where).





The concert itself was specfrickintacular, sorry again about no photos- although I doubt very much I could have done it justice anyhow without a tripod and a cable release (and without dancing to the mad mad rhythms). Kodo is a Japanese taiko, or traditional drumming, group. They started out with a number on a huge drum that could have comfortably fit 4 grown adults (if they were standing), played from two sides by men in loin cloths. The sound wasn't so much something you heard (although you did that too)- it was more like every time the drum was struck, an aircraft flying 20 feet overhead broke the sound barrier. This was followed by some traditional Japanese taiko fare, and then a joint performance with a Brazilian group decked out in intense dreds and Rasta gear. The collaborative bits were both intense and funky- music to move to. Then there was some traditional dancing to the tune of a shakuhachi, followed by an extended finale complete with waving banners.

Overall, tres cool, but also quite expensive and involving a great deal of travel. If I go again next year, it will be earlier in the weekend so that I can check out Sado a bit more prior to the actual show.

Blurb the Third:
Starting work!

Ah, teaching, right. The actual reason I'm here. It's been easy to forget during all the madness of the preceding month, but I am typing this post from my new desk at Hounai Shoggako (Hounai Elementary School- grades 1-6). This morning was the opening ceremony assembly, at which I was asked to give a short introduction in Japanese and in English. The Japanese introduction went alright, although my nerves caused me to forget some of my lines, and the English one went predictably well, although I was probably the only person in the auditorium who understood it in its entirety (better than my Japanese one, which I doubt anyone understood in its entirety). I was very nervous as I got ready this morning, especially about working with children for the first time. However, generally speaking, my encounters with my future students have been energizing rather than enervating, and I feel like I will be able to settle in and even enjoy my work once I get around the technical hurdle of learning to plan lessons and manage a classroom. "Hello" is about as far as most of the kids go with English, although I caught a couple good mornings scattered in there as well- I've got my work cut out for me.

Tomorrow is my first day at the Arakawa Chugakko (Arakawa Junior High School), where I will be introducing myself in English only, and maybe even visiting classes and playing games already. I'm intimidated, but Hounai has turned out well enough that I'm hoping I can replicate my experience here at the other schools. Fingers crossed.