Halloween

[Taylor]

On Friday I went to school dressed as Abraham Lincoln and gave away pennies and candy to teachers and students in my free time.  Students would come up to me as I roamed the halls and ask me, “Trick or treat?”  After I ran out of pennies I searched my pockets to see if I had anything else to give.  I found a plastic baggy with tiny pieces of paper containing random English words.  It was from a lesson we did a while back on parts of the body.  For the rest of the afternoon, whenever a student would ask me for Halloween candy, I would give them a piece of paper that said “face” or “knee” or “ankle.”  Their response?  More often than not:  No thank you.

I got a rock…

Happy Halloween?

[Taylor]

I know it’s a little early, but I thought I’d share this photo of a spider I took outside after a (wonderful) classical guitar concert we went to.  If you look close you’ll see a few other spiders hanging out along the side of the web.  You might think those are baby spiders, but they’re actually males and the large one is the female.  There’s some interesting Japanese folklore associated with this spider that you can read about here.  Jorogumo is its name in Japanese.

Alright, so maybe that’s a little creepy.  Here’s a nice antidote for the jorogumo.

Go Update Continued and Culture Day Photos

[Taylor]

Well, the big Aomori Go Festival has come and gone.  I ended up on a five person team composed of people who work for an electric company in a nearby town.  If I had to sum it up concisely, I would choose three words;  humbling, exhausting, and fun.  Humbling because I realized how much I need to improve.  I won one game out of four and the mistakes I made in the games I lost were pretty embarrassing.  But it was also a lot of fun and I learned a lot from my mistakes.  With that said, it was exhausting in part from all the Go playing, but mostly on account of dealing with the language barrier all day.

It was especially nice to see some familiar faces at the tournament and meet other people around the prefecture who play Go.  A few of the people I met helped us out on Friday at Culture Day; a day long seminar for participants in the JET Program to learn more about Japanese Culture.  This year our prefectural organization decided to give a Go presentation.  Three high level Go players, including one of the top 2 or 3 players in the prefecture, gave introductory presentations while my friend Aaron translated their words into English and I provided some analysis during demonstrations.  Pictures below.

Playing a game at lunch before the presentation.

Getting myself into trouble against a 4 dan (a player 12 ranks better than me).

There was obviously more to Culture Day than just Go.  While I was helping out with the Go presentations, Julie learned about Japanese ceramics, taiko drumming, traditional dance, and even got to wear a kimono.

Taiko drumming

Traditional dance

Julie preparing to try traditional Japanese dancing.

Traditional ceramics

So the day after Culture Day I ended up playing in another Go tournament.  This one was much more low key as it only included six people from the Go Club in Noheji.  I won two games out of five.  One of those wins was a significant milestone for me as I beat a player who was given two stones on the board against me.  Usually it’s the other way around and I get the extra stones.

Go Update

[Taylor]

On the second Saturday of every month, my local Go club holds a tournament at the community center.  It’s a low key event.  At the most we have eight people show up and they’re all pretty much club regulars.  First place gets a plastic shopping bag full of tissue boxes.  People who take second and third get the same prize just with fewer boxes and if you participate at all you get two boxes of tissue.

Because of my low ability I was never able to play during these monthly tournaments, that is until last Saturday.  After attending the Go club regularly for about a year, I was finally invited to participate in the tournament.  Of the four games I played, I only won one.  This is partly because I’ve moved up a stone (or rank) again and thus didn’t receive as many stones on the board against some opponents as I normally do.  I’ve had a lot of success in Go the past month, but now that I’ve become a little stronger it looks like I’m going to have to learn through making mistakes again.  Which is fine.

On Sunday I’ll be attending a Go festival in Aomori City.  About 400 people from various parts of Japan will be there, too.  I managed to snag a spot on a five person team with a local electric company.  After the tournament we’ll be treated to a lesson from a professional Go player.  I’m stoked to say the least.

Anyway, once the tournament is over I’ll let you know how it went.  I’ll also include a picture or two.

Fireworks

[Taylor]

On the third day of the Noheji Festival, we went to the beach with friends and watched a glorious fireworks show.  The guy who planned the performance choreographed the fireworks to music which pumped out of a big set of speakers on the sand.  My favorite melody was the “William Tell Overture.”

Also, in the middle of the show, we were given a brief lecture on fireworks.  During this time a single firework was sent into the sky and, after it exploded, someone would explain what kind of firework it was to the audience.  It was kind of cool.

Check out this video:

And these photos:

More photos here.

Noheji Gion Festival

[Taylor]

In Japan I’d say just about every town has a festival or some well known event that takes place at the same time each year.  Every August, a few weeks after Nebuta, Noheji celebrates its Gion Festival — a four day event featuring parades, floats, food, fireworks, dancing, and music.

I think we’ve mentioned this before, but back in the day (in Japan this means hundreds of years ago) Noheji was a major shipping port.  We’ve been told that Noheji sort of acted like the middleman along maritime trade routes between Hokkaido and Kyoto (the old capital city).  As you can probably imagine, the sailors and merchants brought back some cultural elements of Kyoto in addition to goods and merchandise.

Nowhere is this more evident than the Noheji Gion Festival.  The Noheji Festival borrows heavily from the Kyoto Gion Festival.  The music, dancing, floats, and geisha style performers are all very similar.  Though to be fair, it’s not completely identical.

I mentioned earlier that just about every town has a festival.  The week before I was able to attend a festival in our neighbor town of Hiranai.  A person I was with explained the history of the festival and how its origins were rooted in religion.  He went on to add that nowadays people in Japan aren’t so religious and implied that the festival was more of a way to remember the past and the people who have come before us.  I think today’s Noheji Gion Festival serves a similar purpose.  People have been living in the Noheji area for hundreds years.  It seems the festival is an attempt to link this sense of history and tradition to the present.  Or maybe it’s just an excuse to have fun, eat fried food, and shoot off fireworks.

Anyway, on with the photos.

Tachinebuta in Goshogawara

[Taylor]

A few days after Aomori Nebuta, we ventured to the Western side of the prefecture for tachinebuta.  Tachi basically means tall.  Some of the floats pictured below are as tall as three story buildings.  Absolutely amazing.

This is what the landscape looked like on the way there.

Waiting for the bus.

Yes, that glowing tower is made of paper.

As always, more photos here.

Aomori Nebuta

[Taylor]

Last year Julie and I arrived in Aomori in time for the last day of Nebuta.  We wrote about it here.  This year, we were actually able to participate.  Our friend Britni, visiting us from the States, was able to join us as well.

Before I post more pictures, here’s a little more background information.  Nebuta is a summer festival held in Aomori Prefecture every year.  There are various Nebuta festivals and parades but the most famous is held in Aomori City during the first week of August.  Basically, every night a parade rolls through town with floats of warriors made entirely out of paper.  Participants wear traditional costumes, dance, yell, and play music.

Our group was part of the section that jumped up and down and yelled “Ra-say ra, ra-say ra, ra-say ra-say ra-say RA!”  It’s sort of a nonsensical phrase.  The purpose of chanting it, along with the dancing, is to wake people up from their summer sleepiness.

I’ll post videos of both Aomori Nebuta and Tachinebuta in Goshogawara tomorrow.

Go Tournament for Teachers of Aomori

[Taylor]

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a Go tournament for the teachers of my prefecture.  Going in, I thought I’d get last place.  In order to even compete you must have a 5 kyu rank.  I thought mine was somewhere between 9 and 10.  In Go, the lower your rank is, the stronger your game is.  However after 1 kyu, a player becomes 1 dan.  After that, 2nd dan.  In this “dan” ranking system, the higher the rank the better.

Anyway, when I arrived I was very nervous.  Not only did I feel out of my league (there was one person with a 5 kyu rank, one with a 2 kyu rank, one with a 1 kyu rank, and the rest were super strong dan players), but I knew I’d be experiencing language barrier issues all day.  If that wasn’t enough, they gave me an 8 kyu rank (making me looking stronger that I really am).  It wasn’t looking good.

Then I played my first opponent (5 kyu) and completely destroyed three or four of his groups.  He had to resign before we finished the match.  I won a game.  It was one more game than I thought I’d win.

Then I lost two matches to the other kyu players, but they were very competitive.  In each game I made one mistake that cost me the game.

For the last match I was paired with a super strong 3 dan person.  This guy is 11 ranks better than my own.  He was given the maximum handicap against me (9 stones).  And, somehow, I beat him.  Truthfully, there was some luck involved.  It was the last match and we were both a little tired.  Because of that I was able to box him into each of the four corners and gain more influence in the middle.  But still, I was shocked.

Many people at the tournament complimented me on my games.  Although I did experience some language barrier issues I was still able to communicate that I had been in Japan one year and began studying Go last year in September in Noheji.  One of the people I explained this to was there for a newspaper in a nearby city.  I’m not sure if I’m in there or not, I’ll have to check it out later today.

To top off a wonderful day, after I congratulated the champion (a 5 dan player), he offered to play a teaching game with me.  He tested me but didn’t go at me full strength.  The main purpose was to check my level and show me a few moves in case I got into trouble (which he did).  After that the officials of the tournament invited me to a Go festival in Aomori City in October.  It’ll be held for four days and I’ll have the opportunity of receiving a free lesson from a professional.

As I was leaving one of the officials, a wonderfully sweet and kind middle-aged woman who I’d been talking to in between games, said to me, “Happy day?”

“Yes, happy day,” I replied smiling.  I then went back to Noheji with the windows down, listening to music as I drove down the coast.

Where have we been?

[Taylor]

We haven’t posted in a while and with good reason.  Two weekends ago we were busy planning for an English barbecue at our apartment.  Our friend in town who teaches English privately to elementary and junior high school students invited approximately fifty people over for hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and soda.  Yes, that’s right, we celebrated the 4th of July…in August.

A few days before the big barbecue, our friend Britni arrived from the States.  As you can imagine, we’ve spent a lot of our free time showing her all the good things Aomori has to offer.  Since it’s August, this included participating in the famous Aomori Nebuta festival, watching the brilliant Tachinebuta festival in Goshogawara, attending a tea ceremony, exploring Hirosaki Castle, meeting Julie’s coworkers, meeting our ALT friends, watching wacky television shows, and of course, eating delicious seafood and ramen.

On top of all that, I helped out at an English camp for junior high and high school students in Aomori City over the weekend.  When I wasn’t running English activities I was running around in the gym playing basketball, American football, and wall ball (a game I taught them how to play).  It was exhausting, but a ton of fun.

Highlights of English Camp

Eight other ALTs attended English Camp this summer.  In addition to running activities, we were each put in charge of a group of ten students who competed against other teams in various English activities.  This included writing and performing a skit with props.  My team, team Ultraman, had to write a play incorporating the phrase “Does he have influenza?”  In the skit, Winnie the Pooh invites his friends over for a Halloween party where they decide they should go skiing later.  Two months later, they go skiing, Pooh gets lost, rescued, and it is feared he has influenza.

The main activities I was in charge of included an English logic puzzle and a shopping simulation.  Of the two, the shopping simulation was my favorite.  A Japanese teacher and I sold Alaskan products to students including totem poles (badminton poles) and bear meat (sold by the kilogram).  Towards the end of the simulation, my coworker would steal an item.  I’d wait for my students to yell “Help!  Help me!” and then I’d chase after the teacher and arrest him with some toy handcuffs.

But my favorite part of the weekend was just hanging out and talking with students.  As far as camp counseling goes, I’m not the kind that exudes enthusiasm and effervesces Fun! and Excitement! everywhere I go.  I take a much quieter approach and try to get to know the students.  It’s a balance.  Those rowdy leaders are certainly necessary for a successful camp but I think having a few people take a more subdued approach helps make it more inclusive.

Look for more updates on the blog soon.  I’ll be typing up posts for Nebuta festivals in Aomori and Goshogawara soon.  Tomorrow I’m attending a Go tournament for the teachers of Aomori Prefecture so I’ll be sure to post a few pictures and comments on that as well.

As I alluded earlier, Julie will be sightseeing with Britni in Kyoto and Tokyo this week.  When she gets back, I reckon we’ll have even more blog entries for you to read.