Good Things

CHOSA-MATSURI FESTIVALS

October was a great first month for me to live in Japan. To celebrate the autumn harvest, many

towns and cities each host their own festival. My towns and the towns surrounding me had their festivals for two consecutive weekends. The festivals are held at the nearest shrine or temple and the main highlight of the festivals are the "chosas." A chosa is the American version of a parade float, but here in Japan, it is actually a portable shrine. Each neighborhood has their own chosa, which the men of the neighborhood pull, push, lift and move around the festival.

Each neighborhood also has its own style of "happi," or a sort of wrap-around jacket. The men are being coordinated by conductors who ride atop the chosa. The conductors blow whistles and direct the "taiko" drummer who is inside the chosa shrine. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort for these men to lift the entire chosa above their heads in the finale of their choreography (for lack of better descriptor)! It's hard to explain well, so check out the pictures.

Apparently there used to be chosa-fighting, where different neighborhoods would ram their chosas into each other and try to

knock off the top portion (or the top person? I am a little confused on the details). However, it was very dangerous and there was always damage, so they have outlawed it now.

I've seen enough chosas now to last me a lifetime, but it has been great to see some of the biggest celebrations of the year in my first month here!

MIKAN-PICKING

Yesterday morning, I went mikan-picking (tangerine-picking) with one of my students and her family. Actually, she is a translator for my classes at a factory. She is Taiwanese and married to a Japanese man. She is basically fluent in four languages! Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese and English! I wish I could boast that. Anyways, it was really fun! And because it is nearing the end of the season, the old man who owns the mikan grove didn't want any leftover, so we picked them all and on top of that, it was free! I had a giant bag full of tangerines and actually had to make other people that have families take them because there was actually no way that I could eat them all before they went bad.

The picture below is of the translator's children in the back of the truck after we are all done picking! Most of the mikan are the right, just outside of the picture frame.

Needless to say, I've been constantly checking my hands to see if they've turned yellow yet...

Surprisingly, so far, so good.

TWO COCKROACHES DOWN...

My apartment is cute, but unfortunately, it has cockroaches. UGH. I've set a bunch of little traps, or at least what I thought were traps. My friend Aki told me that the "traps" work when the cockroaches eat a bit of the lure and then it weakens them and they dry up and die. I haven't seen any dead cockroaches just laying around, but in the last twenty-four hours I have smashed two that seemed to be moving a bit slower than usual! I have to admit, I surprised myself because I haven't always been the swiftest to kill annoying flies or other cockroaches in the past (college house and Botswana, respectively). Two down, an infinite amount more to go, I'm sure. Hopefully with the advent of winter, it will be too cold for them! I'm not getting my hopes up though; I'll just keep practicing my skills with the fly-swatter.

ANOTHER SLIP-UP, BUT ALSO A SAVE

Aya and Aki came over last night and we cooked up a great dinner. I am quickly learning how to live without a microwave (they are incredibly slow, unless you want to shell out for an expensive one) and an oven (toaster ovens are the norm here). I must say, I've been impressed with the toaster oven!

Anyways, I was practicing my Japanese on Aya and Aki, as always, seeing as how they are fluent in Japanese and English. Like I mentioned in the last post, I've been practicing using words and phrases such as "smells good, smells bad (kusai!), tastes good, tastes bad." On my computer software that I use for Japanese language learning, it shows a picture of a man making a face in reaction to milk-gone-bad, so I've been practicing saying phrases such as "gyuunyuu wa mazui desu," which means "the milk tastes bad."

However, Aya and Aki let me know that I was saying milk incorrectly. I've been saying the "g" as a "j" sound rather than a "guh" sound. Doesn't seem like too big of a deal, right?

Amid her hysterical laughter, Aki explained to me that what I have been saying--Junu--instead of "milk" (gyuunyuu) is "BREAST milk." Why would they make these words so similar??!?? Aah.

Thankfully, I have only been practicing to myself and haven't been going to stores and asking where the BREAST milk was, because luckily I always know where the milk is. All in all, my latest slip-up with language was diverted from ever being said outside of my apartment!

Three Tales that were Supposed to be Short

1. Udon Noodles (many of you may know this story already--my apologies!)

Within my first few days in Japan, I was treated to a local Kagawa Prefecture dish that is famous throughout Japan: Udon noodles. Kendra (the teacher that I replaced), Aya (the other American teacher at English Network 21) and Aki, our Japanese friend, took me to an Udon noodle place near our apartments--Kana Kuma Udon. By the way, my apartment is part of the "Kana Kuma Resort...." Jealous?

We sat in the traditional style, legs crossed on the floor (or tucked under us) at a low table. Everyone ordered a different style of Udon. I chose "Tempura Udon." We tried each other's noodles and the overall meal was quite pleasant. A perfect first time trying the signature dish of my region...

UNTIL

I started talking very animatedly about one thing or another. My arms flailed about as I discussed whatever topic I was thoroughly engrossed in. Sure enough, my elbow eventually succumbed to gravity and came thundering down, only to knock my bowl and its remaining contents of soggy tempura, noodle bits and pieces here and there, as well as all of the broth directly in my cross-legged lap!

Everyone at the table gasped. Instinct kicked in and I burst out laughing. A woman from the restaurant came over to hand me a wash rag and apparently said in Japanese, "What happened?? Oh if she did this to herself, well that's okay!" I stood up and wiped down my legs, feeling as though I were on display for the whole restaurant to observe, seeing as how I was a) a foreigner, b) standing on a bit of a platform (the low tables and seating on the floor are on raised areas to be more level with the rest of the "normal height" tables), and c) had what looked (and in my mind, began to smell!) like vomit all over my lap and running down my legs.

I was with friends though, so the entire situation was hilarious. I'm sure I would have felt quite different had I been eating alone! Granted, I probably wouldn't be talking so animatedly with arms flailing in every which way!

2. Japanese Health Club Boot Camp

I joined a gym last week. I had been waiting for the middle of the month in order to get my money's worth so I was very eager to start going to the gym. The membership fee is a bit expensive, but definitely all-encompassing. There is a nice pool, a small weight-lifting area, some treadmills, and a wonderful locker room with nice showers, sauna room and a hot communal bath (for after your showers). Every time you go, they take your blood pressure to chart it over a long period of time. They also take your weight and body fat each month!

I was jazzed up to go to the gym on October 15th, so I biked on over shortly after it opened at 10am. I gave them my snazzy membership card, received my locker key and walked up the stairs to the second check-in station. A very nice young woman named Takayo showed me to the locker room and got me situated with my locker and then brought me back out for my blood pressure, height (I didn't know my height in cm), weight, and body fat measurements. Every member has a file that is kept at the second check-in station and because it was my first day there, she asked me many questions, in Japanese, about my health and medical issues.

At least, I think she did. She was pointing to various body parts and miming "hurt" faces, so I assumed she was asking about injuries and whatnot. I'm not entirely sure what I answered to these questions though, because after all the measurements and questioning were over, I was shuffled into a training workout of some sort!

Takayo led me over to the treadmills and told me to run for thirty minutes. For those of you who also might not know my exercise habits, I really don't care for running, aside from the four or five day spurts in which I might rarely be on a running kick. Needless to say, I grimaced at the idea of running for thirty minutes straight, so she reduced it to twenty minutes and I agreed. I might as well get off to a good start in my excitement about exercising...

Takayo checked in on me a few times throughout my run and promptly appeared as I finished. I hadn't exercised since a month or so before I left for Japan, so twenty minutes was brutal! She shuffled me over to the bikes and told me to bike (while never letting it go below 80 rpm) until she came back. When she finally came back and I was dripping with sweat, she informed me that we would move onto the stretching mats and do sit-ups.

400 SIT-UPS!?!? I thought she was joking. She wasn't. We did, in fact, do 400 sit-ups over the next 10 or 15 minutes. Wow. Needless to say, my stomach is still sore, five days later.

Thankfully, I actually had a legitimate excuse to leave because I had to be at work within the next hour or so. I did have some time, however, to indulge in the locker room experience that must be unique to Japanese health clubs.

*My apologies if this next section initiates some awkward imagining on your part*

I decided to let go of all inhibitions and do everything there was to do in this locker room. (I guess I did have a bit more time before work than I had let on to Takayo! Haha)

I took a shower. It was nice. I liked the shampoo and conditioner that they provided. I was done showering and wanted to leave, but then I realized that my shower wouldn't turn off. I tried to look around to see how other women were turning off their showers, without appearing as if I was "checking out" other women. Their showers, however, automatically turned off. Mine....did not. Nor was there a button anywhere to turn it off. Hmm.

I also didn't want to be the foreigner who let the shower run and wasted all this water, so I somehow got the attention of the old (naked) Japanese woman next to me. Keep in mind, that not only do I not speak Japanese well enough to be considered conversational by any means, but that I could not hear ANYTHING, as I do not wear my cochlear implant in the shower!

She made a motion that indicated that it should just turn off, but it never did. I awkwardly stood there, waiting for it to turn off. Finally another old (naked) women came over to us and pulled on the "push" button that usually just releases by itself. It turned off. Whew. Oops. :)

I still had some time to explore this locker room, so sat in the hot communal bath for a bit, but was quite overheated from my boot camp workout. Then I checked out the sauna briefly--again, way too hot. I went to dry my hair with the terrific hair dryers provided for us. Throughout my entire locker room experience, I was approached several times to compare leg lengths with other people, as I have long legs and a somewhat disproportionately short torso, compared with the Japanese women there. My hair color was also a highlight of conversation in the locker room. I finally had to say goodbye to all the women because it really was getting close to the time that I had to go to work.

I can tell that the gym is going to continue to be a cultural experience (The next day, I was offered a not-so-tasty and quite rubbery octopus snack in the locker room which I chewed on for about ten minutes before giving up and spitting it out!) as well as a place where I can actually practice my Japanese most. It is much harder than I expected to practice my Japanese while in Japan, but it makes sense, because I am speaking English for 8 hours or so a day while at the school, and then there is the time at my apartment when I am not speaking to anyone, and then I also happen to be around other people who are fluent or very conversational, so they will handle most of the conversations in public settings. I think the gym will be good for me to practice on my own, without any help from those people who are fluent in both English and Japanese.

3. Speaking of Japanese....

(A little story about the word "kusai")

Though it is hard to find good opportunities to practice, I really am trying to improve. I had been studying some words like "taste, smell, taste good, taste bad, smell good, smell bad," and was trying to remember some of the words while standing in line for a public bathroom. I was thinking aloud to Aya, and suddenly I remembered and exclaimed the word, "kusai!"

"Kusai" means "it smells bad." I was in line for a public bathroom when I practically shouted it out. Needless to say, all the women around me instinctively turned towards me....oops.

And THEN, I apparently got confused again with "kusai" last night at dinner. We were sitting at a low table once again, and this baby at the low table behind me kept touching me, so I turned around and was playing with her. I was talking baby-talk and smiling at her and everything was dandy.

UNTIL

I got "kawaii" (which means "cute) and "kusai" mixed up and tried to tell the mother that her baby was cute and ended up telling her that her baby was smelly.

Whoops. My table (once again, Kendra, Aya, and Aki) burst out laughing at my mistake. I said "gomen nasai, gomen nasai" (I'm sorry, I'm sorry) and then quickly learned from Aki and Aya how to say "Your baby is NOT smelly, your baby is CUTE."

Later in the evening, Aki commented that someone in the bathroom was taking a really long time, so I jokingly said (in English) "watch out, it's going to be 'kusai' in there...."

Aya suggested that maybe the third time was the charm with that word...Needless to say, I won't be getting "kusai" mixed up anymore. At least, I sure hope not!

Tangerine Land

I just realized that I neglected to explain in the last post just why tangerines will play such a huge part of my life for this next year, especially in the next few months.

I live in Kanonji, a small town about the size of Walla Walla or Clarkston and Lewiston. Kanonji is on the west coast of Shikoku Island, which is one of the four main islands that comprise Japan. There are thousands of tiny islands scattered along coastlines, many of which I am hoping to see from the nearby beach on the next clear day.

My prefecture (basically a county) is Kagawa Prefecture. My prefecture is known for its Udon noodles, which are thick wheat noodles in a sort of broth with various garnishes or other toppings, depending on what exactly you order. For those of you who I forgot to send my first big email out to, I'll recount my first Udon noodle experience in another blog post.

While Kagawa is famous for its Udon noodles, Shikoku is well-known for its TANGERINES.

Yes!!!!

This was one of the first facts that I learned about Shikoku while I pored through the ever-so-popular-yet-practical Lonely Planet Guide to Japan. Did I mention that there were already about three copies of the exact some Lonely Planet Guide to Japan in the apartment that I moved into? Ha.

Before I even arrived in Japan, I knew that I would love Shikoku. How could you not love a place that is described as having retained enough of its past that you could still walk down an isolated street and run into a tangerine farmer who would happily thrust a bag of tangerines into your arms?

While that may be a romanticized idea of one way to acquire tangerines, it turns out that many students at English Network 21 bring tangerines by the bagful to share with the teachers! Aya's bag was simply the first of many to come.

Hurrah for Tangerine Land!

Pedaling and Grinning

Hurrah! I am starting my first blog in the best of spirits.

I got off work around 9:30pm and pedaled home on my bike as fast as I could with a giant grin plastered across my face for no apparent reason. The wind whipped against my bright green rain jacket (oh yes, I was cycling at very high speeds...) and that made me smile even bigger, if that was possible. As I rode toward the bright lights of the driving range which neighbors my apartment building, I pondered the reasons for my sudden feeling of ecstasy.

And then it came to me.

I had finally come up with a name for my blog. Of course, my blog title had to be artsy, but still relevant to my life somehow. I admit, I was inspired to create an excellent blog name by my friend Brigitte's blog, "A Cloud Atlas," (isn't that such a pretty name??) which chronicles her current adventures in Guatemala.

And thus, my blog was born and I named (it? her? him?) "Tangerine Dreams."

If you can believe it, I sincerely believe that the name of my blog sums up my eagerness for all the adventures to come this year.

My last English lesson of the night went unexpectedly well. A quiet 22-year old girl who I wrongfully assumed did not speak English very well did an outstanding job on the workbook assignments that we went through together. I felt as if it were one of those "a-ha!" moments that teachers must have when they realize how to teach a student differently in order to really tap into their unique learning styles. The only thing that could have made that feeling even better was the next moment, when I walked into our office and saw what was on my desk.

A note! From Aya, the other English teacher. It said, "Help me eat these!"

And a bag. A BAG OF TANGERINES!?!?

For those of you who might not know my eating habits particularly well, I absolutely adore tangerines. (clementines, satsumas...whatever you want to call them as long as you get the picture of what fruit I am describing.) Last winter, I bought them by the boxful and devoured the contents within two days or so.

Needless to say, I greedily grabbed one out of the bag and peeled it in my favorite way--to form an "S" shape--which is actually quite easy to achieve, but it never ceases to fill me with a sense of accomplishment.

The smile was plastered on my face from there on out.

You might think that a class-gone-right and a tangerine surprise are simple things to get so excited about. However, I am interpreting this exciting sequence of events as the kickoff to a year full of opportunities at my fingertips. For me, the surprise tangerine symbolizes the beginning of fall, and the beginning of awesome new things to come.
MY MOST IMPORTANT GOAL this year is to take advantage of every opportunity that I can in order to enrich my understanding of Japanese culture and history.

What a lovely tangerine surprise!