Skiing

The weekend before last we went skiing for a day at Biwako Valley with Adam, Chiharu and Andy. The others were all on snowboards, but since we were just going for one day, we thought we'd stick to skis so we could enjoy ourselves rather than spending the day learning. This meant, however, that we had to put up with three smug snowboarders laughing at us as we lugged our skis up the mountain in our hard plastic boots as they walked easily in theirs.

It only took one run down an easy slope and we were feeling pretty pretty confident on our skis. In the morning, the weather was beautiful. It was bright and sunny, and the snow was brilliant to ski on, nice and soft and fast, nothing like the icy ground we skied on in Czech. This was fortunate, because I quickly got overconfident and fell over. Then I fell over again. Then I decided to take a nice close look at the snow by diving face forward into the snow at speed. That was fun, so I did it again. I decided to attempt a jump, and fell spectacularly. Later, I accidentally followed Adam into the big jump area, and was way out of my depth. Even avoiding all the jumps, I couldn't quite manage the steep and bumpy ground to the side of the jumps. Because I didn't want to get in the way of the jumpers, I didn't have much room to use to slow down, and ended up spread over about 20m of slope. Ski... ski pole... ski pole... ski... Lucy. Fortunately, nobody got a picture. After that, I took things more slowly for a while...

For once, I didn't take very many photos because I was too busy skiing, but below are a few photos of the scenery.

Adam and Chiharu

Adam landing after a stunt

New camera

I've been drooling over the idea of a bigger better camera for a few months now, and in the past few weeks have been doing a bit of research into the pros and cons of various models, and had been thinking of buying a new camera when I got to Australia. However, when Hunty suggested that we might as well get one in Japan so I can enjoy using it here, and that I could get it as an anniversary present, I didn't take much convincing, especially when I discoved that I could actually buy a camera from Yodobashi slightly cheaper than an online grey import in Australia. 

When Jess found out I had purchased a new camera, we were ordered to meet her and Andy at T's Diner for a milkshake so they could examine my purchase. With unsteady hands and plenty of advice from Jess, I assembled my camera, almost ignoring the delicious Oreo Milkshake in my excitement.

My new Nikon D5100

Below are the first few photos taken with my expensive new toy. They're nothing special, but I'm sure there's plenty of excitement ahead. Unfortunately, after the initial charge on the battery was used up, the first full charge didn't finish until after dark, so I haven't had much opportunity to play with it yet.

 

Note from Hunty: 

Lucy has been jumping up and down like a jackrabbit all day since we bought the new camera, kissing it and stroking it lovingly. I think she might have found a replacement for me. Wahhhhh!!!

Yamayaki - Mountain Grilling

Yesterday Jess Andy and I went to Nara for the Yamayaki festival. Hunty was going to come too, but he's caught something off the kids and was acting as a human phlegm production plant.

Waiting for Lucy to finish taking photos

I'd been contemplating getting a better camera, and Jess was generous enough to let me play with her Nikon SLR for the day. All the below photos except the fireworks and fire are from her camera. I had a lot of fun with her camera, maybe too much, as I snapped away at anything and everything, determined to test my photographic skills with a better camera.


We've all been to Nara a few times before, so this time we decided to skip the temple of the Big Bhudda, and picked a random path to explore for the afternoon.

Along the way we found some religious festivities, and a new shrine, the Kasuga Shrine, which happens to have the same name as our ward (suburb) in Takatsuki.

 

We had a late lunch at about 3:00, and then proceeded up the hill to stake out a spot for the night's excitement. We were very early, and were able to get front-row "seats" on the deer-dropping studded ground.

Volunteer fire-fighters

Hill, pre-burning. The long grass was where they lit the fires.

By late afternoon it was getting very cold, and by the time the sun went down it was freezing. I had on:

• Thermal leggings
• Thick socks
• Leg warmers
• Warm under-shorts
• Jeans
• Thermal long-sleeved t-shirt
• Long-sleeved t-shirt
• Light jumper
• Woolen jumper
• Scarf
• Gloves
• Scarf
• Beenie
• Down jacket with hood

I also had a heat-pack in each pocket, and I was still cold. Very cold. Especially my feet, but cold all over. However, after several hours of waiting, at 6:00, the event started. There was music and chanting as fire was carried to the pyre just  uphill-right of us, and the pyre was lit. A number of torches were lit from the pyre, and the fire bearers proceeded up the hill, and spread out along the fence, reading set the mountain on fire.

However, before the hill could be set ablaze, there were fireworks. We had a perfect vantage point, and were close enough to smell the gunpowder. I stood there with my camera (back to my little Lumix) pointed vaugely in the right direction, just holding the button down, but not really looking too closely because I was too busy seeing the fireworks in person. I managed to get some surprisingly good shots that way.

Then came the event that we had all travelled to see. It was time to set the mountain alight. On a signal, the torches were put to the long grass, and then we just watched as the blaze took off. We stood there for ages ooing and ahing over the blaze, then, when we were too cold to take anymore, we started the long walk back to the station.

Strip tease

This morning I was playing around with the kids at the start of a lesson. I had a blackboard duster in my hand, and was running around using it as a microphone to interview kids with the question, "How are you?". One of the boys I interviewed said he was hot. The classroom was actually rather cold, but he was really rugged up. I pointed to his neck-warmer and heavy jacket, and told him to take it off. The teacher added, in English, "Take it all off." I said, "No, not all", but it was too late.

Layer by layer, the boy peeled off neck-warmer, jacket 1, jacket 2, jumper 1, jumper 2 and long-sleeved t-shirt while the class erupted in laughter. Down to just a t-shirt on top, he stood up on his chair and started fiddling with his pants. The kids were all screaming mitakunai (I don't want to see it), with me saying the same thing in both English and Japanese. He pulled off his pants to reveal shorts underneath. The teacher and I looked at each other, both shaking with laughter, hoping that it was going to end there. It did. The boy sat down happily, said he wasn't hot any more, and with the odd giggle, we proceeded with the lesson.

About ten minutes later, the teacher tapped on my shoulder and pointed to the boy. Strangely enough, he'd put about half his layers back on.

Flu season

Flu season has hit Takatsuki. Both today and yesterday, one of the classes I was supposed to teach was cancelled. By cancelled, I mean that the whole class was told not to come to school, because too many children were sick. If more than 15% of children in a class have the flu, everyone else gets a holiday to prevent the spread. Now I just need to not catch anything from the remaining kids...

Whale Day

Today's lunch was whale. That's right, the Japanese have such a big scientific need for whaling that all Japanese school children receive a lunch of whale meat once a year.

Last week when I was at this school, I informed the teacher responsible for ordering school lunches that I would not be requiring a meal for today, and that I would bring my own lunch instead. He repeatedly asked me if I had an allergy (probably not helped by the fact that for that day's lunch, I had handed him my bowl of three 8cm long whole fish for him to enjoy, and me to enjoy not eating). He was really quite confused as I simply repeated several times that no, I wasn't allergic, but I just really didn't want to eat whale, and would bring my own food, yes, my whole meal, I didn't require any part of the whale lunch.

Today at the start of lunch I pulled my salad and pasta out of the fridge, sat down at my desk, and started eating. Usually I eat at a communal table but the sight of the whale meat dished up really turned my stomach. The strength of my reaction to the sight of the whale meat actually took me by surprise, I wasn't expecting it. Anyway, I thought it best to eat at my desk and draw slightly less attention to myself, and also not have to look at all my fellow teachers excitedly gulping down questionably sourced whale meat. Nevertheless, I gained a number of surprised looks, and quite a few comments, to which I simply continued to reply that I didn't want to eat whale. I had no desire to enter into either a debate or a conversation on the ethics of whaling that I simply didn't have the vocabulary for, it was enough for them to see that I wasn't eating it. However, my vice-principal asked me what was the difference between eating cow and eating whale, to which I replied (or at least hope I replied), that the difference was that cows aren't endangered, and cows are raised locally, not taken from globally shared oceans. He didn't seem to think much of it, but left it there.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in a conflicted and agitated mood, disgusted by the whale meat and wanting to talk about it but not wanting to raise the issue, and nobody else raised it with me. Now I'm sitting at Wikipedia reading pro and con whaling arguments.

An archery contest

On the 15th we went to see an archery contest at Sanjusangendo temple in Kyoto. There has been an annual contest held at the same location since 1606, although the format has changed greatly since that time. The current format has each contestant (of which there are a few thousand) shoot two arrows at a target 60m away.

The most immediately noticable things about the event was the complete lack of infrastructure in place for the crowds. There was a barrier preventing people getting in the line of fire, and a little bit of roofing, and pretty much that was it. People pressed in to get a view, and many had brought step-ladders with them, which made it impossible to see anything except the odd whizzing arrow.

Hunty and I joined the back of the press of people, and began the protracted effort of trying to see. Initially, we saw only arrows, and I could make out a little bit if I held my camera up over the heads of the people in front. Every time someone in front of us left, we pushed forward along with everyone else around and behind us, trying to work our way forward. At one point, after I asked a young guy on a step-ladder to take a photo for me, we were both given an opportunity to stand on the ladder and actually see the contestants with our own eyes.

It was icy cold outside, but with people pressed up and pushing against us from all sides, we were getting pretty warm. Gradually, we worked our way forwards. Hunty spent an hour and a half with me, after which time he decided that enough was enough. He'd seen a bit of archery, and needed breathing space. I lasted another half an hour, by which time I had managed to work my way far enough forward that I only had three people in my line of sight, all of whom were shorter than me. Woo-hoo.

The main part of the competition is the young competitors, all of whom turned 20 in the past year, and have just celebrated Coming of Age. The young people are followed by a Masters' event, which we didn't stay around for, mostly because my camera had run out of charge. The young people's event is further subdivided by gender. The men's event is first, and attracts a reasonable amount of attention. However, it is the women's event that attracts the crowds. A few days before the event was the Coming of Age Ceremony, and all the girls dressed up in beautiful kimonos. Competitors will re-wear this kimono with special pants on the the bottom to improve movement, and finish it off with elaborate hairdos, and frequently full make-up. In my opinion, this adds up to a spectacular combination of grace, beauty, and deadliness.

A few photos snapped between the heads of the people in front of me are below:

Entrants waiting for their turn

 

Earthquake Biscuits

Last Tuesday (the 17th) when I sat down to my lunch, I noticed half a dozen small hard biscuits on my plate, next to my breadroll, but didn't think much of it. However, as we were eating, the school librarian explained to me that that day, was the 17th anniversary of the Great Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake. 6,434 people were killed in the quake, with about 4600 of them from Kobe (a city that Hunter and I have visited twice, and is easily within day-trip range from Takatsuki). Apparently Takatsuki was not (much?) affected. The biscuits were symbolic of the emergency rations distributed in the aftermath of the earthquake, at least that's what I understood from the teachers, I can't seem to find any extra information about the tradition on the Internet, but I thought it might be interesting to share anyway.

Key chaos

This morning when it was time for me to leave for work, I couldn't find my house-key anywhere. Minus one point for Lucy.

Fast-forward to this evening. I got a call from Jess, who was in town, and couldn't find her bike key. Minus 5 points for Jess. She wanted me to go into her apartment and see if I could find her spare. I looked in all the recommended spots, and a few others besides, and turned up nothing.

A little bit later, Hunter and I met Jess at her immobilised bike, and the below scene unfolded.

The amazing thing is that with one foreigner trying to break open a bike lock, and three other foreigners standing around watching, none of the passers by so much as batted an eyelid.