Well, it’s been a busy, up-and-down week and a half: Steve came in, we went to Osaka, I had another orientation, I got the flu, and I currently have laryngitis. But let’s start where I last left off: the festival in Nara.
It was really great to walk around historical Nara, which was the capital of Japan from around 600-800 c.e. I wore my yukata and I must say that I did pretty well at dressing myself.
(As I mentioned before, even many Japanese people don’t know how to wear kimonos properly, especially if they’re younger.)
All the JETs around Nara prefecture got together to see the Tokae Matsuri (Lantern Fesrival). Its only been going on since around ’99, so the teachers at my school weren’t even familiar with it, but it was cool.
All the historical sites lit up with little candle lanterns and lights and lanterns all over the hillsides, some even writing out words in huge kanji on the hills.
There were a ton of vendors too. The only thing I bought, though, was some shaved ice in matcha (green tea) flavor. Prob was that after I finished I had a big plastic cup and nowhere to trash it. There wasn’t a public trashcan in sight! So… uhh, I sorta set it down by one of the vendor’s booths. I know, my bad! Anyway, even though it was night, the Nara deer were everywhere.
Nara park is known for their deer and they are so tame they just wander through the crowd and even nip at people’s clothes for food! They’re smaller than regular deer in the US, but some have full antlers, so you have to be careful not to run into them! It was funny watching how the little kids reacted to the bold deer- some thought it was great and some just ran away crying!
The group was a bit rushed through the park, though, since most people just wanted to get to the bar to drink afterward. I was with the last of the stragglers who were trying to see everything and get good pics. Of course, it was night time and the night setting on my camera isn’t that great, so I still didn’t get many pics, but it was still good to slow down and take everything in. Here’s one crazy pic I got with the night setting on my camera!
The best part was getting to see Todaiji temple. Todaiji is very well known in Japan because it houses the largest Buddha in all of Japan! Usually you have to pay about $5 to get inside the inner building to see him, but the whole temple was open to the public for the fest. The Buddha is seriously impressive. One finger is as tall as a man. I took a pic, but honestly you have to be there to really understand the scale.
Before you enter the temple, you cleanse yoursself by lighting incense and breathing it in (afterwards you cleanse yourself again with water at a small fountain with little ladles.)
I was really moved when I got inside the temple. There was a very powerful atmosphere inside. (Don't worry mom, I'm not converting! Holy places are holy places, they feel different, no matter what you want to label the power behind it. That's why I don't like labeling my own beliefs.)
I got to say a little prayer (you throw money into this big wooden box, clap your hands twice and pray) and light a candle.
There’s also other huge statues in and around the temple.
Two guards protect the main wooden gate, one with mouth open, one with mouth shut. I can’t remember the significance of it, sorry. I need to review my history
In short, the festival was really great, but very tiring. I was wearing wooden zorii sandals, which really weren’t that uncomfortable until the very end of the night, then my feet were killing me! And the yukata was hot. I was really glad I wore it, though. I think I was the only JET wearing one, but a lot of other people wore them in Nara. Thank god other people were wearing them there, because I didn’t see one single person in a yukata until I stepped off the train in Nara City itself. Which meant I had to walk through my town and get on 3 different trains (which took over an hour) feeling like a freak! As a foreigner, you stick out anyway, so I felt doubly conspicuous! Imagine getting on the L in full prom dress and tiara, by yourself when you’ve never been to Chicago and can’t understand a word anyone says… yeah. Moreover, it was the first time I had taken the train by myself and I constantly had to ask people in my horribly broken Japanese if I was taking the right train. (Usually, this meant I sounded like Tarzan: “Nara, this train? Yes? Here good?”)
So, after the festival, I took a day to chill and then went to Osaka with a friend who already knew her way around. God, the shopping here is great! Anyway, we were there all day and didn’t really eat dinner. Before getting on the train, we stopped at “the” takoyaki stand (takoyaki= little balls of fried batter and octopus). Over it you add a sweet brown sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and fish flakes. It tastes better than it sounds! But fried food at the end of a long day when you have to ride 45 min back to town by train is NOT a good idea. I felt icky for days after and was totally worn out, so I rested for the next couple days and didn’t do much. The apt. is so small, though, that I started to get cabin fever and had to go out to a nearby park to get some air.
The rest of the week I spent getting to know my town a bit and hanging out with my new Japanese pal Keiko, who took me to a nice little French-Japanese restaurant. She also took Steve and me to get our cell phones last Sunday. She’s been a great help! (She teaches at an English cram school if I forgot to mention it, so her English is good.)
So, the week was pretty good. Most people had to be at their schools with not much to do, but my principle is cool and let me have the time off, since most of the teachers would be gone anyway to visit their families for O-Bon (ancestors come back to visit and families get together to pay respects at the graveyards).
Then it was back to school and running errands. Wednesday I had to give my introduction to all the teachers (in Japanese), which went well. Steve came in that evening and I’ve been trying to show him around since then. I was very busy when he arrived, so we didn’t have too much downtime together. Saturday we went to Osaka. I thought we’d just be there for a few hours, but we were there all day! Great shopping yet again! (Sales at the Gothic Lolita store were great!) Steve was amaaaaaazed at the vastness of the shopping district! Not only do the outdoor malls go on and on, but there is an entire system of underground malls surrounding the subway as well. However, by the time we got home I was tired and cranky and my throat was sore and by the time I went to bed I had the flu full-on. I really needed to rest, but Monday was this huge deal in Nara with all the Prefectural JETs meeting the superintendent of the whole school system or something. Major deal, I couldn’t miss it. I took a bunch of advil and pushed myself through it. But I lost my voice as the day went on and could barely talk yesterday. Tuesday there were more lectures for JETs to attend in Nara (part of yet another round of orientations for us newbies), but thankfully the recommended, English-speaking doctor was also in Nara, so I spoke with some people in charge and they heard my voice (or lack thereof) and let me out for lunch break early so I could go see him. He was very nice and gave me meds and a note to get out of work for the rest of the week. He was also *very* Japanese in the way that he kept humbling himself by saying “You should go to a doctor closer to your town. I’m not a good doctor, I don’t know much English. You should choose someone else” etc. etc. If I hadn’t known that this is the Japanese mentality, it would have been a little scary to hear my Dr. saying “I’m no good!”, but thankfully I was prepared! One other thing- they took my temp with a thermometer, but here you don’t put it under your tongue, or even in your ear, you put it under your armpit!
So, now I’m home and have some time to rest. I was supposed to help out with a seminar for English teachers on Sat. and do a volunteer clean-up project Sunday, but my school is letting me out of these to rest and recover. Everyone has been so nice about it, but I feel awful because Japanese people usually work long hours and get very little time off when they’re sick. Of course, I’m not expected to work their hours or anything, but I want to make a good impression on everyone and work hard. (Especially because later on I’ll want to negotiate vacation time!) Also, the timing is really bad. Friday is the first official day of school and I’m supposed to give an introduction speech in Japanese to the whole school! They have told me I can stay home, but even if I can’t talk I feel like I should be there. Just being present counts for a LOT in this culture! I just don’t think I can stay home when something so important is going on. And I can rest over the weekend now too so… I guess I’ll just wait and see. I’m less achy today, but my voice isn’t much better yet. At least I don’t have to start teaching until the second full week of Sept! One less thing to worry about!
So that’s the gist of it! I’m trying to recuperate, my laundry is piling up, and Steve and I are readjusting to living together in the shoebox that is our apt! But I’m excited to be brushing up on my Japanese skills and can’t wait to learn more kanji and I also found places where I can study kyudo (Japanese archery) and koto (traditional Japanese string instrument) once I get back on my feet. I should probably be thankful for being sick because at least I get some downtime before school begins in earnest, but it’s frustrating having no voice!
Ok, time to rest! I miss you all and love you! Please be in touch!
It was really great to walk around historical Nara, which was the capital of Japan from around 600-800 c.e. I wore my yukata and I must say that I did pretty well at dressing myself.
(As I mentioned before, even many Japanese people don’t know how to wear kimonos properly, especially if they’re younger.)
All the JETs around Nara prefecture got together to see the Tokae Matsuri (Lantern Fesrival). Its only been going on since around ’99, so the teachers at my school weren’t even familiar with it, but it was cool.
All the historical sites lit up with little candle lanterns and lights and lanterns all over the hillsides, some even writing out words in huge kanji on the hills.
There were a ton of vendors too. The only thing I bought, though, was some shaved ice in matcha (green tea) flavor. Prob was that after I finished I had a big plastic cup and nowhere to trash it. There wasn’t a public trashcan in sight! So… uhh, I sorta set it down by one of the vendor’s booths. I know, my bad! Anyway, even though it was night, the Nara deer were everywhere.
Nara park is known for their deer and they are so tame they just wander through the crowd and even nip at people’s clothes for food! They’re smaller than regular deer in the US, but some have full antlers, so you have to be careful not to run into them! It was funny watching how the little kids reacted to the bold deer- some thought it was great and some just ran away crying!
The group was a bit rushed through the park, though, since most people just wanted to get to the bar to drink afterward. I was with the last of the stragglers who were trying to see everything and get good pics. Of course, it was night time and the night setting on my camera isn’t that great, so I still didn’t get many pics, but it was still good to slow down and take everything in. Here’s one crazy pic I got with the night setting on my camera!
The best part was getting to see Todaiji temple. Todaiji is very well known in Japan because it houses the largest Buddha in all of Japan! Usually you have to pay about $5 to get inside the inner building to see him, but the whole temple was open to the public for the fest. The Buddha is seriously impressive. One finger is as tall as a man. I took a pic, but honestly you have to be there to really understand the scale.
Before you enter the temple, you cleanse yoursself by lighting incense and breathing it in (afterwards you cleanse yourself again with water at a small fountain with little ladles.)
I was really moved when I got inside the temple. There was a very powerful atmosphere inside. (Don't worry mom, I'm not converting! Holy places are holy places, they feel different, no matter what you want to label the power behind it. That's why I don't like labeling my own beliefs.)
I got to say a little prayer (you throw money into this big wooden box, clap your hands twice and pray) and light a candle.
There’s also other huge statues in and around the temple.
Two guards protect the main wooden gate, one with mouth open, one with mouth shut. I can’t remember the significance of it, sorry. I need to review my history
In short, the festival was really great, but very tiring. I was wearing wooden zorii sandals, which really weren’t that uncomfortable until the very end of the night, then my feet were killing me! And the yukata was hot. I was really glad I wore it, though. I think I was the only JET wearing one, but a lot of other people wore them in Nara. Thank god other people were wearing them there, because I didn’t see one single person in a yukata until I stepped off the train in Nara City itself. Which meant I had to walk through my town and get on 3 different trains (which took over an hour) feeling like a freak! As a foreigner, you stick out anyway, so I felt doubly conspicuous! Imagine getting on the L in full prom dress and tiara, by yourself when you’ve never been to Chicago and can’t understand a word anyone says… yeah. Moreover, it was the first time I had taken the train by myself and I constantly had to ask people in my horribly broken Japanese if I was taking the right train. (Usually, this meant I sounded like Tarzan: “Nara, this train? Yes? Here good?”)
So, after the festival, I took a day to chill and then went to Osaka with a friend who already knew her way around. God, the shopping here is great! Anyway, we were there all day and didn’t really eat dinner. Before getting on the train, we stopped at “the” takoyaki stand (takoyaki= little balls of fried batter and octopus). Over it you add a sweet brown sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and fish flakes. It tastes better than it sounds! But fried food at the end of a long day when you have to ride 45 min back to town by train is NOT a good idea. I felt icky for days after and was totally worn out, so I rested for the next couple days and didn’t do much. The apt. is so small, though, that I started to get cabin fever and had to go out to a nearby park to get some air.
The rest of the week I spent getting to know my town a bit and hanging out with my new Japanese pal Keiko, who took me to a nice little French-Japanese restaurant. She also took Steve and me to get our cell phones last Sunday. She’s been a great help! (She teaches at an English cram school if I forgot to mention it, so her English is good.)
So, the week was pretty good. Most people had to be at their schools with not much to do, but my principle is cool and let me have the time off, since most of the teachers would be gone anyway to visit their families for O-Bon (ancestors come back to visit and families get together to pay respects at the graveyards).
Then it was back to school and running errands. Wednesday I had to give my introduction to all the teachers (in Japanese), which went well. Steve came in that evening and I’ve been trying to show him around since then. I was very busy when he arrived, so we didn’t have too much downtime together. Saturday we went to Osaka. I thought we’d just be there for a few hours, but we were there all day! Great shopping yet again! (Sales at the Gothic Lolita store were great!) Steve was amaaaaaazed at the vastness of the shopping district! Not only do the outdoor malls go on and on, but there is an entire system of underground malls surrounding the subway as well. However, by the time we got home I was tired and cranky and my throat was sore and by the time I went to bed I had the flu full-on. I really needed to rest, but Monday was this huge deal in Nara with all the Prefectural JETs meeting the superintendent of the whole school system or something. Major deal, I couldn’t miss it. I took a bunch of advil and pushed myself through it. But I lost my voice as the day went on and could barely talk yesterday. Tuesday there were more lectures for JETs to attend in Nara (part of yet another round of orientations for us newbies), but thankfully the recommended, English-speaking doctor was also in Nara, so I spoke with some people in charge and they heard my voice (or lack thereof) and let me out for lunch break early so I could go see him. He was very nice and gave me meds and a note to get out of work for the rest of the week. He was also *very* Japanese in the way that he kept humbling himself by saying “You should go to a doctor closer to your town. I’m not a good doctor, I don’t know much English. You should choose someone else” etc. etc. If I hadn’t known that this is the Japanese mentality, it would have been a little scary to hear my Dr. saying “I’m no good!”, but thankfully I was prepared! One other thing- they took my temp with a thermometer, but here you don’t put it under your tongue, or even in your ear, you put it under your armpit!
So, now I’m home and have some time to rest. I was supposed to help out with a seminar for English teachers on Sat. and do a volunteer clean-up project Sunday, but my school is letting me out of these to rest and recover. Everyone has been so nice about it, but I feel awful because Japanese people usually work long hours and get very little time off when they’re sick. Of course, I’m not expected to work their hours or anything, but I want to make a good impression on everyone and work hard. (Especially because later on I’ll want to negotiate vacation time!) Also, the timing is really bad. Friday is the first official day of school and I’m supposed to give an introduction speech in Japanese to the whole school! They have told me I can stay home, but even if I can’t talk I feel like I should be there. Just being present counts for a LOT in this culture! I just don’t think I can stay home when something so important is going on. And I can rest over the weekend now too so… I guess I’ll just wait and see. I’m less achy today, but my voice isn’t much better yet. At least I don’t have to start teaching until the second full week of Sept! One less thing to worry about!
So that’s the gist of it! I’m trying to recuperate, my laundry is piling up, and Steve and I are readjusting to living together in the shoebox that is our apt! But I’m excited to be brushing up on my Japanese skills and can’t wait to learn more kanji and I also found places where I can study kyudo (Japanese archery) and koto (traditional Japanese string instrument) once I get back on my feet. I should probably be thankful for being sick because at least I get some downtime before school begins in earnest, but it’s frustrating having no voice!
Ok, time to rest! I miss you all and love you! Please be in touch!
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