Hina Matsuri (Dolls Festival)

The Japanese have a lot of holidays. I think ten months out of the year have holidays actually. This is great since I am guaranteed at least one three day weekend every month! The fact is that this amount of festivity shows the depth of culture and tradition here. These holidays are not counting your typical western holidays that are also celebrated here (to a certain extent) such as Christmas, Halloween, and Valentines Day. The last being celebrated backasswards with the women giving the men chocolates. And I mean all the men! They even have to give their male bosses chocolates! But don't worry ladies this is countered with White Day held in March where the men return the giving with candy and such.

à la the title this post isn't about White Day but the Hina Matsuri. Hina can be directly translated to Doll with Matsuri meaning Festival. The event is traced back to the Heian Period (794-1185 CE) and is celebrated on the third day of the third month of the year. Traditionally the dolls were believed to hold bad spirits and at the end of the festival they would be placed on small boats made of grass and floated down a stream. This traditional practice known as hina-nagashi doesn't seem to be as popular lately possibly due to the sheer number of dolls that would be floating down every stream and canal in Japan.

Nowadays, the dolls are placed upon a typically seven-tiered stand with the Emperor and Empress at the top. Here is a picture I took of one at a kindergarten where I was invited to celebrate the festival.

 

There seems to be many different traditional foods eaten during the festival. The kindergarten served macha with sweet candies. The principal at the school told me that you first eat the sweet candies then drink the macha (a very bitter green tea). The two juxtaposing tastes make for a very good blend. In other parts of Japan where I have celebrated this festival I was served amazake (a very thick low-alcohol version of sake) and small soy-sauce flavored crackers called arare. This combination gave the same sort of blend of flavors just with the food being bitter and the drink being sweet.

Here are some more pictures at the kindergarten.





The kids liked to show me their green tongues after drinking the macha.




I have heard that the Hina Matsuri is traditionally known as Girls' Day with Kodomo no hi, which is celebrated in May, typically celebrated as Boys' Day. When May comes around I will try to snap some pictures of the carp shaped flags that pop up everywhere and give a little explanation of the origins of the holiday. (I have heard that there is some dispute about why Boys' Day is considered a National Holiday, i.e. they get a day off, while Girls' Day isn't. Meh, whatcha gonna do, it's Japan!)

Hakodate

Went to Hakodate this past weekend with everyone from my office.

Every month we pay about $20 out of our paycheck to contribute to the end of the year party and the new year trip. This year I guess there were some scheduling conflicts so the new year trip didn't happen till March. It was worth the wait though!

We took the train north to Hokkaido through the longest underground tunnel in the world. The 33 mile long Seikan Tunnel connects Hokkaido to Honshu and contains the first two undersea train stations. I guess the Honshu side station was demolished a few years ago in preparation for the new bullet train line that will connect Hokkaido to the rest of Japan's high speed train network.

After arriving in Hakodate the first order of business was ramen! These guys are my kind of travel mates.

We then spent a few hours trekking around Hakodate's port town. Being the first port to open to western trade routes there are many western style warehouses and historical hot spots. It is essentially a tourist trap now with tons of little shops selling everything from bongs (I'm not joking!) to giant stuffed Elmos.


Bloodthirsty Elmo of Death!

After the souvenir shops we headed down to the Kitajima Saburo Museum. Sabu-chan is one of the most renowned enka (kind of a folk opera?) singers in Japan and was born in Hakodate.


Sea-chan and Sabu-chan Duet!

Oh, better include some pictures of other people or somebody might mistake me for being a narcissist.


David and I hangin' with our main man Saburo.

We also toured the religious district where you can find churches of almost every religion. In our short walk we passed a Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and a Buddhist Temple all within the same block. We took the tram, yep a tram, to our Japanese style hotel. Complete with tatami mat rooms, outside bath, and rigid eating schedule.

The following day we spent a few hours shopping for souvenirs. I spent way to much but came home with chocolate covered potato chips, happy (gengki) sausages, and some chocolate liquor.

We took the ferry back home instead of the train. Amazingly it is just as fast and I think a little cheaper. The new high speed ferry is very comfortable complete with a snack shop and lounge couches.

That's it for now. I will update again in a few days with some pictures of the Hina Matsuri. An annual Dolls Festival with what seems to be a very deep traditional background.

Hakodate 08

Snow. Snow. Snow.

Haven't posted in a while. I know. The same old excuse of not much going on lately won't cut it, but really...



It's winter in Kuroishi!!



Meh. Cabin fever.



We are getting to watch a lot of movies. Just yesterday we went to see American Gangster. I think it came out in the States last November and has just now made it to Japan. If you haven't seen this and have three hours to spare someday I recommend it. I think it is a coming back for Ridley Scott from some of his recent blunders. There are a lot of trolling movie illiterati (I made this word up!) on IMDB who are bashing it but pay them no mind and check it out!



I have also been working on uploading hundreds of more photos to my web album. Many pictures were taken by Ris or Dustin. Some of my favorites though are the close-ups include in the Rust, Moss, Bug and Urchin album!

Rust, Moss, Bugs, and Urchin

Next weekend Ris and I are going to try and spend the night at an onsen for my birthday. It's located way up in the mountains, there is no electricity, and the whole place is heated and lighted by oil apparently. Everyone gets small oil lanterns at night and there are mixed outside baths. Right now though we are counting on a cancellation to get a room since they are all booked up. It's a three day weekend and will be crazy everywhere. Until after my B-day! Ciao!

Merry Early Xmas Us!!

Yep, Christmas came a little early for Ris and I. Ris says it was my idea but I have to disagree. I saw that little twinkle in her eye when we tried out Ninja Gaiden Sigma at the electronic shop.







This thing has it all. With it networked to my computer I can browse my music, pictures, and movies and play them directly on the PS3. It cooks us breakfast in the morning and never overcooks the eggs, and it even gives me neck rubs after work. The only drawback is it sends DNA samples and brain scans back to Sony headquarters once a week.



This is kind of old news but we bought a car last month. It's a Subaru Pleo and so far has been a great car. The gas mileage isn't as great as I think it could be which was a trade off for full time 4WD.







It costs upwards of $3,000 to get a drivers license here so for the moment Ris is the only driver. The only reason we actually purchased the car was for her work so it would be a waste for me to take the time and money for a license.



On the subject of work Ris started a part time job at a Cram School in Hirosaki. She only has one class a week as of now but will be getting more class as she gets better at teaching. She is completely fluent in English but has never taught it before. Speaking a language and teaching it are two entirely different things. She may be offered full time at the School which would mean working late every night, sometimes past 10pm, and every weekend. I guess we will make that decision once they offer her the job.



On a different note. Risa and I have started a D-tox program. She bought a set of d-tox herbal supplements in Canada when she lived there and has never used them. It was my idea to actually go through with it and I tell ya, I am really regretting it. I haven't had a beer in a week!! We are both having chocolate withdrawals and can't even watch TV anymore because every other commercial is about food! This d-tox program only lasts two weeks with a restricted diet to only vegetables, brown rice, and water. The program isn't as strict as other so you can get away with certain amounts of meats (only chicken and fish) and very small amounts of dairies. We are one week through the program and have yet to kill each other so with perseverance we may just make it. The fist week is supposedly the hardest while your body flushes out all the toxins with the second week allowing your body to fully heal and recharge. That's right, this Shamalama ain't no Hypacrippie!



This year we are planning on spending New Years back in Date with her family. Her parents are really looking forward to see me again I hear. (And who wouldn't be!?) New Years is a big holiday here in Japan. New Year's morning is started off with a bang rather than the night before. Everyone wakes up early and a huge feast is prepared. The best part is everyone, including the kiddies, gets a topped off glass of sake first thing in the morning along with a tradition mochi (mushed rice) soup and plenty of sweets afterwards. By the afternoon of January 1st every temple and shrine is packed with visitors who make wishes for the new year and try their first fortune telling for the new year.



This will be my first time back to Date since August of last year. My good friends the Griffith's will be staying in Date for the holidays giving me a chance to see them. Not seeing the kids for more than a year will be a huge surprise in itself. I won't have nearly enough time to see everyone I know there but I will give a warning that The Seamus will be back for a short time only!



I'll sign out here with a short list of PS3 games that have received good reviews. Just in case somebody **cough** TD/TM happens to be out shopping and finds themselves at a store that carries games. One of the coolest things about the PS3 is that there are no region protection. I can play American games as easily as Japanese titles.



Assassin's Creed

Ratchet and Clank

Need for Speed Pro Street



Oh, and note to Jonathan and Ayu. Ris and I have finished Season 3 of Lost and are working on Heroes now. The big question that lingers on my mind is who the heck is Richard (Batmanuel) and why has he not aged at all since he first met childhood Ben!?

Good Friends, Loud Music, and Dead Fish!

Three highlights of my trip to Shimokita with Dustin and Ris.

Saturday morning Dustin arrives in Aomori City after a long overnight ferry ride from Hokkaido. We meet up with him at the station. Ris has reserved a rental car for three days and I pull out some extra cash for the weekend. The rental guy picks us up at the station, we pay for the car, and we start to drive north. That is our pre-departure planning in its entirety for our three days of exploring Shimokita.

Our fearless Jeeves.

Well not really, but close enough. Ris and I pretty much left all the planning up to Dustin, a veteran of traveling in Japan. Our destinations of Osore-san and Oma were pretty clear but our route was pretty much anything goes.

We started north at about 9:30 am on Saturday and reached Osore-san by noon. Dustin gave me a short history on the region once we were there. "Osore" literally means "fear". Yep, we actually made plans to travel to Mt. Fear! I am not too clear on the history but it seems this area is a place that spirits come in order to cross to the afterlife according to the local Buddhists.


We made a few stops on the road north. Along one of the mountain roads we caught a small spring and shrine that are very common in Japan. Also, Dustin wanted to stop by a small train station to buy a "collector" ticket or something. Apparently the crazy guy has been to every train station in Hokkaido that sells these special tickets and now he is getting started on Honshu.

Drink the Urine of the Mountain and be free my children.

MT. FEAR!

Osore-san is quite active it seems. After I relieved myself we
happened upon some active sulfur pools that really weren't that hot.

Have you seen my record?

Once you get past the temple area you are free to walk the grounds. I will tell you they got the name right when they decided to call the place Fear! It was actually quit eerie behind the temple area. There were these piles of rocks everywhere with little messages written on them and the occasional child's toy stuck between the cracks. The pinwheels were especially creepy.



Dustin informed me that the children's toys placed around the shrines were for children who had perished before their parents. They were stuck in some kind of Buddhist purgatory and apparently bored. The occasional crow didn't help the mood either.




The whole area was very beautiful though. The lake behind the sulfur grounds was a very deep blue with yellow shores, and the occasional Buddha statue made for a relaxing atmosphere.





After Osore-san we made our way to the most northern point of mainland Japan. Oma is famous throughout Japan for their high quality tuna. We arrived right at sunset when most of the shops were closing down but managed a few shots.



We asked a local where we could get some of this famous tuna. She gave us some simple instructions for a nice little restaurant downtown (and yes we got lost in a freakin' fishing village WITH a GPS unit in the car...) THIS TUNA WAS AMAZING! I have never eaten such fresh raw tuna before. This stuff just melted in your mouth. We decided to stay the night in Oma since it would be about a three hour drive back to Kuroishi. This would also give us the chance to possibly catch a glimpse of the morning fish market.



We missed the catch of the day tuna haul thanks to our incompetent hotel staff so we asked around about a demonstration of tuna carving. We were lucky enough to catch the last show of the year.

Come touch my tuna! It bring long life and happy time.

This tuna was HUGE! Fully gutted it weight in at 140 kilos which is about twice my weight. The coolest part was after the whole tuna was carved though. Our foreigner power granted us a couple of tickets to eat some of the freshly carved tuna. They would let you scrap the flesh right off the rib cage of this thing, dip it into some soy sauce and wasabi, and munch it right down. I love the idea of sanitation in this country.

After our tribal breakfast we headed south along the coast towards Hotokegaura. They say these rock formations resemble Buddhas...



We made it home to Kuroishi that night and took Dustin to one of our favorite ramen joints. God I missed ramen!



The last day of a three day weekend should always end in an onsen. About 30 km out of Kuroishi is a very famous mixed bath hot spring. They claim you can fit 1000 naked people in this thing at one time and they have a poster on the wall to prove it. It might help that 90% of them are wrinkled old people.



After a half hour of trying to relax in the bath with naked young women surrounding me and trying not to notice all the dirty old men ogling Risa, Dustin takes us back to the apartment. We say our goodbyes and he heads off to catch his ferry home. All around a perfect weekend.

Nothin' special...

As the title dictates, nothing special has really happened in the last few weeks...or month...hehe.

The job is great, the apartment is looking good, and it has finally cooled off to a livable temperature here.  I am still in the introduction part of my job, i.e. half of every class I teach is spent with me introducing myself so the job hasn't been too demanding yet.  The last class I didn't even have time for the lesson plan.  As soon as the kids found out I was proficient in Japanese it was 45 minutes of straight questions.  Now these are questions from 8 or 9 year old little tykes mind you.  For example;  "What is your favorite bug?"

This is actually a pretty standard question from Japanese children and I was more than ready with the correct answer.

"Hmmm, my favorite bug?  Kabutomushi of course!"

The kids crack up and start screaming;  "They have kabutomushi in America?!"

Kabutomushi is a general term for the Rhinoceros Beetle.  I am not actually sure if these beetles exist in the States
but the truth is the kids really don't care one way or another.


(I stole this image ;P)

You can buy this bug at almost any hardware store in Japan.  You can either buy a full grown bug or this huge larva and raise your own.  The bug is actually very docile and will let you hold it and play with it.  The kids hold "wrestling" matches between the bugs which are very fun to watch.  It seems that in the wild the male beetles compete for dominance by throwing each other off logs, or branches, etc. with their horns.  These matches can even be viewed on national television!

Here are a few more examples of the questions I recieved.

"How big are your shoes?"
"Do they have animals in America?"
"Who is the person you like the most?"
"How big are your hands?"  (I had no idea how to answer this one...)
"Are you wearing contacts?"  (I was wearing my glasses at the time.  This is a pretty standard question after they see my blue eyes.)

I managed to dig up a picture of me teaching from my supervisor here.  This was one of my first days teaching and was a little nervous.  When I am nervous and have no clue what I am doing I tend to put my hands behind my back...


What post isn't complete without a picture of me, eh Smatt?

Finally Settled...Almost.

Finally back in Aomori. I had flown down to Tokyo to help Risa with the move up here last Saturday and just arrived back here in Kuroishi. It was an uneventful move luckily (besides the cell phone). It's usually quite expensive to move in Japan, sometimes in the thousands of dollars just to move inter-prefecturally, plus key money/deposit money, etc. Risa managed to fit all of her belongings, plus a few things of mine I had left in her apartment, into one crate which cost only a few hundred dollars to get shipped to our apartment in Kuroishi. It should arrive tomorrow and we can finish moving in!

We had a few free days in Tokyo to relax and do some shopping. We spent one day in Akibahara Electric Town where I bought a few "desperately needed" things. We also went out a few nights with some of Risa's college friends that she will be leaving in the move.

One night we met up with a couple good friends of Risa's, one of which is a singer/songwriter with a few albums released independently. His alias for his singing career is Danny. And according to him his first major label debut will be this November. He is quite a character! If you look closely in this picture you can see a white blotch on his crotch (if you care to look). Right before he came to meet us a taxi drove over a tube of dry wall compound and squirted the white goop all over him!












The day before the move we stayed at Risa's sister's place. We had some time to kill that afternoon so we went to a local onsen (hot spring bath) in Chofu. It was a great little bath house! They provided you with towels and your own little bath house outfit (I couldn't help but break out my Chan moves). The water was a dark brown color but felt really good on your skin. There was one bath where the bottom was covered in small pebbles. You could walk around in it and get an excellent foot massage.