To Do: 2008

I know this blog post is going out a bit late, but better late than never.

In 2006 I started setting certain goals for myself for the upcoming year. This is the first time that I am getting to look back on those goals and asses how far I have come in achieving them. Its made a real difference to write them down and post them as opposed to just telling myself what they are and then forgetting a month later about the whole thing. It feels good to see the previous years To Do list and see what I have done.

From the list of things I posted in 2006 that I wanted to do in 2007, here is what I can now cross off my list:
1. Improve my Japanese.
2. Picnic under cherry blossoms
3. Visit the Miyazaki museum
(I did not get even half the things done I wanted to!! Shame on me, I will be better this year!)

My new goals for the 2008 and some carried over, not yet completed are as follows:

1. Drink more water.
2. Decide on a masters program.
3. Save X (this is non of your business) dollars.
4. See a baseball game in Japan.
5. See a sumo match in Japan
6. Climb Mt. Fuji
7. Pay down my credit card.
8. Move again.
9. Get better at learning my students names.
10. Read 25 books.

Toride Matsuri

On my way home on Wednesday I spotted a bunch of girls in yukatas getting off at my stop. I knew this meant that there was a festival going on in in Toride (how could I have not known about this!!). So I followed them and the building crowd, down one of the side streets, near the river and found the matsuri!!! Yippie! There where tons of stalls, selling toys and lots of games. One that seems very popular is catching goldfish or koi fish or small turtles. There where stalls selling masks, shaved ice, octopus on a stick, and okonimiyaki.

As I walked along the stalls I spotted a stage on which a group of masked performers where putting on a play, maybe it was Noh theater, I am not sure. They where accompanied by a small group of musicians and it was a wonderful performance. I continued to walk to the end of the block, and much to my delight, I saw a large group of men preparing for a ritual that is performed at many festivals year round. Its the carrying of a small wooden shrine. About a hundred young men (and some women) hoist a small, but obviously heavy shrine onto their shoulders and then into the air while chanting. I am sure you have seen video of this kind of thing on TV. I was so excited to get to see the real thing. It was pretty intense. The group of men slowly make there way down the street with the shrine. Accompanying them in the persuasion are, priests, lantern carriers, the man leading the chants, and a small band of drummers and flute players. The men carry the shrine on there shoulders chanting, and because its so heavy it sways and it is clear they have little control over it, so another group of men are in charge of pushing the shrine and directing the group in the right directing and keeping it from hurtling into the crowned, which is what it almost did a few times!! The men chant and then begin to bunch slightly while walking, then all of a sudden they hoist the shrine into the air, straitening their arms. It looks incredibly painful and difficult, but it was really thrilling and exciting to watch.

It was such a fun thing to stumble upon! I also got to see many of my students, as I work in this city, many of them where there with their families. It was nice to see them.
to veiw more pictures check out my Picsa gallary: http://picasaweb.google.com/Marjoriebyrd/TorideMasturi

Jimbocho

Im on summer vacation!!! Its so awesome to have summer vacation again!! So having August off has given me ime to continue my exploration of tokyo and the suronding areas.

Yesterdasy I went into the city to do some exploring which is something I truly love to do. I just love cities I guess. I used to do the same thing when i lived in London. I would go in on a Sunday and wonder around for hours and hours, never buying anything or doing anything in particular, not going anywhere, just seeking to discover secret places.
Tokyo is so vast and divers, I find I am constantly stumbling accidentally into these new and beautiful areas of the city. I keep having these amazing walks were I find a hidden shrine or a lantern lined night market. Today I explored Jimbocho, an area known for its abundance of used book shops. They have truly ancient books for sale here, costing hundreds of dollars. Aswell as newer used books and a strange number of highly specialized stores only selling things like, play books from musicals, or antique sheet music, or pornographic books from the 50s and 60s. I found one tiny store tucked down an ally, it was so full of old moldy books that the stacks where literally to the celling. I am certain that the shop keeper was actually a toad who had magically dissguised himself as an old grumpy man. This shop specialized in old and beautifully illustrated antique books. Most of the stories seemed to be Japanese folktales, many of the pages covered in ornately and likely hand painted, color illustrations. Some of the books were not books at all, but actual scrolls!!! The books impressed me so much that I have decided to treat myself and purchase one. I had my eye on a small one costing $50 or so. I will probably go back with my mom to pick one out. There where soooo many beautiful ones I could not decide just then. Anyway, the sun was shining and I spent my day leisurely walking down the crocked alleyways of Tokyo's book filled lanes. I sat for a while on a bench on the tree lined bank of a river corsing threw the city. I watched the people bussling past on their way to work on one side of me and one the other side, people in paddleing boats floated along. I have spent many, many days just like this one, and I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to be here.

YAMANBA!!!

One of the things that is so fascinating about Japan is the outrageous youth culture. We know about Harajuku girls for instance. But there are tons of other weird subcultures, tribes almost, particularly among girls. They are so noticeable because they seem to adhere so religiously to the fashions prescribed by their "tribe". I really enjoy spotting these groups and classifying them. heehee. Different areas of Tokyo are good for spotting different groups, as is the case in most cities. Though there are tons of subcultures to discuss, today I think we will focus on my personal favorite: the Yamanba.

These are Yamaba.

I saw pics of these girls in magazines around, but I had never seen one up close. Then yesterday, in Shibuya (a yamanba mecca) i saw a real one! You should have seen me when i saw a real yamanba!! The subculture peeked around 2000 and there are supposed to be no more yamanbas, so when i saw one I got really excited! I turned to my Japanese friend as we were passing her, walking threw Hachiko crossing and i said "Jenny look, a Yamanba!! I want my picture with her!" Jenny pushed me forward, hurrying me along without a word. Yamanbas are scary girls I guess.

I did some research online and found out about why they are called yamanbas. Its really interesting. The where giving that name because they resemble a character in Japanese folk lore called "yamauba". Stories about yamauba are a common theme in Noh theater. A Yamauba is a mountain crone often portray with a large moth and an ugly face, she has wild white hair and a tattered old (usually red) kimono. She is often a character in Noh plays (plays performed where the actors where masks) who prays upon travelers. She tricks them in various ways and then eats them. She can change form, often making herself look like a beautiful young girl or a helpless old lady and can animate her hair sometimes using it to grab her victims, pulling them into her nest of hair. She is like a female boogie man sort of.


(This is what a yamauba looks like when she is depicted in a Noh play.)

The fashion yamanbas of today are a spin off of the ganguro girl. Ganguro girls have tans and bleach their hair, they were bright clothes and platform shoes and crazy fake nails. The yamamba wear all of this stuff tooo, but they have crazy messed up hair usually and awful make-up (what is referred to as "panda" make-up) and intense tans.They are known to be dangerous girls who would maybe pull a knife on you or something, and they are also supposed to have bad hygiene (whatever that means, we can only guess).


Well there is my lil japanese culture lesson of the day. Out comes the sociologist in me.

Crying

My heart is broken.

My closest friend here is going back to London cause she was offered a much better job.
I am so depressed.

She was someone i really grew close to.
I have other friends out here, but most of them live far away, or in Tokyo. I can see them on the weekends, but it was so nice to have someone close by to meet up with when I had a bad day and needed a drink, or when I was lonely. We always had such a good time hanging out and going sightseeing and had planned to do a lot more traveling in Japan.

It can be hard out here cause I dont have friends at work or family or any other friends in my area. So I spend a lot of time on my own. Sophie was my family out here. Now she is going and I am going to miss her so much!!

I would always say "what would i do if you were not hear?". Well now she is going! What will I do????

poo poo

More purinkuro fun! This time with Jenny. We hung out this weekend. I crashed at her place she lives one stop from Shibuya, which must be so awesome!!!!

(and yes, in case you are wondering that poop has a moustache)

midori or chairo

Today was fun. My Principal brought in his Japanese sword for me to see. First thing this morning I was swinging a samurai sword around the principals office. It was really heavy and looked REALLY sharp. Then I sat in on a second grade class to observe their home room teacher. It was really interesting. This particular teacher is really nice and we get along well so she sat me down next to 2 other kids in the back row, I had my own text book and my own little desk. It was a kanji lesson and I learned how to write: wing, face, home, black, and sugar. The teacher told the class at the end of the lesson that I had good penmen ship so all the kids ran over to see my work. They were very funny critiquing my kanji.
I spent recess hanging out with these two 1st grade girls. They recruited me to help them collect grass hoppers in a field on the side of the school. So we chased after grasshoppers for what must have been half an hour. It seemed to make a difference whether they were brown (chairo) or green (midori) and I dont know why we collected them all in the end.
I like to play with the younger kids cause the speak a lot of Japanese to me. Even though I dont understand most of it, I per tend to so they will keep talking. I learn the most Japanese this way and I get to try out new words. I dont feel as apprehensive trying out new words with a first grader as I would say, in the teachers lounge. So its really good practice for me.
2 new words I learned today:
zembun -everyone, everything, all of it
and
owari - finished

Well now I am headed out to meet up with a friend for drinks, talk to you guys later.

Marjorie