Chris in Japan: August 2006

Political junk

I hate to get too political on this blog, but this guy sums up the way I feel pretty well.

fireworks and facial hair

This past weekend Satoko and I drove down to Akita Prefecture to watch an annual nationally famous fireworks show. Actually I believe it was a competition of sorts, but I was clueless to such things as I watched about two and half hours straight of impressive fireworks. They were big and there were lots of them. One looked like a squid (a very popular food here).

We camped in a crowded car lot after the fireworks and the next day drove home and did a bit of sightseeing on the way. Below is a picture of me and a display of a creature called a "namahage." In that region, at some time of year, people dress up in namahage outfits and go to people's houses and scare children. People ward them off with gifts of rice and sake. I watched a father carry his 5 or 6 year old son near a statue like this one, and every time he stepped within five feet the kid would burst out crying and screaming. Scary stuff.

And here is what you've really been waiting for, my facial hair! I stopped shaving on the backpacking trip. We'll see how long this lasts.

Tanabu Matsuri

Here are a few pics from Tanabu Matsuri, the biggest yearly festival in Mutsu. It involves a little parade with traditional dancing and shrines on wheels that represent the different parts of the city. At the climax of the festival the shrines on wheels come together, sake is handed out, and then they go their separate ways. Also there is lots of alcohol and delicious foods, and a chance to talk to students outside of class. Sometimes I can't recognize them without the uniforms I see them in every day. It is also odd seeing them because I suspect a number of them had been drinking. Tsk tsk.

Not too much else exciting recently. It is summer vacation for the students. I have still had to go to work, but I can usually get off at noon, so I've been doing a lot of relaxing, writing, and watching movies. I'm trying to get back into reading as well. I just finished re-reading the Great Gatsby and I'm working on the Picture of Dorian Grey now. I often go with classics because reading a book takes a long time, and I don't want to waste my time with a bad book, and classics tend to be classics for a reason, while with contemporary novels I'm never sure.

Also in my free time I have discovered the wonders and horrors of YouTube. I'll leave you with one of my favorite clips that my friend TJ showed me:

Nebuta and Tachi Nebuta

Last Friday I went to Aomori for the nationally famous Aomori Nebuta festival. A big group of ALTs joined the parade, donning crazy looking yukatas, and hopping about chanting "rassera rassera rasserasserassera!" Here are a few pics:

The next day we went to Goshigowara for another festival, called "Tachi Nebuta." At this one we sat on the sidelines and watched. It wasn't as crazy as Aomori, but the floats were much more impressive, I thought. Some were four or five stories high.

My brother's video

Check out my brother and his friend's foray into internet video comedy in the first episode of "RoomMates." Let's hope they continue the series despite not being actual roommates and in fact living on opposite ends of America. (warning: the first 20 or so seconds are just a black screen. also, some foul language)

Daisetsu-zan Backpacking

Last Thurday Alex and I left for Hokkaido to do a five day backpacking trek through Daisetsu-zan National Park. We took a ferry to Hokkaido and tried and failed to hitch-hike to Asahikawa, the nearest city to the park. We took a train instead, camped out in a park, and headed to the park the next day. We hiked about 75 kilometers (or about 47 miles), over about 17 mountain peaks. We ate eggs and pancakes for breakfast, soup and granola bars for lunch, ramen noodles and pasta for dinner, and energy bars and trail mix for snacks along the way. We slept in alex's two man tent in all nights except the second, where we stayed in a group shelter.

The weather was perfect. The hiking was rough. The views were spectacular. To see all the photos I took, click here. Or, below are links to some of my favorites from the trip.

On the way to the Park: We got a couple short free rides, but had to resort to catching a train when we realized hitch-hiking was taking too long.

Day one: Starting at the volcano Asahi-Dake and ending at a crowded group site.

Day two: After a wrong turn, took much longer than expected. Further disheartened at the end of the day when two Polish hikers sped past us after hiking twice as far as us. On the positive side, they were very cool and friendly.

Day Three: A pleasant, smooth day. Many big rocks.

Day Four: By far the hardest. Many steep mountains, and due to a map reading mistake, we missed a water spot and went on for about five or six hours with no water. Rough. Didn't take many pictures. Also got wet from waist to toe from walking through dew covered plants.