Taiko outfit

The happi outfit I wore for the Takagi festival performance last month.

Takagi Matsuri

A year ago I stood in a crowd of people I didn't know, watching locals join in with a festival dance. The smell of the food stalls behind me, the summer heat, the brilliant hanabi (fireworks) exploding overhead were almost overwhelming for the senses. As I watched the finale, a taiko group performed a song from their repertoire while a framework of fireworks burned furiously behind them. I remember thinking how awesome it would have been to be up there, drumming away while people looked on and clapped and cheered.

This year I was part of that taiko group, drumming away while the people of my village looked on, clapping, cheering and enjoying the extensive firework display around us. We were onstage for no more than ten minutes or so, but the intensity of the realisation took my mind off the unbelievable humidity. It was at that point I realised that, in just a year, I'd managed to do something I've always wanted to; to put myself into a foreign culture and become a member of the community. For the millionth time this past year, I'm so very glad I took the steps I did to be here...

Taiko at my yakuba

Last Sunday I had another taiko performance. What I didn't realise what that there was a mini festival going on in the grounds of my yakuba, and that's where we would be playing. The realisation that I would most likely be playing to lots of people who know me, including dozens and dozens of the kids I teach at school, didn't take its time to sink in.

Actually I had nothing to be apprehensive about. The show went really well, and I received many compliments from both people I know and random strangers who passed me by afterwards. Awesome.


The banner says "Hanabutai", which means "flower stage."

As well as the rows of stalls of food and festival goods, one of the rooms in my yakuba were used to display my village's fabled handmade Japanese umbrellas. To say the least they are fantastic.





After the performance my taiko group headed to a nearby restaurant, the Radish (recommended by me!) which does really nice katsu. My second victory of the day was by far the sweetest. Allow me to explain. If lemon is put on my plate I always eat it. I find it nice and refreshing, and leaves a pleasant taste behind after a good meal.

Now, foreigners will be familiar with the word "challenge", but never will they hear it as often as being in Japan and having a native say "challenge" every time you look like you may not enjoy something, in this case food. Not one to miss such a golden opportunity, I scoffed my lemon after finishing my meal and looked expectantly at my group. They all looked horrified. I smiled and said "challenji." Bound by the unspoken laws of their own culture, they carefully picked up their lemon slices, looked at eachother, plopped the slices into their mouths and started to chew. The facial expressions at the table were absolutely priceless.


Food of champions!

This weeks' update

Monday
For Mondays session at Taiko I was 'upgraded' in a sense. That is, I was solely responsible for the beat drum. I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal if I'd been doing Taiko for longer, but with just a couple of months under my belt I'd like to think that quite respectable, nay, impressive. I've been a bassist for a long time now, and any decent bassist will tell you that you have to listen to your drummer! It was strange being relied upon for beat and timing after listening to someone else for so long. I have another performance next week, and then another in a couple of weeks. I know my group want me on one of the lead drums for the latter... I just hope I can get it downpat!

Tuesday
This Saturday being Halloween I decided to tell my eikaiwa group about the origins of Halloween and what westerners get up to around this date. Somehow we got onto the subject of idioms and proverbs, and I mentioned "the world is your oyster." Two of my group looked on fascinated, while the third let a puzzled look flash across her face before asking to "please explain." I tried to make it as easy as possible and said "it means you can go anywhere and do anything, there's nothing to stop you." Another puzzled look followed by "but an oyster cannot go anywhere." Haha! A wonderfully disarming response from a middle-aged Japanese woman.

Wednesday
Some weeks back I was interviewed and recorded for the local radio station. Today I was asked to write a self-introduction for the local newspaper. The guy from my yakuba took a picture of me, as photogenic as I am, and I proceeded to write a short piece about myself, why I came to Japan, and what my first impressions of it were (they always want to know that!). I'm now on the lookout for locals chortling on street corners, waving a photo of me in the air.

Tonight me and Marion drove north to Ina to check out a store that sells costumes. On Saturday we're having a Halloween party at Ben's place and we both were in need of inspiration. Marion found what she was looking for and so did I. It was a little more expensive than I would usually spend on a costume, and er... a lot tighter as well. But you'll have to see it to believe it.

Thursday
Karate night! This evening we ran through the basic moves and the first level kata. I know it well now and will be going for my first grading in early December. This week we also ordered our gi's. It's a good job we don't wear footwear for it, I'd be reduced to plastic bags! My feet are a 30cm size, and the biggest (XXL / yeti) size here is 28. Ha!

Friday
Elementary school today. I'm freakin' knackered. Six lessons back to back of hyper kiddies! I introduced them to my handmade "Make-a-monster" game because it's Halloween tomorrow. Every class loved it, and the students were dragging me to their desks to make personal additions to their warped creations. I'm amazed the teachers also seemed to love it, and were 'ganbarimasu'ing to get theirs done before the end of the lesson. Awesome!

This evening I picked up a cover for the Japanese-style hot water bottle (essentially a big tin!) I found in my cupboard on Tuesday night, as well as 18 litres of kerosene for my heater, sold from the same pump I get my car fuel from. Crazy!

This week has been quite busy, and seemed to have lasted a long time too, but on the bright side my kanji count has just passed 100, I have a party tomorrow night, and next Tuesday we have a day off, so a few of us are heading to Matsumoto to do some christmas shopping! It's all go-go-go in J-land!

Taiko 太鼓

Above: my first Taiko experience at Achi-mura Obon Festival

Last week I started Taiko, the Japanese drumming martial art/dance/music form. I discovered that drumming is a lot harder than it appears, especially when you have to play in time with ten other drummers. The big drums are hit with bashi (sticks), a pair of which I bought last week. They are about 15 inches long and about the width of a broom handle.

This week I was able to participate a lot more with the rest of the class, all of whom have been playing for at least two years. Our sensei is Art Lee, a professional American Taiko artist who was the first non-Japanese to win the Tokyo National Wadaiko Competition in 2005. I find him a remarkably unassuming man, lightly spoken and of a very calm and balanced disposition.

Anyway, I'm finding the Taiko great fun and a great workout every week (despite the fact that this week I managed to smash my thumbs until they bled). A little pain is supposed to keep you sharp, right?

My first day teaching

Above: My JHS office. My desk is in the foreground with the laptop.


Above: View from the office window.

Sweet jesus, I'm knackered! The killer combination of Taiko last night, a bad night's sleep, and a hot and long day at work has left me sat here at 18:16 completely exhausted.

However, my fingers still work thankfully, so I can manage a couple of blog entries. Let's start with school then...

I started work today. It was very much a day of firsts. Well, every day is a day of firsts here, but it was certainly a lot more evident today.

My alarm went off at the unholy time of 6.45, and after a quick breakfast and shower, donned my suit for the opening ceremony of this new term at school. Although I don't usually sweat much, the crazy Japanese humidity (Japanese: mushiatsui, or むしあつい) had me rather clammy by the time I drove into the staff carpark. Buying a sweat rag was definately a wise move!

The ceremony caught me off-guard. I stood with the Principal while the students filed in, and after a brief introduction by the Principal, I took to the front of the hall to introduce myself in both English and Japanese. I'm used to standing in front of large crowds, but the butterflies were doing a conga inside me. Thankfully I didn't fluff my speech, and I turned from the microphone to much applause.

My schedule today (worked out by a complex and confusing series of cross-referenced tables) gave me just two lessons, both of which I used to introduce myself to the first-graders. It's true what is said about foreigners becoming celebrities in schools here, especially if you, like me, are tall or have big feet. The students wanted to arm wrestle me, compare hand or foot sizes, or try to jump higher than my height. I'm certain one student called me "Schwarzenegger" and another called me "Terminator." When I hummed the theme to the movie they erupted with laughter and cheering.

In my time between lessons I have been studying Japanese, drafting these blogs, and altering my introduction lesson for the classes I am to teach. Every Friday I am to visit two Elementary schools, and have a full day of lessons! I only hope I don't run out of genki (see blog) - a lifeless ALT wouldn't last 5 minutes with these kids!