Festivals, Tokyo, and Feeling Supercharged!
May 12th.
Well, it’s been almost exactly a month since I last told you all what I was up to. Looking back on my last post… I was even still cheering for the Senators… which shows just how long it has really been. There have been at least four major events since we last talked:
First one’s a quickie. For those of you who didn’t read it on facebook, Aiko and I broke up but remain on good terms as friends.
Second one is the legendary Furukawa festival! I attended and witnessed as nearly naked men climb on up giant poles, balance themselves on their stomaches at the top, and twirl around on it as their drunken friends swayed the pole back and forth. No casualties that I know of. There was also a massive blitz for a drum as about a dozen teams of Japanese men competed to touch? a drum that was being carried by some others. That’s the best I can do to explain it because that’s the best that I understand it.
The Gurukawa festival also featured several of my students apparently doing shishi (lion?) dances and getting drunk. Although I only saw them sober and have only heard second hand from teachers about the other part.
Moving on to the probable candidate for highlight of the last month would be my involvement in the Kamioka festival. I basically just had to drink a bunch of sake and eat food. Then, put on some white clothes and push a float filled with JR. High School girls for a while. And then I drank more sake. Easy enough right? Well, my involvement was noteworthy enough to get my picture in the paper (twice actually!) and have a nice write up about me which included a few lies. They rounded my 193 cm height up to a full two meters to make me seem even taller. Apparently my clothing and shoes were also specially made for a sumo wrestler in the past. I don’t know if that part is true or not to be honest, since they just gave it to me on that day. I did have to special order in my own “tabi” (Japanese style socks) to fit my 29 cm feet. The festival was 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I still have people showing me my picture in the newspaper. People were friendly before… but now everyone comes up and talks to me everywhere in Kamioka it seems. George and Erin even came out to cheer me on at the festival. Thanks guys!
Later that night, Will, Dan, and I checked out the night portion of the festival. This featured “drunken” (or possibly just acting drunk) Japanese men carrying a very expensive portable shrine which held their Shinto god.
A third and truly exciting event was that two weeks ago was Golden Week (or Green week as they now like to call it) in Japan which means a 4 day holiday for everyone (including ATM machines). I was in Tokyo with George, Carol, Fiona, Alex (a friend of Carol’s), Becky and Alison (both friends of George’s out from England). Highlights? Roppongi hills tower at night. An absolutely jaw-dropping view of Tokyo. Me, without a camera. The tower also featured a collection of previous winners of the Turner prize (art). The art in no way could compete with Tokyo at night. I went into the tower exhausted and a little tired of Tokyo… but came out supercharged to stay in Tokyo for years. Rent for an apartment with a view like that everyday costs about as much a month as I get paid a year. It’s filled with all the greatest stars in Japan (apparently). But I know what I want now. I want an apartment with that view.
Other notable points of the trip was a visit to Firehouse, where Gaku from Center 4 Hamburgers learned how to cook hamburgers. There was also a trip to Akehabara, which was so overflowing with Otaku-ness (geek-ness) that I couldn’t stand being there for more than 10 minutes. We also took a ride on the roller coaster that goes through Tokyo Dome (only a 90 minute wait!). In one of the parks we found two neo-nazis posing for pictures with kids (don’t ask). In Roppongi we were harassed to go into bars by some huge Nigerian bouncers, whose job it is to apparently scare people into the bars that employee them (didn’t work on us). Shibuya was cool, and I found a new pair of shoes in my size. Turns out I can get whatever I want in Tokyo. We also stayed at the Sakura Youth Hostel, which was fantastic. At 30 dollars a night, it cut the cost of our trip exponentially. It also has cheap beer, cheap food, free Dominoes delivery (ALRIGHT!!), and a staff that is entirely fluent in English! It’s in Asakusa and just a stone’s throw away from Senso-ji temple! However, Japan also proved that it ain’t really all that big since any number of my students saw me throughout the Tokyo adventure.
One final note is that I got my haircut at a new place today and I believe it’s the greatest I’ve ever received. It was also the first time that a guy cut my hair since I was 8 years old.
One final final note is that a place in Takayama has been discovered that plays LIVE music EVERY SATURDAY! I’ve gone twice so far. Mind was blown both times. This last time featured a dude from Nagoya who did a BETTER THAN CLAPTON Clapton cover. Perfect English (at least when he was singing. When we talked to him later his English went down a few steps from what we thought). And I’ve never seen such great footwork while playing guitar… while sitting. Another band was like a Japanese Dire Straits. The lead singer was out of control, cussing out his band and the audience. His hit song is the Japanese word for “Prostitute”. He saw us in the bar and asked us if we knew what it meant.
One last last thing. I’ve been rededicating myself to studying Japanese with all the success I’ve experienced recently with my little knowledge of it. I’ve also been toying with moving to Tokyo for a 3rd year in Japan. Don’t get angry Mom! I haven’t decided to do it yet! (and Happy Mother’s Day yesterday).
Thing I love most about Japan today: Tokyo at night. Live music. Awesome haircuts! Everything!!
Thing I miss most about Canada: Big open basements, and bars that are bigger than apartments.
