Mystery Solved!!

Ladies and gentlemen, please take a good look at this odd item. Do you recognize it? I for one had never seen it until I came to Japan.

During breaks or periods of boredom at school, I like to explore around the supply room for things that I might be able to use. While pawing around the stock, I also rearrange and organize the boxes for the other teachers. That was when I found this odd piece. I had no idea what to do with it and where to put it.  Can you figure out the riddle? I'll give you some hints.

1. It is something that is usually found among office supplies.

2. It is no longer than a person's thumb.

3. It is made of a light metal, so it is rather light.

Did you think of it yet?

Any ideas?

Give up yet?

Alright. If you insist, I'll tell you.....

Its a pencil cap!

Japanese students carry around pencil cases from the time they are in elementary school to well into college and grad school. While they can be very cheap, these are usually kept as long as possible and can be made from a hard plastic, metal, cloth, or a mixture of the three. In order to keep the inside of the pencil cases (which also hold pens, post-its, and other small items) clean, these pencil caps were invented. They also keep the sharpened pencils from being chipped or breaking at the tip. Not sure who or which country thought of them first, but my generation in the US aren't familiar with them. It honestly took me two years to figure out why my school had these odd, little items. I showed this to my kids and they were shocked to find out that we didn't use them when I was younger. Being the neat-freak that I am, I know that I'd have all of my pencils capped, but hindsight is 20-20.

Not my most exciting post, everyone, but I thought you might like to see something new, or possibly even familiar, that is used frequently in Japan.

Wedding Kimono

The other day, I met with a secretary from one of my schools. She is a kimono expert and loves to play dress up with me. Before we go to tea ceremony together, she insists that I come to her home so that we can both dress in kimono and attend together. With over 100 kimono to choose from, I'm always surprised with what colors and patters she has planned for me.

On this particular occasion, I had asked that we just practice simple belt tying since I wanted to be able to do my own kimono in America. Up until then, she had always tied my belt for me. However hard I tried to follow her steps, she moved too quickly and knew too many knots for me to properly remember. Of course we practiced tying this simple bow style knot on my kimono and obi, but first......

 ...the teacher wanted to show me something even more spectacular! Wedding kimono!

Most Japanese families don't actually have their own wedding kimono, but rent them from a company instead. The headdress, accessories, and shoes are also rented as well. However, being the kimono fanatic that she is, my secretary friend has three full sets of wedding kimono in her collection. I asked her why she had them and her response was a whimsical, "I just felt like having them and thought that I could practice tying them better if I had them always on hand." 

Wedding kimono are worn slightly different than the normal kind and are usually worn with a very large top layer, even in the summer time. First, the bride wears a white kimono underneath and switches out two top layers for during and then after the ceremony. The one during the ceremony is white and the one afterwords can be many colors, but is primarily red.

And then it hit my secretary friend.

"Oh! I've got a great idea! My daughter-in-law-to-be is going to use my kimono for her wedding photos, but we haven't decided which ones. I'm also out of practice with tying them. Why don't you wear them for me and we can decide which ones look best?!"

And so, my lesson turned into playing dress up again ;)

Here is the first dress - the bottom layer that everything else would cover eventually. However, even if it would hardly show, the secretary made sure that each crease and fold was done as perfectly as possible. It was a little difficult because, while I have a very long torso (which does well for showing off an obi), I have a very narrow waist and an hourglass shape. That paired with my taller (when compared to Japanese women) height, my body is not ideal for kimono. The secretary usually pads my stomach with pillows and towels to make my figure flatter. The hair ornaments were made by the secretary from pearls and wires. They are broaches that we pinned into my hair to mimic a bride's hair pieces.

Fun Fact!!! Can you see the little pouch resting in my lapel opening? That is a little wallet for the bride to store things. I have a white fan in my hand that I could also store in my belt or lapel. Also, do you see the obnoxiously large tassel above my belt? it is the fastener for the pouch for the knife a bride always carries. When dressed this fabulously and wearing your most expensive items, it makes sense that you'd want some protection. However, now it is just a traditional ornament, like our "something old, something new" items.

Here is the first:

Here is the second:

 Finally, my favorite of the three. This is the colorful, after ceremony kimono. As you can see, it has lots of colors, but  is primarily red. All we've done is trade out the outer layers, so the white from the original simple kimono is only seen at the top and the front.

 Thank you so much for letting me wear such lovely clothes, Sensei! I look forward to seeing your son and daughter-in-laws wedding photos some day.

Nabana no Sato

Living in Mie offers some amazing opportunities. The prefecture is a long, odd shape, and so much of our eastern side is coast that we have unique views, cities, and nature. Besides that, it seems like there is a tourist spot somewhere along the road wherever you go in Mie. Come winter, most people go out of the prefecture for winter sports in nearby areas. But one spot that is always bustling is Kuwana City. Why is that? Roller coasters, a water park, Christmas lights, hot springs, and green houses!




In the summer, Kuwana is frequented by roller coaster (here lovingly called "jet coasters") enthusiasts who want the thrill of Japan's largest roller coaster park, Nagashima Spaland. Of course, it is called that because it is also home of a water park and attached to a hot spring resort. All of these attractions have separate ticket prices, but you can buy a combo ticket at a special rate. This past spring, some of the Ise-Shima ALTs took a trip for a roller coaster/water park day to cool off. On another occasion, some gal-pals and I went for the coasters followed by a relaxing hot bath. Both trips were wonderful, but I can go into that later. For those who can't wait, though, you can read up on it here.





Today is all about Christmas lights and green houses!

Super close to Nagashima Spaland, and yet another claim to fame for Kuwana, is Nabana no Sato, explained a bit on this Mie tourism site.. A Flower park and green house site, the park keeps business coming in the winter by putting on a major Christmas light festival! The festival starts in the fall, once the leaves on the Japanese maples have changed colors. Visitors can see the trees lit up at night and marvel at their colors along with the Christmas lights strung all around the park. This part of the season is really crowded with people coming to see both the light and the leaves, and stoping to take pictures all the while. In Japan, the two major christmas light displays are this one and another in Kobe. Each one is changed yearly, so people come to see what new and creative way the decorations will be in both locations. This year, the main attraction at Nabana no Sato was a huge display that mimicked Niagara Falls during different seasons. It was set to music and the surrounding field was decorated in lights and cloth to give it even more depth and grandure. My friend Dan and I went to see what all of the fuss was about and my breath was caught in my throat the whole time! It was so perfect and surreal. I've never seen anything so dreamlike and I never through that trees could look better at night than in the day. True to Japanese form, everything was laid out perfectly to allow the trees to play off the water features in the park.

Dan and I decided to stop by a restaurant at the gardens. We accidentally ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and plates like this one kept coming and coming and coming from the kitchen. We ate really well that night, and luckily had coupons for 2000 yen off the meal. It was as delicious as the trees were beautiful!

My Russian friends decided that on our ski trip, it would be fun to go to Nabana no Sato, and I decided to go again to really have a chance to appreciate the lights this time. The leaves had fallen off the trees, so we were able to stroll around without fighting through as large of crowds this time. Some people took the high road and rode a merry-go-round that was raised up high into the air!

 Just when we thought we had scene it all, Max noticed that the green houses were open for tours and that the coupons we had were just enough to cover the entrance free. Warming up in the green house sounded like a great idea to me, and Sofya loved roaming through all the blossoms. She even pocketed a few of the fallen ones to press in her magazine later. The tickets we received were actually valid for three green houses, so we were able to finish up our day at Nabana no Sato with three distinct and large flower settings. On our way out, we had been told to find the shawarma stand, which was so scrumptious! I had a fabulous time on both trips and highly recommend going if you get the chance!

潮かけ祭り - The Water Fight Festival!!

Photo Credit Here

Before I came to live here in Shima-shi, I perused the city's website and found a list of festivals (matsuri) held in the area. One of the more intriguing matsuri was the Water Fight Festival. I didn't know when, but I knew that before I left this place I must, MUST, attend.

Today, my brethren,...

...was that day.

And today....

was AWESOME!!!!

Photo Credit Here

I'm not trying to deceive you all, readers; this matsuri is just what it sounds like. You go for the very purpose of dousing everyone within range with salt water! You throw water when you are on shore or on boats at people on shore, on other boats, and on YOUR boat even. For maximum wetness, you can throw your friends (who haven't been drinking -safety first, Japan) into the ocean or you can bring the ocean to your friends using hoses, buckets, water guns, or small pink elephant watering cans - anything and everything is allowed during this fight!

But, Alexandra, the Japanese are always so polite and well mannered.

Photo Credit Here

Okay, one, stereotypically-minded person, please watch some of the recent World Cup soccer footage to see Japanese people letting loose and making noise. They are allowed to have their crazy days! Second, maybe being seen as "so proper" gets old and they need to let their hair down, no? Or maybe the idea that the Japanese are always straight-laced is merely the perpetuation of a racist archetype, yeah? They are humans and like fun just as much as the next person.

Surely this is a new event made by a more wild and rambunctious generation.

History. Bam! In your face like salt water!
Photo Credit Here

Guess again, friend! This tradition has been around for almost 800 years! How do you like them ocean apples?  (p.s. Ocean apples aren't real. I think...)

A picture of the mini-shrine area for the purification
ceremony this year. (photo by me)

The matsuri started like many others, based in Shinto beliefs that the gods (mighty and mild) inhabit all of the world surrounding us and that seeking their good graces would help in different aspects of life. This area is known for fishing and aquatic activities, so the fun-loving people of the past would hold a ceremony wishing for the safety of their boats and fishermen as well as for bountiful catches of fish and sea creatures. This was performed on the dock and the small shrine was then taken on a boat out to sea, then brought back again as a way to purify and bless the area over which it sailed. The same idea applies for the parading of a small alter or mikoshi up and down the city streets during other matsuri.

Carrying the mikoshi to the ceremony area.
(photo by me)

What makes this festival so exciting is that on the return trip, the water fight begins! The blessed waters are hurled and splashed upon participants in the water-born parade. When the main mikoshi ship gives the signal, everyone who is up for a good time, lets loose salt-water assaults on the closest person. Sending a barrage of water on the Shinto priests and helpers was particularly fun. One ship even had a stock of water balloons in the crows nest. Good thinking!

Okay, I'll admit, this sounds pretty fun. So how on earth did you get to join this?

Ummmm, I asked, silly. The people out in this area are so friendly and very open to helping people who are kind and respectful in return.

The shrine boat getting ready to take off.
(photo by me)

Full story please.

So, here's how it happened.

I missed the festival last year because it was held on a week day and I was at work. This was back when I was only three months into my new job and I wasn't allowed to take time off with pay. Instead of taking unpaid vacation, I just figured that I'd go to the matsuri at night and douse people with water then. Turns out that isn't how things are done in Wagu (a town in the southern part of Shima-shi). The Water Fight is only in the morning and the party just goes on all day.  Once I figured this out, I vowed to do it right the next year!

Only, well, I kinda forgot until yesterday. The ladies at the elementary school at which I was teaching were complaining about how it was the next day, and I went into panic-regret-wishful-thinking mood and emailed my company about taking tomorrow off. Usually, we are told that 5 business days are required, but because my middle schoolers are taking exams right now, I wasn't needed for classes at all anyway. But luck was on my side (as well as a very skilled and polite team of Nagoya staff members), and the schools let me go today!

I was driving (and stopping and driving and stopping) behind
the elementary school marching band then whole while.
(photo by me when parked during the parade)

As I was driving to the festival, I stopped at a Family Mart convenience store where the ladies assured me that even with some rain (the weather was looking kind of cloudy), the festival would still be on - the whole point is to get wet, right? Then, once I arrived in Wagu, a policeman asked if I was going somewhere in a hurry. I was doing great on time, so I replied "no" and he asked me to get in line behind the other cars. We were going at a snails pace and people were lined up on the street watching us go by. Now, Wagu is a pretty small town, so having this many cars come by WOULD be reason enough to bring people out to watch, but I kept hearing some music. More and more cars in front of me turned down side streets or into parking spaces, and I realized that the closer I moved up in line, the stronger the noise was; I was driving behind a parade! The elementary students were marching down the streets (they later gave a standing performance on the docks) and we were slowly brining up the rear of the show.

Flying the colors. All two of them.
(photo by me)

Fast forward to the part where the Shinto ceremony is happening and I spot a bunch of people heading towards the boats. Not wanting to be left on shore, I went to the nearest one and asked in Japanese if I could ride along. They were so happy that I had picked their ship, that not only did they let me join, but they also gave me free coffee, watermelon, and two cooked sazae (turban shells, easily $15 of shellfish stateside). It turns out that when he was younger, the ship's captain was a tuna fisherman and traveled all over the world. He went from Japan to Singapore, Australia to Cape Town, and Argentina to Mexico and back again. After that story, I felt very safe on the boat. We all sat and talked about where everyone was from and how often they've participated in the matsuri, what I should and shouldn't bring, and where to hid my towel during the water fight. They pointed out the flying fish to me (these fish were going for meters and meters!) and let me know when it was time for everything to start.

And then we had AT it! These guys were chucking water and hosing down ANYone who came near us. They had no problem splashing each other, pouring water down their friend's backs, or crawling all over the ship to get a better attack position. Their favorite trick was to distract one guy and have another one get him from behind or from another direction. They were laughing and playing as hard as any of my elementary students. The ship also had a hose which got much farther reach than any of our water splashing did.  A grand total of 15 boats loaded down with people of all ages cheering and screaming, laughing and splashing were out on the water. Run out of amo? Just throw your bucket into the ocean and pull it up by the rope, but make sure that it doesn't pull you in! The captain drove the boat around so that we could fight all the other ships. Kids on the other boats would call out "Hello!",  "Thank you!", or "You are beautiful" when they saw me. I tried my best to splash everyone, but I think I got much more water thrown at me than I did at anyone else. My arms are definitely going to feel this work out later on tonight.

The whole water fight ended before noon, so I was able to dry off a bit, drive back and enjoy lunch after a warm shower. Oh, I ran into my buddy from the cable company who asked me for another interview. I was coming down from a water fight high, so I spoke pretty quickly and I know that I made a lot of grammatical mistakes, but if I can find the video that he took, I'll put it on for you all.

Everyone eagerly waiting for things to get underway.
(photo by me)

The boats that are decorated were the ones that would
participate. The winds and waves were kind of strong
so the smaller boats were advised to stay back.
(photo by me)

Thank you to this fine crew for letting me onboard for the day!
(photo by me after the water fight)

Myself and fellow combatants for the day. All very nice men from
Gifu, the prefecture to our north.
(photo by a friend)

The Japanese link for the festival can be found here.