Horses and Flowers and Bears, Oh My!

I had to scratch that wander lust itch, this weekend. It's been a few weeks of go-go-go with classes, studying and plenty of rain. But this weekend, I got out of town and already, I'm feeling more relaxed and rested. And it's all thanks to Cyagu Cyagu Umako and Mt. Ushigata.

Last year, I went to Morioka for the annual Cyagu Cyagu. It was a baking hot June day, clear skies and an impenetrable wall of people following the horses from the station to the shrine and lining all the streets. This year was a little different. Morioka officials every year have proudly said that despite the festival being during the rainy season, blue skies always show up for the festival.

This year, the forecast decided to be a bit ornery. On and off, it was cloudy and the wind kept things in the low 20s. I got to Morioka nice and early so I could walk around and take some pictures, hoping the weather would hold, but around noon, the skies opened and the rain came. The showers were on and off for the next few hours, but still, the people huddled under awnings or umbrellas. Still the marching band marched, the dancers danced, and the baton twirlers twirled. Then, the parade route went quiet. The rain came down and people chatted amicably while they waited.

Then, the rain stopped. The wind died and the sky cleared...just as the horses came around the corner and began walking up the street! Everyone cheered and clapped and waved at the children on the soggy horses.

And the bells delivered their famous "cyagu cyagu cyagu."

 

After the horses were gone, I wandered a bit more then headed back to the station to watch the dancers. It was like a completely different day, weatherwise! A crowd was gathered in front of the station to watch teams perform the traditional dance of Morioka, the Sansa Odori. It's mostly done by women young and old. They perform the dance while beating drums strapped to their chests, using flowing hand gestures or even playing a wooden flute!

After a lot of urban hiking on Saturday, it was time for another kind of hiking. During the winter, it snows so much at Geto that the road leading past the ski resort and down to the spa is blocked completely. The road opens in late spring and guests can drive about 10 km down a twisting, single-lane road that's more and more like a jungle as the plants on the mountain grow taller and thicker.

The Geto Hot Springs complex has about seven spas and you can spend the night or just a day for a reasonable price...or you can go hiking on one of three paths.

The shortest goes to the Tengu no Iwa or the Mountain's Spirit Rock but if you're feeling a bit adventurous, you can tackle one of the mountains. I elected for the lesser of the two evils and hiked the 4 km up Ushigata Yama. There's still snow here and there, but the biggest struggle was all the mud! After all the rain we've had, it's become a swamp...and we all know how flies and mosquitoes love standing water! But, I'm not the dainty type: it wasn't a problem to squelch through the mud or grab slick tree limbs to get a better foothold. My hands were plenty dirty by the time I got to the top.

Oh, yes, I see now, thank you Mr.Sign, you've been very helpful.

When I did get across the top to the check point, I ran into a group of Japanese hikers. Everyone was decked out in neon polyester jackets, hats and rubber boots. It still amuses me how there is a standard uniform for most recreational activities. I had intended to keep moving past them and across the ridge but they told me that the icy snow over the ridge was too dangerous. I took a look and decided they were probably right. They all continued on down back the way I'd just come and I settled in for my lunch.

If you haven't eaten a rice ball and banana on top of a mountain, you haven't lived.

I thought that by the time I finished and made it back across the slippery mountain face  and the trail that the group would be well ahead of me. I was wrong. I caught up with the group and followed along behind for a while. We chatted on and off, took the occasional break while group members slowly progressed down trickier spots. I received some Okinawa and rock salt sweets and we stopped briefly so three women could plaster a man's elbow with large band-aids. The scratches were small, but the flies and mosquitoes would have pestered the poor guy relentlessly.

After a while, they grew concerned that they were going too slowly for me, or maybe they were tired of this little foreigner slinking along behind them and moved aside for me to pass.

When I reached the end, there is a last short, narrow path to take from the starting point of the trail head down to the parking lot. It forks so you can go one way behind the onsen or straight to the cars. I was heading for my car to put my muddy boots away when I suddenly heard a high pitched squeal and saw a dense patch of ferns shift violently. I took a small step forward to see if it was a fox or a kamoshika...and instead saw something right out of the Hundred Acre Woods of Hell.

Okay, Japan is well-known for cutifying a lot of stuff. Road signs that advertise bear presence feature a cute cuddly brown face. Classroom books show bears with light hair and big, sparkly eyes. Friends, let me tell you, Japanese bears are big. They are black. And they will end your life.

Two small furry bundles tumbled up onto the trail with mama close behind. Immediately, I began wishing I'd invested in a bear bell or maybe had taken one of those large bells from a horse in Morioka previously. The last thing I wanted was for mama to see me a few yards away and to freak out in surprise.

And by "freak out" I mean charge at me and draw my 23 years to a bloody, abrupt end.

So I did the only thing I could think to do: sing. And I sang the only thing that came to mind: John Denver's "Country Roads."

I backed away as I sang and after snapping a couple shots hauled ass out of there down the other path. After that grand adventure, a long, relaxing soak was just what I needed.

Three Boys, Three Flags and How to Conduct a Japanese Athlete Cheer Session

This weekend, the students of Hanamaki schools will go to a two day sports meet to determine which teams will go to the annual prefectural meet. Today, schools conducted a special assembly for the school to rally behind their athletes and for those athletes to promise to do their best.

This is something uniquely Japanese: the athletes don't just take the encouragement and pocket it, they announce formally that they'll try and not disappoint their classmates, teachers and parents. It's a lot of responsibility on their sinewy little shoulders, a hefty dose of humility with all that prestige.

Parents were in and out of な junior high all day, observing the classes and just keeping tabs. In America, this would be considered 'helicopter parenting,' but in Japan, the parents are very concerned with how their children are educated. The school takes on a surrogate parent role and naturally, the parents want to see their expectations met.

Some parents stuck around through the afternoon to watch the rally. I stood to the side and watched the event unfold. Here I've detailed a generic guideline for how to hold such a cheer session. Every school will differ to some degree, but this is just my impression of the ceremony of it all. Enjoy!

10 minutes before the rally begins, the band will commune in a corner of the gym. Three platforms will be set up in front of the stage and chairs will be provided for the parents attending. A boy stands behind a taiko at the front of the gym. 

Three boys will approach the platforms and in unison will jump up at least half their height onto the platforms. In their right hand, they will twirl a baton with a large flag attached to it. The center boy shouts "Practice 'rei'" and the boy at the taiko beats the drum in a rapid staccato. 

In two groups of neat rows with an aisle dividing them, the non-athlete students lean back at the knees at nearly a 45 degree angle and shout a long, resonating "SSSSSSEEEEEEEEIIIIII." Repeat several times.

At the set time, the student council president will call the rally to order. The music teacher strikes the band to play "76 Trombones" and all of the sports team members race into the gym in sleek uniforms for volleyball, tennis, badminton, baseball, basketball, and the traditional clothes of the judo and kendou teams. They form a neat, color-coordinated block of bodies behind the platforms. They turn sharply and face the congregated audience. 

The student council president calls for quiet and introduces the principal and head of the PTA. Both make brief and encouraging speeches. The rally proceeds.

As each team is called forward, the wall of athletes shifts to fill the vacated space the advancing students leave as they mount the stage. The three cheer leaders leap back onto the platforms. Onstage, one representative announces their name, their sport and promises to do their utmost and not disappoint the school. 

The middle cheer leader calls "Rei, (insert sport)" and the three boys snap their flags back and forth before raising them solemnly in front of their bodies, droning "Reeeeeiiiiii, reeeeiiii, (in-sert-sport here)." The rest of the students clap their hands in a slow rhythm and scream "REI REI (sport) REI REI REI" and then lean back and roar as they did in practice. At the end, the team leader thanks their supports and the next team is called to the stage.

Please note: should a team such as kendou or judo, or a sport such as tennis have both boys and girls on one team, girls will form a second line on the stage behind the boys and only address the school after the boys have spoken. 

At the conclusion, the athletes and the rest of the students will stand and sing the school song while the band plays. Afterwards, the band will play fanfare as the athletes sprint from the gym on to triumph or defeat.

A Different Kind of Beauty

Kanji has a literary beauty all it's own. One character's bends and flows into many different words, but it all comes back to the first character. That's something the English language lacks, that sort of elegance.

森
森林
森閑
森厳

Grove
Forest
Silent
Awe-inspiring and solemn

Oh Hi, Summer, When Did You Get Here?

June. On the one hand, Yay! On the other, What the hell, when did we get to June?!

A brief update: The students have switched over to their summer uniforms (short sleeved sailor-like suits) and Cool Biz is in full swing.

Last year, I labored against the "no tank tops" rule in schools. As a sweaty American, I lived in perpetual fear of my perpetually sweaty armpits. But this year, I'm doing as the Romans do and I'm going to try some of the tricks of the local trade.

One such trick: adhesive pads you stick to the underarm seams of your shirt or cardigan to absorb the sweat. Let's hope they're lightly fragranced!

There are also myriad "cool" blankets and shirts and towels and pillowcases. I probably won't go too crazy in that department, but I have finally invested in a fan. I even put it together myself!

Note to self: add to dating resume "Bachelorette capable of putting together a fan sans English translation of instructions."

A thing of beauty is a joy forever!

Final trick, and gentlemen, here you may avert your eyes should you be too bashful to face reality.

Still there? Ok, I warned you.

I have small breasts. There it is. As a kid, it was a very sensitive topic for me and I was very self-conscious about it. I couldn't understand why my classmates were so top heavy and I was the head of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. I received some brutal teasing for it, too. My classmates got much more creative in middle school when I heard boys were saying I was actually a hermaphrodite. Other jokes went along the lines of






"What's worse than waking up next to Marta? Waking up and you are Marta."

But I've gotten over that, and I realize there are benefits to having petite assets including less of a chance of getting breast cancer...and getting away without wearing a bra during the summer! There is no limit of the options in Japan. Some ladies tops come with or without lining, shelf bras or even a little modest padding under work-appropriate shirts!

These. These are my best friends for the next few months.

I've also heard that there may be some link between underwire bras and breast cancer? I don't know much about that...and I actually don't see much believability in it. But anything I can do to decrease that risk, I'll stick to like natto!