Typhoon Melor, Extra Time and Delirium

Ohayouuuuuuuu Gozaimasu Minna~san,

Hey all.  So I know it's been really really long since I have actually blogged, but that's ok.  I've been livin' it up as one would say....

In the past couple of weeks I have done some interesting things.  Chotto matte while I look in my planner....sorry I'm a bit tired from being up all this past morning thanks to good ole Typhoon Melor's tumultous winds... Okay:  Went to Fushimi Inari Jinja (where all the torii are), spent a Saturday bowling for like 4 hours straight and Karaoke (again) with Mara and her host brothers Masa & Mofo (His real name is Mokun/Motokiyo....I like Mofo better...), went to another concert with Okaasan, and last night went over to Mara's host family's apartment for dinner and a sleepover during Typhoon Melor.  Besides all of those fun things I have been up to improving my Nihongo (and I actually feel like I am improving) and feeling a lot better about living here in Japan.  I joined a "dance circle" preparing a soran bushi dance for an upcoming international festival in November.  I have just learned to laugh a lot more, especially at things like a woman wearing a shirt that blatantly states:  MY BOOBS ARE HUGE...when they clearly aren't....or when school boys/girls look at me in wonder/amusement and I start to giggle/laugh in their face.  I don't mean to laugh in their faces, it just sort of genuinely happens...whoops.  It has been a fantastic couple of weeks. 

I am sitting here feeling a little delirious so I am just warning you I might jump around a lot.  Typhoon kaze or winds do that to you, you know.  So where to start.....

Fushimi Inari Jinja was pretty interesting.  You know that scene from Memoirs of a Geisha where Sayuri is running down the hall with all those orange pillars around her?  Yeah that's where I went.  There are thousands upon thousands of torii here.  I was overwhelmed because I am supposed to be doing a project on torii but I think after visiting Fushimi I am just narrowing it down to the main gate torii of Shinto shrines.  Enough about my project, this shrine was HUGE (like that woman's boobs remember? heheh).  No really though, it was pretty sugoi.  At Fushimi Inari in order to reach the top....you climb and climb.....and climb....and climb....and climb somemore.  I think I sweat at least 5 pounds off.  Thank you, Fushimi Inari mountain. 

The next weekend Mara, her host brothers and I went bowling, to dinner and then to karaoke.  We bowled for like 4 games straight and I proved to still stink at bowling.  Well, at least compared to Ted....hahah  For dinner we went to another oudon place with the humongous bowls.  I indulged in the fine tempura udon and I was onaka ga ippai (stomach was full).  Then off to karaoke to impress Mara's host brothers with yet again, good ole SHOUT OUT TO DAD - you guessed it.  Sukiyaki or what the real name is:  ue o muite arukou.  Never gets old.  We all had a fun time as usual. 

The day after karaoke I woke up and heard taiko drums outside.  I asked what the sound was and my okaasan told me that the shogakko or elementary school was supposedly practicing for an upcoming festival.  I tried to ask her if I could just go on the road and look down into the school yard but she took it as I wanted to actually go down to the school and watch what was going on.  So....I figured alright, I look like a mess, but why not go for a little jaunt?  I'm glad I did!  It wasn't just a practice....it was Kisaichi Shogakko's Sports Festival where all the little elementary schoolers were doing running games and weird class games for everyone who was watching.  It was definitely an interesting aspect and peek into Japanese school life.  I have read and studied things like this, but as I am continuing to learn there is nothing like experiencing the real thing.  It was a warm and humid day before noon and the place was packed with proud parents and siblings cheering on their children in the festival.  There were children also not participating the actual "sporting" events but rather helping run the festival.  There were two boys who were assigned to shooting the starting guns and they were equipped with the yellow ear-muffs protecting their ears from the shooting sound.  There would be no way American children would be allowed to do that, but then again there is a major difference in what Japanese and Americans perceive as sporting events.... 

I wanted to watch with okaasan, but she immediately looked at me and said that she had to go back to the house and that I would be fine here if I wanted to stay and watch and that it would be a good opportunity to practice my Japanese since I would most certainly get lost on the way back to the house.  She didn't say it quite like that but I figured why not?  I knew the general direction of my house and the train station....just go climbing up the steepest hill while sweating profusely...usually that's the right way to my house.  I was the only gaijin at this elementary school and I didn't want to seem creepy.... Thank you, Okaasan. 

I ended up staying for about 30-45 minutes and it was really cool.  I was able to converse with an elderly man sitting next to me and found out that the school is from 1st to 6th grade and the amount of children in the school and all that.  Sitting there really kind of made me want to become a teacher of somekind.  As I observed the scene, I noticed that as decorations for the festival the school strung two sets of mini flags of the world across the main sports field.  I looked at them and it made me smile.  Even though this was most definitely and primarily a Japanese elementary school, it still was using this whole thing about sporting events being a uniting factor throughout the seikai or world.  I realized then how important it was to really educate children at a young age about the world and how important it is to build understanding in order to move towards a world that is not just "tolerant" of different people, but cross-cultural understanding and all that good stuff.  I think it's important.  Educating the young is important and I just might want to make my life's work educating children...who knows.

Later that day Okaasan and I went to a classical concert.  It was pretty good.  I almost fell asleep but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it....I tried to express this to okaasan and I'm pretty sure she understood....I think I saw her nodding off as well..hahah. 

Well, I know this might be a little short but I don't feel like writing any more now.  I will write more tonight though about last night's typhoon and adventures at Mara's house.  Her host family is too funny and nice.  They crack me up....

jyaaaaaa