One of the things I really love about Japan is their appreciation of the four seasons. Today was a national holiday (for the vernal equinox) and we had a "moon viewing party" and it was terrific. There were people playing the shamisen and some of the taiko ladies did a performance reading of the childrens book "Mochi Mochi no Ki" (the mochi mochi tree). I got to wear yukata with my friend Yui, her friend Midori and our Vietnamese friend, Trang. Mostly there were a lot of old people there but it's always fun to talk with and observe them. These people really liked shamisen music. It's really traditional and strange sounding if you've never heard it before but it's a string instrument so whether it's twangy or melodic, I'm bound to love it. I wouldn't say that I would listen to shamisen music on a daily basis but for a live performance in a traditional(ish) Japanese building, surrounded by Japanese people, it was a really interesting and enjoyable experience.
That's the report for today, oyasumi~ (goodnight!)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
September is upon us
Well, actually September is almost over. Here are some things I am thankful for:
1. Sand. Today I played in the sand with the 2-3 year-olds who were almost as cute as the 3-4 year olds. We sat on a bench shaped like a dog and served each other ice cream out of plastic buckets. Sand ice cream, mind you, but boy it was delicious. One little boy even served me a meal. I don't know what it was (besides a pile of sand and a big rock in a tin) but he said it was sour. He also served me something that I thought was very spicy but when I made him try it he said it wasn't spicy at all. いろいろあったな〜 There are so many different kinds of people in this world... (that was all just pretend, to those of you who think that I eat sour and spicy sand, by the way).
2. Barbara Kingsolver. I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible right now and I can't put it down. It's quite humbling and a bit scary. Especially the part where the US government is involved in the overthrow of the Congo. It's incredibly well written.
3. 3-3. The third 組, or class, of the 9th graders at the jr. high are some of the most adorable kids ever. Even the bad kids are kind of adorable... kind of. Tomorrow is the sports festival and for the past few months the kids have been preparing synchronized dance numbers and practicing games like, let's-tie-our-right-feet-together-in-a-long-line-and-race-around-the-track, or let's-ride-each-other-like-horse-crabs-and-tear-each-others'-hats-off. They have some awesome games here. The best thing, though, is to see these kids cooperating with each other- and dancing like fools. Who knew middle school kids could be so cute?
4. Japanese TV. Most of the time I get fed up with their ridiculous game shows (which are usually just selling something anyway) and their over the top dramas that reinforce the ridiculously low standards for acceptable male behavior, but a few days ago there was a cooking show on from Kyoto that showed how to make fish in a cream sauce. You must understand I have NO idea how to cook. So tonight I made a feeble attempt at making my own vegetables and sausages in cream sauce (because I wanted to save my fish for later) and it actually turned out ok. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have to eat what I made but to me it was pretty good.
Ok, I should sign off. I hope you all are having a splendid time wheresoever you are. I've been thinking of home a lot lately and wishing that I had my friends around me and the ability to get around more freely (a car really would be nice). Sometimes I think about becoming a monk and living in the mountains... but that's mostly because I just want to live in the mountains... except there are monkeys there and sometimes they come in your house. Really, that actually happens. What would you do if a monkey came in your house? You might give that monkey a muffin. But then you'd be sorry.
Goodnight
1. Sand. Today I played in the sand with the 2-3 year-olds who were almost as cute as the 3-4 year olds. We sat on a bench shaped like a dog and served each other ice cream out of plastic buckets. Sand ice cream, mind you, but boy it was delicious. One little boy even served me a meal. I don't know what it was (besides a pile of sand and a big rock in a tin) but he said it was sour. He also served me something that I thought was very spicy but when I made him try it he said it wasn't spicy at all. いろいろあったな〜 There are so many different kinds of people in this world... (that was all just pretend, to those of you who think that I eat sour and spicy sand, by the way).
2. Barbara Kingsolver. I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible right now and I can't put it down. It's quite humbling and a bit scary. Especially the part where the US government is involved in the overthrow of the Congo. It's incredibly well written.
3. 3-3. The third 組, or class, of the 9th graders at the jr. high are some of the most adorable kids ever. Even the bad kids are kind of adorable... kind of. Tomorrow is the sports festival and for the past few months the kids have been preparing synchronized dance numbers and practicing games like, let's-tie-our-right-feet-together-in-a-long-line-and-race-around-the-track, or let's-ride-each-other-like-horse-crabs-and-tear-each-others'-hats-off. They have some awesome games here. The best thing, though, is to see these kids cooperating with each other- and dancing like fools. Who knew middle school kids could be so cute?
4. Japanese TV. Most of the time I get fed up with their ridiculous game shows (which are usually just selling something anyway) and their over the top dramas that reinforce the ridiculously low standards for acceptable male behavior, but a few days ago there was a cooking show on from Kyoto that showed how to make fish in a cream sauce. You must understand I have NO idea how to cook. So tonight I made a feeble attempt at making my own vegetables and sausages in cream sauce (because I wanted to save my fish for later) and it actually turned out ok. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have to eat what I made but to me it was pretty good.
Ok, I should sign off. I hope you all are having a splendid time wheresoever you are. I've been thinking of home a lot lately and wishing that I had my friends around me and the ability to get around more freely (a car really would be nice). Sometimes I think about becoming a monk and living in the mountains... but that's mostly because I just want to live in the mountains... except there are monkeys there and sometimes they come in your house. Really, that actually happens. What would you do if a monkey came in your house? You might give that monkey a muffin. But then you'd be sorry.
Goodnight
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