Moon Viewing

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!)

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

One Year

Yes, it's been exactly one year and one week since I first arrived in Japan. I would say I can't believe it's been a year already... but to be honest I can. Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying myself but I've gone through so many phases (maybe what some would call culture shock) it almost seems like it's been more than a year. Somehow every season was a new adventure. My hope is that in this next year I can just enjoy being in Japan, knowing what's around the next corner and getting to delve further into the mystery that is Japanese culture.

That being said, here's my list of things that I've appreciated in the past few months:

1. Gion Festival: perhaps the most famous festival in Japan, my friends and I got there at 8:00 am just to be able to stand in front when the parade went by. There were giant portable shrines (this time on wheels) with people riding in the front, up in a room-like space and then there were some on the roof as well. I wish I could put pictures up but I really don't know how... Oh, also the incarnation of God was riding in the top of the first portable shrine (called hoko).

2. Babies. Right now it's summer break so I'm not going to the Jr. high or elementary schools. It's all nursery school all the time! Sometimes I get a little fed up when I have four children pulling on my arms in different directions asking me to play with them but really... is that something to complain about? For the most part the kids are really sweet and really cute and a good two hours of my work day is spent either putting children to sleep or taking kyukei (an hour long break in a small tatami room where I eat snacks with the other teachers). It's perfect.

3. Mamiko. I don't know if I've written about Mamiko before but she is my best friend in Ujitawara and has not only helped me in times of need (cockroach emergencies, homesickness etc) but she is an amazing friend whose amazing, old Japanese house is a place I can go anytime. We've spent the year driving around Kyoto prefecture, traipsing through malls, mountain climbing and eating all kinds of Japanese food together. She is someone I'm really going to miss when I leave next year.

4. My Uji friends (and Kyoto, Kameoka friends etc.) Of course, when you live in a country where the culture is so different from your own you definitely need to get out sometimes and talk with other native English speakers. For me my friends in Uji and Kyoto have been so amazing and we have had so much fun in Kyoto city together. I'm especially going to miss Katherine (from Australia) who lived in Uji last year, and Ian (from the US) who was living in Kyoto but was a regular guest in Uji and host in the big city (Kyoto). It's not going to be the same without them :(

5. Fall: it's hot right now. So hot and so humid. No one feels like doing anything or even eating really. I can't wait for it to cool down and for the fall colors to come out! (Even if that's not really until November >_<)

6.Giant frogs: Mamiko and I saw a frog cross the road that was seriously the size of a small puppy. It was huge.

7. Cicadas: I used to hate how loud they were in Nagasaki because they woke me up every morning, but in Ujitawara they're not so noisy and it's come to be a really soothing sound during the hot summer days. Also, I'm not as afraid of them anymore (they're usually about two inches long or even bigger) I think because the boys at the nursery school bring huge bugs to school to play with every day. I'm talking about 3-inch-long stag beetles that these boys keep as pets! They're an inch tall!

8. Going home: I have been looking forward to August 13th for MONTHS. I cannot wait to come home and see all the people I love and miss so much! I only wish I didn't have to leave again!

9: People who read this blog: if you are reading this (and are not some creepy stalker) I appreciate it. I hope you've been able to get a little glimpse of what my life is like here from this random assortment of events, impressions, and experiences.

Coming Home, Learning, and Why Your School Should Accept Sarah Emily Rogers-Tanner

First of all, I am SO EXCITED to be coming home in August!!! Unfortunately I'll only be in MN for 6 days so if I don't end up seeing you please know that I certainly wish I could see everyone! This trip is going to be quite the whirlwind but also a lot of fun! I can't wait!!!
That being said I have a little piece of writing here that's about how much I love Ujitawara (despite it's far-away-ness)

I love this town. It can get a bit claustrophobic at times but I really like seeing my students all around town. There are kids I play taiko with on Fridays that I also teach at the middle school. I get to see my preschool students in the grocery store (so cute!) And the longer I stay here the more I realize that I'm in some way connected to almost everyone in this town. Just tonight I was riding my bike past what looked like a huge event. There were cars parked on every street (granted, there's not that much 'street' in this town) but there were people lined out the door of this big traditional building (though not a temple). I happened to run into someone who I had met before at the town office and she told me that it was a funeral for the mother of one of the nursery school teachers whose big, welcoming smile always makes me feel at home when I arrive to work in the morning. It was so interesting. If I hadn't talked with that woman it would have been just another event that I passed thinking, "wow," but all of a sudden I was (however minimally) peripherally involved. I've been thinking a lot lately about how many students and adults I know in this town. I've even wondered if the old men who I see on my morning walks have grandchildren that I teach in elementary or middle school. Whenever I hear the ambulance going through town I wonder if it's someone I know or a student's grandparent. Living here, and also experiencing the way teachers work in Japan (it's insanely involved- don't get me started) has really added to and expanded my ideas about community and education... and that's why you should admit me to your graduate program (haha, grad school personal statement on the brain...)

Anyway, I enjoy every day!!! (That's some Japan-glish for you)

Seriously it's great here... but I can't wait to be home ;)

Turning Japanese, I Really Think So

Have I been in Japan too long? Here are a few things that I would never do in Minnesota:

1. I bought a parasol. I know, it seems so... Puff Daddy? Michael Jackson? 19th century? but the fact of the matter is that Kyoto summers are HOT and a parasol actually keeps you comparatively cool. Also, it's light blue with a white, lacy pattern around the edges... who could resist?

2. I've had fish and rice for breakfast twice this week- and yes, I cooked it myself. Turns out fish is really easy to make!

3. I bought a sweater with sparkly bows for pockets...

But don't worry guys, I still hate nato (fermented bean paste) so I'm not a total goner. Also, I don't actually enjoy teaching English, I would much rather be an actual elementary school teacher so... I'm coming home.

Speaking of which, I'll be home in late August! If you're around, look me up!!!

Commuting: Inaka-style

Saru. Monkey. Monkeys. Three words, two languages and it all adds up to confusion when you tell someone that there’s “saru” up ahead. For example, today on my morning walk I was told to “watch out for saru-san,” and I expected that there was a rambunctious, furry fellow up ahead and that I should be careful not to get in Mr. Saru’s way. I did not expect his immediate family and extended relatives.
Truth be told, on the way up I didn’t see another living creature besides myself and the man walking ahead of me. All I could hear was the incredibly genki music accompanied by various Japanese commentators’ expressions of surprise and delight, “ehhh?!?!” “naruhodo…” “sugo~i!!!” rattling out from his headphones.
Half-way up the mountain we were warned by a fellow early morning walker to watch out for “saru-san.” I stayed close to the man with the headphones, who also had a hefty umbrella. ‘Good thing it’s a cloudy day,’ I thought.
We walked on, all the way to the top without a glimpse of Mr. Saru’s tail. I was glad- I certainly did not need a mauling right before school- and after resting for a minute or two, I figured I’d just trot right back down the mountain. No need to bother the old man with the music, who was now washing his face and taking a drink at the village well.
Unfortunately, as I walked back- exactly the way I had come- I turned a corner and there in front of me, where not three minutes ago one could see only a mountain road, some sakura and bamboo, were nearly twenty monkeys. Many were swinging from trees, I saw one little baby run across the grass and across the road. There were monkeys hanging from the net-like retaining wall, and two giant monkeys sitting in the road eating massive bamboo shoots and looking like nothing short of a bulldozer could get them away from their breakfast.
I shot a glance over my shoulder. My protector was no where in sight. Awkward as it is to walk next to an old Japanese guy in silence, I did not want to go it alone; and after a few minutes of waiting I had to make a decision. Should I walk through a pack of monkeys or be late for work? This was not the sort of dilemma I was used to. Bears I had dealt with. Moose and deer I had dealt with. But when those things happened I was dealing with wild animals in the wilderness. This was Wilderness on the Way to Work. Like some terrible game show. Ack, Japan. I decided to go for it.
The only thing that could give me an advantage was a tool. That’s what separates us from the apes, right? I did have an umbrella that day, but it was a retractable one. Too short to give a monkey a proper smack in the head without getting too close- but lo and behold, it made a terrific sound when struck against the guard rail of this lovely mountain road. Even better, this seemed to scare off at least the babies and smaller monkeys as I approached.
Ten meters ahead of me, the monkeys were clearing out- well most of them. As I walked along, banging my umbrella against the rail and probably waking everyone in the tiny mountain village above, monkeys were running left and right, jumping into trees and disappearing into the underbrush. Unfortunately there were still the daddies: two giant monkeys sitting in the middle of the road, completely undisturbed.
Three meters away they still weren’t moving. I was terrified that they would lash out and grab me with their long hairy arms. People have gotten their faces torn off by chimps, who knows what the saru equivalent might me? Luckily, though, I remembered the advice given in the Arashiyama monkey park pamphlet: “Do not stare the monkeys in the eye”. Note taken. I walked within a meter of both giant monkeys, keeping my eyes on the ground and my steps as quiet as possible. I couldn’t tell if they were watching me or not but out of the corner of my eye I could see their long scraggly hair. I could have touched both of them as I passed.
In the end, I guess “not staring them in the eye” was a pretty good idea. I was allowed to pass through their family reunion unharmed, face in tact.
A few minutes later I ran into one of the other old men who often walks that mountain. He told me, “The monkeys are especially scary when you run,” at least, that’s all I could catch from what he was saying. Then he pointed to his umbrella, “that’s why I always bring this.”
A modern, Japanese Roosevelt. Turns out the trick to getting to work on time in rural Japan is simply to speak softly and carry a big stick.

Poetry at the Jr. High: Exerpts

My cats
small. cute. hot.
It is popularer than my dog.
I like cats the best.
My cats.

Bard
small, cute, kokekokko!!!!
bards are prettier than dogs,
I like bards the best
Bards

*birds
*kokekokko is the Japanese "cockadoodledoo"