No worries, we were nowhere near it. It was closer than the last major earthquake though. My parents and I were in Naruto when it happened and we didn't feel anything.
Right now we're in Kyoto enjoying the warm spring weather. Tomorrow we're taking the bullet train/shinkansen/the fastest train in the world to Hiroshima for the day!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Sumo
On Sunday Christine, Erin and I went to Osaka to watch part of a professional sumo tournament. I have so much more respect for sumo than WWF, which I am embarrassed to say I have also seen in person. Sumo is Japan’s national sport, however baseball is much more popular. In the last decade or so, many foreigners have competed in (and won) sumo tournaments and many people attribute this as the reason for sumo’s decrease in popularity. A Mongolian man is the current champion. Sumo is abundant with rules and rituals, and I’m no expert, so I’ll try to explain what I can.
There are six tournaments in Japan every year. Three are held in Tokyo, and the other three are held in Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka. Tournaments last 15 days, and every contender has one bout per day. Because of this, they arrive about an hour before their bout and leave when they are done. Each day begins with bouts between the less experienced/talented wrestlers and continues on up until the late afternoon when the top ranking wrestlers wrestle. We saw lots of sumo wrestlers out on the street walking to and from the Osaka Gymnasium building while we were walking around trying to find the gym. You can tell they are sumo wrestlers because they are the HUGE men walking around wearing a yukata (casual kimono) with sandals and their hair is in the formal sumo knot on top of their head. Sumo wrestlers are not allowed to drive cars, so most of them walk on the street.
The point of sumo wrestling is to throw the opponent within the ring or force the opponent out of the ring. Each bout is usually less than a minute long. There are many techniques in sumo, and even though I don’t know much about sumo, I could see a difference in ability once the top ranked wrestlers got in the ring. This is the sumo arena.
A new platform/dohyo is carefully made out of clay, sand, and rice barrels before every tournament. The roof is suppose to resemble a Shinto shrine.
Before each rank level, all the contenders within that level come out in formal sumo attire ($4000 aprons) and walk onto the platform when their name is announced. They stand out to the crowd and then in at the rest of their team.
The ring is dampened with water between every so many bouts. Special attendants sweep the ring before every match as well as the edge just outside the ring once the wrestlers have entered the ring. There was a referee/gyoji in a samurai style kimono for every bout, but they switched referees often. Apparently the referees are all ranked in some sort of hierarchy.
In order to purify the ring the top ranking wrestlers throw salt into the ring just before entering….. every time they enter. They stretch their legs out in the air and then squat facing their opponent. After that they can (and almost always do) stand up and leave the ring to rinse their mouth or just psych out their opponent. Many of them hit their belly to get the salt off their hands and that was one of my favorite parts. It’s hard to describe why, but I’m sure you can imagine. While they are warming up in a ceremonial/routine way, the sponsors for that particular bout are announced with men carrying sponsor logo banners around the ring. Whoever wins that bout gets the money.
Lots of wrestlers were pushed or fell completely off the platform, and they landed on one of the five judges sometimes. After the bout, both wrestlers face each other and bow. The loser leaves, and referee declares the winner while the winner bows and collects the envelope full of prize money. Once in a while there were some tough calls, so all the judges came up to the platform and conferred. They asked for a rematch once, but all other times they declared a winner. Here they are conferring and I've also included a bout between lower ranked wrestlers. Press play, then pause it and wait for it to fully upload before watching it.
I was surprised by how little noise was made by both the audience and wrestlers. If I were a wrestler, I would grunt or growl once in a while. And if I were in the audience, I would yell and scream before and after bouts. But despite my best efforts, I can never be a professional sumo wrestler because women are banned from entering the ring…. for purity sake of course. I know I was in the audience and could have screamed, but it was very apparent that actual screaming would have been rude and I never want to be that foreigner. There were a couple shouts from individuals but so few compared to audiences of other professional sports. If you look closely at the stands in this picture, you can see the box seats. If you buy box seats you get a square section of floor space, four seat cushions, and tea service. You can’t wear your shoes in the square.
The cheap seats were actual chairs with seat cushions strapped on top, and we were able to keep our shoes on.
The top ranking wrestlers were really impressive. Many of them look like your run of the mill fat guys, but when they wrestled you could see leg muscles you didn’t know existed. Their strength is astonishing. The current grand champion/yokozuna is 26 years old, 184cm/6ft and weighs 148kg/326lbs. Among the 70 top ranking wrestlers, the age range is 20 – 36 years old, the height range is 168cm (5ft6in) – 203cm (6ft7in), and the weigh range is 117kg (258lbs) – 182kg (400lbs). There are no weight classes in sumo though, so a 258lb-er could face the 400lb-er if they are in the same rank class.
More about the ranking and the yokozuna... the ranking is all based on how many bouts or tournaments they've each won overall. In order to become a grand champion/yokozuna (the highest rank), one must already be in the rank just below the grand champion called a champion/ozeki, and win two tournaments (15 bouts) in a row. Once you reach the grand champion/yokozuna level, you can never be demoted. Because of all this, there can be multiple yokozunas at one time or none at all. Yokozunas continue to compete in tournaments until their ability is no longer at the yokozuna level, in which case they voluntarily and respectfully retire to start their own stable to train others.
Anyways, here's the best close up that I got just before a bout started.
There are six tournaments in Japan every year. Three are held in Tokyo, and the other three are held in Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka. Tournaments last 15 days, and every contender has one bout per day. Because of this, they arrive about an hour before their bout and leave when they are done. Each day begins with bouts between the less experienced/talented wrestlers and continues on up until the late afternoon when the top ranking wrestlers wrestle. We saw lots of sumo wrestlers out on the street walking to and from the Osaka Gymnasium building while we were walking around trying to find the gym. You can tell they are sumo wrestlers because they are the HUGE men walking around wearing a yukata (casual kimono) with sandals and their hair is in the formal sumo knot on top of their head. Sumo wrestlers are not allowed to drive cars, so most of them walk on the street.
The point of sumo wrestling is to throw the opponent within the ring or force the opponent out of the ring. Each bout is usually less than a minute long. There are many techniques in sumo, and even though I don’t know much about sumo, I could see a difference in ability once the top ranked wrestlers got in the ring. This is the sumo arena.
A new platform/dohyo is carefully made out of clay, sand, and rice barrels before every tournament. The roof is suppose to resemble a Shinto shrine.
Before each rank level, all the contenders within that level come out in formal sumo attire ($4000 aprons) and walk onto the platform when their name is announced. They stand out to the crowd and then in at the rest of their team.
The ring is dampened with water between every so many bouts. Special attendants sweep the ring before every match as well as the edge just outside the ring once the wrestlers have entered the ring. There was a referee/gyoji in a samurai style kimono for every bout, but they switched referees often. Apparently the referees are all ranked in some sort of hierarchy.
In order to purify the ring the top ranking wrestlers throw salt into the ring just before entering….. every time they enter. They stretch their legs out in the air and then squat facing their opponent. After that they can (and almost always do) stand up and leave the ring to rinse their mouth or just psych out their opponent. Many of them hit their belly to get the salt off their hands and that was one of my favorite parts. It’s hard to describe why, but I’m sure you can imagine. While they are warming up in a ceremonial/routine way, the sponsors for that particular bout are announced with men carrying sponsor logo banners around the ring. Whoever wins that bout gets the money.
Lots of wrestlers were pushed or fell completely off the platform, and they landed on one of the five judges sometimes. After the bout, both wrestlers face each other and bow. The loser leaves, and referee declares the winner while the winner bows and collects the envelope full of prize money. Once in a while there were some tough calls, so all the judges came up to the platform and conferred. They asked for a rematch once, but all other times they declared a winner. Here they are conferring and I've also included a bout between lower ranked wrestlers. Press play, then pause it and wait for it to fully upload before watching it.
I was surprised by how little noise was made by both the audience and wrestlers. If I were a wrestler, I would grunt or growl once in a while. And if I were in the audience, I would yell and scream before and after bouts. But despite my best efforts, I can never be a professional sumo wrestler because women are banned from entering the ring…. for purity sake of course. I know I was in the audience and could have screamed, but it was very apparent that actual screaming would have been rude and I never want to be that foreigner. There were a couple shouts from individuals but so few compared to audiences of other professional sports. If you look closely at the stands in this picture, you can see the box seats. If you buy box seats you get a square section of floor space, four seat cushions, and tea service. You can’t wear your shoes in the square.
The cheap seats were actual chairs with seat cushions strapped on top, and we were able to keep our shoes on.
The top ranking wrestlers were really impressive. Many of them look like your run of the mill fat guys, but when they wrestled you could see leg muscles you didn’t know existed. Their strength is astonishing. The current grand champion/yokozuna is 26 years old, 184cm/6ft and weighs 148kg/326lbs. Among the 70 top ranking wrestlers, the age range is 20 – 36 years old, the height range is 168cm (5ft6in) – 203cm (6ft7in), and the weigh range is 117kg (258lbs) – 182kg (400lbs). There are no weight classes in sumo though, so a 258lb-er could face the 400lb-er if they are in the same rank class.
More about the ranking and the yokozuna... the ranking is all based on how many bouts or tournaments they've each won overall. In order to become a grand champion/yokozuna (the highest rank), one must already be in the rank just below the grand champion called a champion/ozeki, and win two tournaments (15 bouts) in a row. Once you reach the grand champion/yokozuna level, you can never be demoted. Because of all this, there can be multiple yokozunas at one time or none at all. Yokozunas continue to compete in tournaments until their ability is no longer at the yokozuna level, in which case they voluntarily and respectfully retire to start their own stable to train others.
Anyways, here's the best close up that I got just before a bout started.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Takos!
Last week a friend of mine taught me how to make takoyaki, grilled octopus donuts. The first time we tried it, it didn't work out. It went better the second time...
I love Mexican tacos, and I'm constantly looking for restaurants that serve them. The authentic taco stand in Tokushima City just closed, so I told one of the teachers how much I'm going to miss it. She said there are other restaurants that serve tacos, so we went to a Japanese restaurant that had a Mexican food section on their Italian/Japanese/Mexican menu. I was first suspicious when bacon tacos were on the menu. I ordered the ham tacos and this is what I got... that's a dollop of ketchup in that little pitcher.
I love Mexican tacos, and I'm constantly looking for restaurants that serve them. The authentic taco stand in Tokushima City just closed, so I told one of the teachers how much I'm going to miss it. She said there are other restaurants that serve tacos, so we went to a Japanese restaurant that had a Mexican food section on their Italian/Japanese/Mexican menu. I was first suspicious when bacon tacos were on the menu. I ordered the ham tacos and this is what I got... that's a dollop of ketchup in that little pitcher.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
"Pinocchio"
For the past 13 years some of the JETs in Tokushima Prefecture have written, produced, and performed a musical in several theaters around the prefecture. This year’s show is “Pinocchio” and it’s more of a dancical than a musical because nobody really sings (mostly lip syncing). The play includes junior high school level English and several Japanese phrases, so all of our students can have an experience outside of class to enjoy practicing their English. Each scene is outlined in Japanese in the playbill too. I decided to join in, and now I’m playing the tap dancing candlestick maker, Pinocchio’s homeroom teacher with a midwestern accent, and a yakuza (Japanese mafia) gang member. So far it’s been a lot of fun. We’ve had four performances so far, and the last one is coming up this weekend. Many elementary students were able to understand and enjoy it, so it was simple enough for them, yet it wasn’t too slow or basic because the native English speakers in the audience found it really humorous. Here are some pictures of the cast.
Apparently the Japanese mafia are well-known for their tattoos and Hawaiian shirt wearing tendencies. Tattoos are taboo in Japan because of this association. I was really surprised by the Hawaiian shirt tidbit. So Dad, don't bring your vacation shirts next week.
Apparently the Japanese mafia are well-known for their tattoos and Hawaiian shirt wearing tendencies. Tattoos are taboo in Japan because of this association. I was really surprised by the Hawaiian shirt tidbit. So Dad, don't bring your vacation shirts next week.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Spring
During the morning announcements in the staff room today, the student discipline teacher announced that an unknown man exposed himself at the Naruto train station yesterday. Many female high school students use that station, so he wanted to pass on the message to warn everyone. One of the teachers that I teach with told me that this usually happens in early Spring because it starts to get warmer. So I guess Spring is here! What an unlikely sign.
I never use that station because there’s one much closer to my apartment. They didn’t catch the guy.
I never use that station because there’s one much closer to my apartment. They didn’t catch the guy.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Graduation
Today I attended Naruto Technical High School’s graduation ceremony. It was very similar to graduations in the US with a few exceptions.
Attendants and dress: The teachers, current students, family, and the mayor attended. The students wore their uniforms, and everyone else who attended wore black suits except for about three mothers and one male teacher who wore kimonos. I was shocked by how few family members were there. It looked as though there was no more than one guest per graduate!
Shoes; Everyone had to change their shoes before entering the gymnasium, which meant that I had to change from my indoor shoes to guest slippers or gym shoes. There was a special cover over the gym floor, so I didn’t really understand why we were changing our shoes. All the teachers and I wear our indoor shoes outside at that school because the hallways are outside, so it never really seems to be about keeping floors clean. Anyways, the graduates had special green slippers that are only used on graduation day and the guests were given guest slippers. So here were all these men and women changing out of their dressy shoes and into slippers at the entrance of the gym. Many of the teachers changed into gym shoes. I usually find dressy shoes very uncomfortable, so I like the idea of changing out of them, but I’m still baffled as to why people were even wearing dressy shoes in the first place if they knew they weren’t going to be wearing them for the actual ceremony for which they dressed up.
Ceremony: All of the English teachers were off attending to something, so I really had no clue what was going on or what I was suppose to do. This is what I observed though. The graduates processed through the audience that was mainly made up of the current younger students, sat down, and the Principal began the diploma giving. The speeches came later. Lots and lots of ceremonial bowing took place throughout the ceremony. But when you think about it, bowing rather than handshaking makes the ceremony go a lot faster because it cuts out all the walking to, on, and from the stage. You can bow from a distance. And of course there are fewer germs exchanged. I had to bow with the teachers every once in a while, although I have no idea what I was bowing about. Anyways, when a student’s name was called, he stood up, yelled (sometimes obnoxiously) “HAI” which in this situation means here/present, and remained standing until everyone in his technical major was standing. Then a student representative of the students in that major walked up to the stage and received all of their diplomas at once. They all bowed to the Principal. And it went on like this through the three majors of computer science, machinery, and environment. AFTER the diploma part, about five or six people gave speeches including the Principal, Mayor of Naruto, leader of the PTA, and the student leader. One thing in particular that I noticed was that there was absolutely no laughter during the entire ceremony, so there must not have been any jokes told. About 80% of the students were sleeping in their seats and a couple were listening to music on headsets attached to their cellphones. Afterwards the graduates processed out and changed their shoes.
Afterwards: Everyone was much more cheerful and pictures were actually taken by the few parents that were there. Each homeroom had a special little get together afterwards. Some of the students came up to the staff room and thanked certain teachers and took pictures with them. All the teachers had a special catered box lunch. The brown red bean rice is eaten on special occasions for good luck.
Attendants and dress: The teachers, current students, family, and the mayor attended. The students wore their uniforms, and everyone else who attended wore black suits except for about three mothers and one male teacher who wore kimonos. I was shocked by how few family members were there. It looked as though there was no more than one guest per graduate!
Shoes; Everyone had to change their shoes before entering the gymnasium, which meant that I had to change from my indoor shoes to guest slippers or gym shoes. There was a special cover over the gym floor, so I didn’t really understand why we were changing our shoes. All the teachers and I wear our indoor shoes outside at that school because the hallways are outside, so it never really seems to be about keeping floors clean. Anyways, the graduates had special green slippers that are only used on graduation day and the guests were given guest slippers. So here were all these men and women changing out of their dressy shoes and into slippers at the entrance of the gym. Many of the teachers changed into gym shoes. I usually find dressy shoes very uncomfortable, so I like the idea of changing out of them, but I’m still baffled as to why people were even wearing dressy shoes in the first place if they knew they weren’t going to be wearing them for the actual ceremony for which they dressed up.
Ceremony: All of the English teachers were off attending to something, so I really had no clue what was going on or what I was suppose to do. This is what I observed though. The graduates processed through the audience that was mainly made up of the current younger students, sat down, and the Principal began the diploma giving. The speeches came later. Lots and lots of ceremonial bowing took place throughout the ceremony. But when you think about it, bowing rather than handshaking makes the ceremony go a lot faster because it cuts out all the walking to, on, and from the stage. You can bow from a distance. And of course there are fewer germs exchanged. I had to bow with the teachers every once in a while, although I have no idea what I was bowing about. Anyways, when a student’s name was called, he stood up, yelled (sometimes obnoxiously) “HAI” which in this situation means here/present, and remained standing until everyone in his technical major was standing. Then a student representative of the students in that major walked up to the stage and received all of their diplomas at once. They all bowed to the Principal. And it went on like this through the three majors of computer science, machinery, and environment. AFTER the diploma part, about five or six people gave speeches including the Principal, Mayor of Naruto, leader of the PTA, and the student leader. One thing in particular that I noticed was that there was absolutely no laughter during the entire ceremony, so there must not have been any jokes told. About 80% of the students were sleeping in their seats and a couple were listening to music on headsets attached to their cellphones. Afterwards the graduates processed out and changed their shoes.
Afterwards: Everyone was much more cheerful and pictures were actually taken by the few parents that were there. Each homeroom had a special little get together afterwards. Some of the students came up to the staff room and thanked certain teachers and took pictures with them. All the teachers had a special catered box lunch. The brown red bean rice is eaten on special occasions for good luck.
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