Day off

August 28

Entetsu Department Store's Hobby/Craft Floor


Aha. I finally spoke on the computer via Yahoo Messenger with voice. It was great. Now I just need to get a web cam and negotiate whatever compatibility issues.
It’s official. I am bored of sashimi and sushi. I am craving my Canadian diet. Today is a six-day week. I will try to be disciplined and not let the job suck my lifeblood.

Entetsu Department Store-Kimono section


Yesterday, my one day off, I shopped around Hamamatsu. I went to the electronics shop, Yamada Denki, and was completely overwhelmed. It’s amazing how the language barrier can completely drain a person. No wonder my fellow foreign teachers find that we spend huge amounts of time in the supermarket pondering labels and goods. It is fun, but the electronics shop is way more draining and less satisfying as all the stress surrounding the potential purchase some expensive item that might be a complete waste of money. Oh the pressure of it all. After being in the shop for ages, I purchased my headphones and mic without web cam. The salesperson said it would not work with my foreign computer. I felt devastated. I feel like an alien. To recover, I head for the massage chairs at Yamada Denki. Costly, but a must have. Like something out of Star Trek. Huge and comfy, lazy-boy like, but with all these clamp like devices that carefully bind you into the chair. These are seriously amazing massage chairs that hug you into the chair and then precede to massage from feet to head. Ahhhhhhh. This is a great place to hang and unwind.











After much walking around and window-shopping, I picked up some scrummy looking food and hopped onto the train. I was devastated to arrive home only to find that I lost my key. What a panic. I imagined myself sleeping in the street, or spending huge amounts of money on a hotel for the night. I got back on my bike to retrace my steps. I was so lucky to find my key that slipped out of my pocket. The evening then felt extra special to me, as I was able to return to my pad and sleep in my futon.

Yamada Denki Washroom-killing time

Hamamatsu

So, it does not take long for me to crave the big city, so out I embark to the closest 'big' city that I can find, which is Hamamatsu. To my great surpise, I discover that Hamamatsu is a highly cultured city, owing to the fact that several of the largest muscial instrument companies are headquatered here, most notably, Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland. This is a major piano city and I know that my piano virtuosic friends would LOVE this town. As I step out of the train station, I hear Chopin's "Polainaise" blasting out from the welcome platform (complete with water founatin works) that is in the picture above. Apparently, one can take factory tours at Yamaha and Kawai. I am somewhat of a fan of Kawai, due to the fact that so many of the school pianos were Kawai and my upright is also a Kawai. Many classical concerts take place in Hamamatsu and the upcoming event is the Piano competion.



There are live bands playing around the station area that is hub of human traffic. I enjoy the throng of humanity immensely, a wonderful contrast to the rural quietude that I have found myself in of late. What is surprising, is the number of foreigners that I are around, mostly Brazilian from my understanding. My boss told me that Hamamatsu has the highest population of Brazilians in Japan, numbering 20,000. I have been mistaken for Brazilian quite frequently, and by Brazilians themselves, who approach me in Portuguese. I am limited in communicating with them as I have found out that their Japanese is not very good, worse than mine, and they often do not speak English. Purely my experience. I would love to communicate with them to discover more of their experiences of living in Japan, as well as learning more about the Japanese diaspora living in Brazil.













As one steps out of the train station, it is hard to miss 'Act City', a landmark fixture of downtown Hamamatsu. It contains a large art exhibition area that I made my way to upon my first visit. A Brazilian exhibitian was taking place at the time, which I did not enter as closing time was near. There are many shops and a large hotel here as well. There is also a Musical Instrument Museum close by that I know I have to visit, perhaps on a rainy day, which is not happening of late. Only intense heat and humidity. I locate the closest electronic store mecca, Yamada Denki. Beautifully air conditioned, I could spend hours here, and I do, but there is an annoying repetition of the same pop song over and over again. How do the employees handle it? I think the Japanese have a higher degree of tolerance for noise. Supermarkets play repetitious music looped in a way that would drive me mad.












In addition to discovering the Yamada Denki store, I discover something strangely, unJapanese........wide streets, just like back home. It seems very out of place. I have to take a bunch of pictures of this anomoly. While there are expanses of green space, they look very unnatural.....like fake grass. It is due to the fact that it is cropped so close to the ground. I have to take a picture of the 'pick up after your dog pooping' sign, because it is so cute and Japanese. I thoroughly enjoy my sojourn in Hamamatsu and vow to return every weekend if possible since it is so close, 30 mintues by train, and therefore, affordable. I am a big city gal after all. No sticking me in a small town and expecting me to shut up and stay put. Y'Hear?












I love kimono shops and can't resist taking a picture, as this one is one is especially colourful and photogenic. I love wearing kimonos and seeing women wear kimonos about town. Japanese women look astounding in kimonos. It is a very natural look for them. I am just naturally looking Brazilian days. Next I will be wearing little sequined outfits with feathers and high heels. Not! Anyways, Brazilians are so diverse as a people, what is the stereotype anyways? Anyways, Hamamatsu is proving to be quite an interesting town. I have extended family here, so I have much to explore. Ciao

School Woes

August 23, 2006

My town

Now that summer school has ended, I am getting an idea of what will be in store for the year to come. It has not been promising. I have two dreadful schools where the children are quite ill behaved and many appear to have some sort of attention deficit and/or behavioural issues. I have seen kids walk in, angry and resentful, no doubt, forced to attend the English school. Some talk through my lessons, or go off and do their own thing. Some fight and intimidate other students. Others will start playing ball and I have to try and get them to stop. It is not pleasant. Because it is a private school for profit, we cannot really discipline the students. It is a difficult task to teach under this situation. Then there is the stress of being responsible for a group of kids. I have heard horror stories from other teachers, about kids that escape from the classroom and the teachers that have to get them back without neglecting care for the other students. I shudder to even think of this scenario happening to me.

Classroom
The worse incident, which nearly made me walk out the job, was when I discovered feces; yes shit, all over the bathroom floor. Some kid, I know who it is – a designated problem child – took a dump and then dipped his toilet slipper into the shit to make a statement of some sort. Scat artist. I was horrified. When I opened the door, the smell nearly made me gag. All I could think was, 10 years of post secondary education for this. I got on the phone to the company, hoping someone would relieve me of this nightmare scene by calling some cleaning service. But no, I was asked to clean the bathroom to the best of my ability. I had complained that there were not any cleaning implements and I was at a loss of how exactly, one was to clean such a mess. This is the point when I decided I needed to find another job. The job was a nightmare. My schools were filled with inbred hillbillies – the devil’s spawn. I had huge hairy spiders inhabiting the worst of schools. And the home Japanese teachers of two of my schools, I am sure, resented the fact that I was not Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp. I would find a way out of this B grade nightmare. Like Scarlet O’Hara, I screamed to the wind that I would crawl my way out of this, behind the backdrop of a blood red sunset. Remember that scene.

Scat School
Another blooper day with the company. Nothing to compare to scraping shit off the toilet floor. Thank goodness. No, the company sent me to the wrong school. I arrived just as another teacher arrived. Turns out that I was supposed in Hamamatsu city. I had enough time to make it back to the train station and get to the right school. I was substituting for the lost class from the typhoon day. Well one good thing after all that running around, was the opportunity to speak to another teacher, from Vancouver Island, and garner more company scoop. This teacher, unlike the majority, is of South Asian descendent, and complained about the racism he experienced within the company. Sucks. He totally me that he sometimes plays volleyball with the kids. I suppose if I ever feel pissed off with the company, I too can flake off and just horse around..
Racism. Yeah, I have often been mistaken for Brazilian, from the Brazilians themselves too, especially since I’ve gotten browner during the summer. I think the Brazilians get racist shit here. Not the same experience as the gaijin gods. I feel that some people treat me less than well. Today, some guy tried to run me over. If I were back home, I would have slammed his hood for that act. I am still on my best behaviour.

A cop pulled me over on his bicycle when I rode through a red light. I tried to play the ignorant foreigner, but he saw through me. He knew I understood. Thank goodness I didn’t get a ticket. I will be better. No breaking the rules in Japan. Well, not in broad daylight anyways. Joke. On the train, I came across the same ranting old fascist I heard harassing these Philipino women on the bus way back home. He’s a nutter and I’ve labeled him the Kikugawa ranter. Today he harassed Japanese students waiting for the train. I avoid his glance and ignore him.

Rural Living

Earth Celebration...

Most Japanese are familiar with Sado Island for its famous water tub boats. There were massive numbers of tourist buses lined up in front of the harbour so that people could partake of this novelty marine event. I'm quite sure there was a distinctive folk music to accompany the whole experience, as some traditonal folk music was blasting out of the speakers. I resisted the temptation to join the crowd and focused on the raison d'etre: Kodo's Earth Celebration















Ogimachi - at the hub of EC and most hospitable

I made sure that I would not miss out on this opportunity - Kodo's Earth Celebration (EC) on the legendary Sado Island. I did not really have the money to attend, but I felt that I really deserved to do this, after all that I had been through in the last year. It was very hot and amazing. I met so many different kinds of people and wished that I could have done so much more, but the heat made it very difficult. And the lack of sleep. I was camped out on the beach and of course, there were drum circles going on all night and there was little sleep to be had. I was exhausted, but forced myself to do as much as I could. I ate, I drank, I saw as many perfomrances as I could and I socialized as much as I could considering my physical state. I wish that I could have done a lot more and I regret not getting people's contact information.











A view of Sado Island from the ferry...I was very excited at the first glimpse and prowled the streets of Ogimachi.

It was great to see members of Kodo in their home turf, so relaxed. Their family members were about and I met brothers and mothers selling home made items. I felt right at home. It was very reminiscent of events I had participated in the past. I was surprised to see Kodo in this light, as the group strikes me as rather conservative in many respects. However I have shifted my opinion considerably since this experience and really enjoyed this mellow Kodo.











The heat was altogether something I was not familiar with, however, and it really dragged me down. I did take a plunge in the ocean on my last morning, somewhat refreshing. I enjoyed sights of Ogimachi, a town that had thrown itself right into the Earth Celebration spirit.













I have saved most of the performance aspects for my ethnoid blog. This is the down time section of EC. Here I can include shots about town, which I enjoyed thorougly, despite the fact that it seemed quite empty. Perhaps everyone leaves during the festival. The town does have its own proper matsuri taking place a week after EC, so maybe everyone was immersed in preparations.













The gateway to Kiseki Shrine, quiet only because this pic was taken after the festival, otherwise there would have been a constant throng of human folk. Beyond the gate is the shrine itself where a stage ha been set up along with sound system. All of the concert paraphanaelia had been taken down and EC folks were dismantling the stage at Shiroyama, beyond the shrine. It was a big no-no, but I had unknowingly taken some pics at the concert at Shiroyama and so will disclose here amongst friends, but refrain from posting on the ethnoid blog. This will give you an idea of the Kodo concerts, which by the way, were incredible and adjectives will not suffice. You had to be there. I was awestruck. And the drums. Gotta love those drums!

So after the festival, I had enough down time to stroll around and watch the unwinding of EC. I checked out Ogimachi and strolled along the waterway checking out the tub boats and the kitties. Very cool cats, by the way. I was very amused by the tub boats as you can tell by numerous pics. Yes, I did want to have a go, but alas, no, it was not meant to be. Maybe next time.

Bye for now, see you next Earth Celebration............

Kakegawa Matsuri

Kakaegawa Obon Matsuri

I caught a Kakegawa festival over the Obon weekend that my student clued me into and I luckily was able to catch the tail end of the celebrations. I was a bit surprised to find, not taiko, but Brazilian samba. There was a Brazilian samba influence to the line dance, which traditionally would be a folk dance. It was a bit confusing. I tried to take it all in and wish I had a video camera to do justice. A live band accompanied them.










Japanese-Brazilan Bon Odori?

I made my way further down the street and came across another live samba band with Brazilian dancers and a lot of cameras capturing the moment. It was a bit bizarre to me. Japanese women tend to be quite modest, so seeing bare butt women in teeny tiny sequined outfits just did not seem to gel in my mind. There were men in abundance in the audience and they all seemed to have some sort of recording device going on to capture the moment.










Matsuri with a Brazilian flavour

Squat Toilets and Wedding Mecca

Kimono Store

This is just en entry of odd bits. I promised to post a picture of a squat toilet for those who have never laid eyes or butt to one. This one is taken from Nagoya Station, a huge station of local trains, bullet train, and subway stations. I was very happy to discover bathrooms at every subway station. In fact, public toilets are not hard to come by in Japan, unlike my experience in Canada, where they appear all to annoyingly scarce. Just a note that most toilets I have come across, usually feature a western style toilet for someone's convenience.


OK. So this was kind of bizarre to at first. Near my pad, is this huge institution called, Izumoden. This modern building has a huge Christinan-like cross atop the building, so of course I assumed it was a church. Because the building does not look very church-like, I thought perhaps one of those cult type churches. Turns out, and I had a good laugh over this, this is a wedding centre. I think you can find everything you need to pull off a smashing wedding, right here in my backyard. This is a huge landmark. When I give directions to my taxi driver, all I have to do is say Izumoden, and everyone knows where I live. I find it ironic.