Hello!
This is Sam, calling in from the Japanese countryside!
Today,
KCJS went on the annual Okayama trip. After a somewhat long drive to the
station (my host dad took a wrong turn and we got stuck in traffic), I commuted
to Doshisha, as usual. We had a brief meeting regarding our trip, then headed for
the bus. The
only thing of note during the drive was the interesting combini we stopped at
along the way - it had oppai pudding. You know what that is? It’s two cups of
pudding “arranged” to look like breasts. Only in Japan.
When
we reached Okayama, we wearily dismounted the bus, and were immediately whisked
off to a conference room where a crowd of Japanese people were waiting for us.
There was a TV camera and everything. We all sat down, and waited for it to
begin. Yotsukura-sensei gave a fairly high-level speech in Japanese, although
she seemed really nervous. She was followed by speeches by local officials, who
used bigger words and were less understandable. Then came the moment I had been
dreading. Along with five other KCJS students, we presented a little speech as
well; as representatives of KCJS, we had to thank the group for hosting us again
this year. I messed up. After we were seated, they had all the KCJS students
introduce themselves. And I messed up again. Our host families also introduced
themselves – at least one of my friends got cute sisters. Maybe a little
jealous? My host father was dressed In a yellow polo and wearing shades, a very
non-Japanese look. When we finally got to meet, he gave me a strong handshake,
and used some English to make me feel welcome. I tried my best not to show my
nervousness as I introduced myself yet again. He told me his name was Shingo,
but that I should just call him Ringo. Like, the Japanese word for “apple”. And
he has an awesome car - when he said he likes race cars, he doesn't mean
watching. He actually races cars. Just as we started to talk though, we were
rushed out, along with three other students, to go to a smaller, local government
office in Satosho, the city we were staying in.
When
we reached the city office, we were led to one of the cushiest rooms I've ever
been in, where again cameras were set up and official looking people were
waiting. The mayor came out and greeted us personally, delivering a speech in
heavy-duty Japanese. We all got cellphone straps and little badges of the town
mascot. They also had us all take a photo together. Afterwards, one of the TV
cameramen came over and interviewed me. I only made a huge fool of myself; I
didn’t catch one of the questions he asked, and someone off-screen started
talking to me. I finally stuttered out something about wanting to eat
chestnuts. I really hope they edit.
The
first activity in Okayama was to make pottery. Apparently, one of the six
famous Japanese pottery styles is based in Okayama, and we were to learn a
little about it today. My host father drives me over to the technical school
where the pottery class was being help. On the way, all the students walking
home from school turned their heads to stare at me. A couple of girls waved at
me, and when I waved back they cheered like I was some kind of celebrity. I
guess I’m big in the countryside.
Ringo
had some stuff to do; he works part time to pay for his expensive hobbies. So
we parted ways, and I got onto a bus with the rest of the KCJS kids. It took us
to a pottery studio, where an old sensei explained about the style of pottery
and why it’s famous. But he used some really technical lingo, and I don’t think
anyone understood more than three or four words per sentence. But when he
finished, we got a much simpler explaination: we would split into two groups,
one to make stuff out of clay, and the other to decorate. I wanted to make a
tea bowl, since I'm a fan of chanoyu, Japanese tea ceremony. And so make that
tea bowl I did, with the help of the teacher. Actually, she did 75% of the work.
But it came out well...until I nicked the side with string while removing the
bowl from the wheel. Funny thing is, everyone (except Ken, Yotsukura-sensei’s
son) didn’t know what to make, so they also made bowls. Ken made a little sake
jug.
Once
we finished and cleaned up, we walked back to the school. The teachers with us
didn’t know the way, and we actually stopped at an intersection, unsure of
which was to proceed. Once we made it back to the school, we waited for our
host families to pick us up. I had seen a bunch of smoke coming from the fields
on the way over, and I asked one of the teachers what it was coming from. Turns
out, the farmers burn off grass to keep it from stealing the crops’ nutrients. When
Ringo showed up, everyone was super impressed with his awesome car. It’s some
sort of sporty convertible race car. It’s really loud, by the way. Before we
headed home, he wanted to show me the ocean. And so we drove (okay, he sped)
through the beautiful countryside, through the mountains, until we reached the sea.
On the way, he showed off his awesome driving skills, by doing several 360˚
turns in the middle of an intersection O_O
Anyway,
the ocean. We got there just in time for the sunset, which would have been
stunning if it wasn't cloudy. Still, it was beautiful and peaceful. Ringo had a
smoke while I relaxed in the beauty of nature. The world just felt at peace for
a while.
We
went back over the mountains to his house. That’s when I met the family. It's a
big one – there’s Ringo, his wife (Satsuki), their three daughters (Rina, Risa,
and Rika), two of whom are married (Ken and Norio), and then their two kids
(Ayumu and Rui), and the baby (Yuna). I spent most of the evening talking with
them, really enjoying being around so many people. It was just such a welcome
change from my relatively boring life in Joyo-shi. We had a maki sushi party
for dinner, with a giant plate chicken karaage on the side. Risa is an amazing
cook! I haven't eaten this well since I was staying with the Fujiwaras, to be
perfectly honest. When Satsuki got home, I introduced myself once again. I had
just mentioned that I’ve been taking kyudo lessons (they asked me what I have
been doing outside of classes); when she heard, she looked me in the eyes and
asked me if I wanted to do kyudo that night (which I did). She picked up the
phone, made a call, and then rushed me away in the car.
This
was my first time in a dojo besides Kawaguchi sensei's. I was nervous, and yet
really excited. I was introduced to the sensei, who seemed strict yet kind,
just like my own sensei. Then we all sat down to watch. Today of all days was a
special event, one that only happens once a month, called tsukimi shakai, or “moon
viewing kyudo”. It's a special event only done at this dojo, but is decently
famous among those in the know. This evening’s theme was “full moon obscured by
clouds”, represented by little trees placed between the archer and the target.
After a beautiful ritual, where a male practitioner ritualistically readied his
bow and nailed the target dead center, the archers all lined up and fired at
special gold targets, representing the full moon. It was amazing to watch, and
I felt incredibly lucky to have gotten to see it.
After
we returned, I met the last sister, Rina. We stayed up talking for a long
while, the three sisters, their parents, and I. I took a bath, although I can
only hope I did so in the proper way. My Japanese bath etiquette is a little
lacking. Despite some not so encouraging news from Nick, I had a fantastic
night here in Okayama. Tomorrow seems to be a really busy day too: aside from
karate and going to a matsuri, Satsuki has scheduled some sort of harvest festival
in the morning, and then a tea ceremony. Any worries I had about coming to the
countryside are gone; I'm so glad I came.
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