Tanabata in Japan.

On the 7th July (7/7) Tanabata was celebrated in Japan. This event is known in English as 'The Night of Sevens'. It celebrates the meeting of Vega and Altair. The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meetonly once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. Since the stars come out at night, the celebration is held at night.

On this day people usually write down wishes that they hope will come true on thin strips of paper and hang them from bamboo branches. Als

o Japanese people wear a summer kimono (yukatta). It is much thinner and m

ore suited for summer temperatures. All kinds of festival foods are also on sale, such as fried noodles, Japanese pancake, and flavoured shaved ice. Many games for children are also popular at this time such as catching fish with a paper net, scooping noodles fr

om a pipe and catching small balls or charms in moving water.

In the area I live in Tanabata was celebrated twice. Once on the 7th July and then again in the beginning of August. There wer

e a lot of festivities, and even though it was a Tanabata festival, it seemed more like a town festival. Brightly coloured paper decorations are placed all along the main street and traffic is blocked off so that people may walk safely and enjoy themselves. In actuality I celebrated Tanabata three times: 7th July, beginning of August and again on the 8th August in the nearest big city called Sendai.

Earthquake 14 June 2008

Yesterday I was at school when at about 8:43-am the whole building began to shake. I looked up in surprise and saw the teachers left in the staff room all drop to the floor or get under their desks. The principal screamed `Jishin` (earthquake) and ran out of the room. All we could do was protect our heads from any falling debris and hope that it would end quickly. As soon as the shaking stopped the students and teachers all exited the building quickly and carefully. The day before we had practiced a fire drill so it was necessary in this situation to follow those procedures.

Students and staff made their way to the soccer field and lined up in their classes. Homeroom teachers checked to make sure that everyone was safe. We experienced many aftershocks and some teachers were sent to assess the damage that the earthquake had caused to the building. One teacher told me that the school had been renovated the previous year, so the building was safer than other places. This was evident when we looked at the primary school next door. Parts of the roof had broken off and there were many cracks in the walls.

I must commend the Japanese government for their quick action and response to this natural disaster. As we stood on the field, several helicopters flew overhead. Our school was even displayed on TV later that day. Yahoo news wrote: `The government responded quickly, mobilizing troops, police and fire department rescue teams to find and care for the injured and to recover the dead.`

The quake — followed by more than 150 aftershocks — buckled roads, including one highway that was severed when a stretch of land collapsed, turning it into a sudden drop-off. Trains also were halted throughout most of the region while workers checked the safety of the tracks.

The 8:43 a.m. quake was centered about 5 miles underground in the prefecture (state) of Iwate. It was felt as far away as Tokyo, 250 miles to the southwest.

The students were sent home and told to take care and to be on the lookout for any falling debris from buildings. Also they were told to stick to wide roads and not to wander down alleys in case another earthquake hit.

Luckily no one was injured, however many people were shook up. Some students were crying and some students were worried sick because they could not get hold of their families by telephone. This was because signal to some network operators had been lost. I was extremely nervous as this had been my first earthquake experience. Each aftershock jolts your heart even more and you wonder when the next earthquake will hit.

The teachers told me that in 20 years time they have predicted that there will be a huge earthquake in the area that I am living in now. This is not a very comforting thought. However, preparations are made on a daily basis to prevent major damage when the big earthquake does strike one day. For example, my apartment is incredibly durable. i was expecting to arrive home to find ruins of what I call home, however, everything was the same, save for a few books having moved and both the cupboard doors having jolted open. This was a comfort to me because that night there were two aftershocks and I sat up in bed waiting for them to subside.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world. The most recent major quake in Japan killed more than 6,400 people in the city of Kobe in January 1995.

Matsushima

I recently visited Matsushima with a friend of mine. Essentially it is a tourist hive and I saw many `gaikokujin` (foreigners) wining and dining at this coastal attraction.

From Sendai station prepare your

self for a not so short train trip to get to the small station of Matsushima. 

There is quite a lot to see and do (please view map on left). The feeling one gets from spending time here is that you have arrived on a small island. It is difficult to imagine that this is part of mainland Japan as it rather feels like a small island just off of Japans coast. The locals are very friendly and welcoming and immediately one can notice that this place is geared at the tourist market. It is the first time that I have felt like a real tourist in all my time spent in Japan. In Tokyo another foreigner doesn`t even hazard a

 raised eyebrow anymore, but in Matsushima you can start to feel and experience a unique aspect of Japan.

First on the agenda was a visit to a Japanese tea house overlooking the ocean (pictured above). Before you are seated you choose which set you would like to be served. There are many to choose from and I chose something simple - green tea with a sweet treat (pictured below).

 The tea was very delicious and very humbly, but beautifully, served. a lovely cool breeze was blowing. Overlooking the ocean seems to ease ones spirit as well as bring about a peaceful atmosphere. Every one could feel it and there was no one talking loudly or disturbing this 

little bubble of tranquility.

Also if you are adventurous you can request to make your own green tea. However this is only done on request and not really advertised as it is a little bit of an effort on the part of the staff.

Crossing over a red bridge brings you to a beautiful island park. A sign cautions visitors to be aware of raccoon-dogs or Tanuki たぬき. The park itself is beautiful and offers wonderful views of Matsushima. Again such a feeling of peace and tranquility pervades over you. It makes one wonder how it must have been long ago, when there were no modern trappings, and it was still feudal Japan. I am sure that it must have been very beautiful indeed.

This is a temple (pictured left) and the view from it was truly great! It is a nice way to end off a tour of Matsushima. I had a really good time and I recommend it to anyone who is visiting Sendai area. But of course, there is a lot more to see and do in Matsushima. Also, it is a great place for fresh sea food, especially oysters! There are also many souvenir shops (Omiyageおみやげ) so you can find lots of unique presents for friends and family.

Hope that you enjoyed my report on Matsushima!^^

Teaching in Japan

On the 25th April 2008 I taught at a really great elementary school in the Oosaki City area. Because I will only be visiting this particular school 3 times in the academic year, I got to teach all the grades, i.e. grade 1 to grade 6. It was a really fun day and I learnt so much.

The first lesson was grades 3 and 4. The lesson went fantastically well and the learners really had a blast. The interesting thing for them is that I am from South Africa so they have never had any exposure to my country, so when I told them about S.A. they were all eager to pay attention! Also a good thing was that I brought a lot of things from S.A. for them to see and touch so it made it all the more real for them!

The children are really friendly and eager to participate. Some are a bit shy to speak English for fear of making a mistake, but generally they all tried their utmost so I am grateful for that!

Grades 1 and 2 were really cute! they are so small yet so `GENKI`! It was great fun playing English games with them and teaching them how to play Jyanken in English as well as the South African alternative `ching chong cha`.

Lunchtime was also great. The children want to know all about you, what you like, if you have a girlfriend, how old you are etc etc. I really enjoy the more relaxed teaching style that ALT`s can benefit from when teaching Japanese children. It is so different from my country. We were taught to maintain a distance from the children, but in Japan I can be like their `big brother` almost. It is a good experience for me I think!

After school I played soccer with some of the boys. It is so funny because when I kicked the ball they all cheer and say, `Wow, you can kick hard sensei!` It is very amusing, because I am terrible at soccer, so it is a real confidence boost for me! hahahahaha...

The staff are also so great and so welcoming. It makes teaching and wanting to do your best all the more possible. I look forward to returning to that elementary school!

My apartment

I stay ay an apartment called Leo Palace レオパレス. These type of apartments are situated all over Japan and they come in different varieties as well as price ranges.

I like my apartment because it is not too small nor too big, though I could have done with a bigger kitchen area - it is really hard washing dishes or preparing food T_____T``.

The nice thing about it is that it came furnished so I didn`t have to bust my bank account furnishing the place.

お花見 Flower Viewing

=Hanami=

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to Tokyo and see the cherry blossoms in bloom before the leaves starting growing. Cherry blossoms are very pretty, but there is more to this event than meets the eye...

To Japanese people the blooming of these blossoms signals a time of socialising and much alcohol consuming in the name of appreciation of something which happens once every year. Hanami spreads across Japan like a wave of hysteria. Each area blooms at a different time.

To me and you it might just look like an ordinary flower, so why all the fuss. But to the Japanese it represents the beginning of the new year, both academically and literally. Asian countries don`t follow same calander as us. Also, the cherry blossoms signify summers approach, and becuase of their pure colour, represent new chances.

The Japanese family that I went with made it a field day by inviting other family friends. Firstly you lay down the mats to sit on. Next, remove your shoes and get onto the mat. Now all the food and `drinks` that haev been bought are placed in the middle of the mats for everyone to share. Business is of course booming for the local コンビに (convenience stores). A bento (lunchbox) is the most popular choice and consists of rice, a meat or fish and some vegetables.

Somewhere near to the flowering trees there is bound to be a fair of sorts. These places sell Japanese `festival foods` and you can buy much extra beverages [of the alcoholic and non kind].

Depending on the day and the weather, people will turn out in droves, all fighting for a spot under the ever falling `snow like` petals of the cherry blossom trees. It has a very calming and relaxing effect I must say. For my first Hanami, I think it was very enjoyable and also a eye opener into Japanese culture and way of life.

Japan - Tokyo

Hey there,
Well so far my stay in Japan has been awesome! Tokyo is such a great place to live in I think! It is so busy and things are always happening! However it can be very confusing for us Westerners, especially if you can`t read kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese). However, for young people [like me] I highly recommend visiting Tokyo because the youth culture is really dynamic and so unique!

The Hotel I was staying in was called Juyoh Hotel (http://www.juyoh.co.jp/document/english/english.html) and is very affordable if you are thinking of planning a trip. Also it is in a quieter neighbourhood so after a days sightseeing or an evenings partying you can retreat to a quiet place. The staff can speak English and are very friendly!

Each day I was in Tokyo I tried to visit a different place. Travelling is very convenient and easy because of the great train and subway system. JR rail (train) has both English and Japanese signs so you won`t get confused easily!

Let me give you a quick breakdown of the areas I visited:
Asakusa: This is a quieter part of Tokyo and it has a huge temple called Senso-ji. It is a great place if you`re looking for souvenirs because there is a whole avenue of shops leading up to the temple selling uniquely Japanese things.
Akihabara: The manga and electronics mecca of Tokyo. Whatever you are looking for that is electronic you can find it here. But beware when going into some shops because they sell Hentai (Japanese porn)... enough said.
Shinjuku: My favourite area. It has a great park as well as the famous 6-way pedestrian crossing seen in movies. It also has a lot of high rise buildings which is really awesome seeing as in SA we have very `short` buildings, comparing to Japan of course.
Ginza: The shopping paradise of fashionistas. Every major label you can think of that is EXPENSIVE has been crammed into 5/6 avenues known collectively as Ginza. Look out for the `looks liked she stepped out of a magazine` girls. Also, there are so many salary-men and school kids walking around at any time of the day - don`t these people work?^^
Odaiba: Harbour area. This place was created by a landfill when Tokyo Harbour was constructed. It is a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and offers great views of the city.

Of course there was still so much to see as well as so much more to tell you, but time was not on my side and I don`t want to bore you too much, so this is just a brief description.

A good website to check for details on Tokyo - accommodation, places to visit etc - is http://www.lonelyplanet.com

Sorry there are no pictures... I did take some but it was with a normal camera, and the pictures on my phone haven`t been downloaded yet.

Hope my recount was interesting. Please ask me any questions about Tokyo!