a land without siesta

Have I told you about the lullabye music that blares through the speakers posted all over town everyday at at 5 o' clock. It's a little torturous really, seeing that it can lull one to sleep though most are far from leaving work. At home in the Bay, KFOG plays "smoke two joints" everyday at 5. Maybe I can have a word with a higher up, possibly the mayor, get a few things changed around here. We'll chalk it up to cultural exchange.

Nature's Faucet and Japan's Declining Population...obviously

Man does the water flow in Nachi, home of Japan's largest waterfall and the destination of this last weekend's travels. Due to a national holiday, Respect for the Aged Day, this past weekend was three days long. Not a holiday familiar in the States, but one that makes some sense considering that a disproportionate percentage of Japan's population is elderly. Which leads to an interesting point: the sluggish growth in population, the large numbers of elderly and the economic impact that these factors combined have on Japan. I have briefly discussed this issue with some Japanese friends and all of them have non-chalantly and often jokingly commented on how many old people there are in Japan (this is especially noticable in the countryside). In fact, the 2000 census in Japan reported that from 1995 the population had only grown 1.1%, falling below the previous low (since the census began here) marked right after WWII. In contrast however, households with elderly couples above the age of 60 for women and 65 for men (okay, "elderly") rose 32.5%. Being in my shoes and working with young people all the time in this town, it is hard to grasp the facts, but on further inspection while keeping in mind the percentages and setting aside my constant contact with kids, it is very obvious that there are a lot of older people here. Chalk it up to the strong Japanese genes, they are everywhere; working in the fields, riding their bikes, zooming along on their scooters. I can only hope that I have their agility when I am their age. Both my great-grandparents, on my mother's side, lived well into their nineties, so maybe there is a chance. But despite the sillyness coupled with speaking about the subject, it is a fairly serious issue. Junko, a woman I have dinner with every week, expressed the anxiety felt by many people her age (around 35) who pay in to pensions now, but may not be able to collect their due amounts when they get older. Not an all too unfamiliar issue. She mentioned some incentives offered to families with multiple children, but I have not done enough research into the subject to relay them to you. However, if you care to know more, this paper is very informative and interesting in that it explores the causes and ramifications as well as possible solutions to Japan's low birth rate and declining population: http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/Chapple.html...turns out there is a governmental office assigned to the issue, ‘Anti-Low Birth Rate Measures Promotion Headquarters’.

Either way, respecting our elders made it a long weekend, so the itinerary conveniently called for a camping trip in Southern Wakayama. We were originally supposed to go kayaking as well, and I was excited for this new adventure, but due to the mad rush of people taking advantage of both the long weekend and the end of summer, we were not able to reserve any boats. Still, the weekend was a good time. The highlights included a trip to the falls (ofcourse) and the adjoining temple. The spot that the Fall, falls in (haha) is part of the Kumano region an area that was the desitnation of many pilgrimages. There are three sacred Kumano Shrines, two of which I have now visited; the Kumano Hongu Shrine, which I carelessly mentioned earlier as the Shrine of the three-Legged Crow and the Nachi Kumano Shrine.

The drive up to the Waterfall was windy and the slight drizzle that day, created the feeling of embarking upon some hidden jungle location. In fact, the Fall sneaks up on you. Before I knew it, it was to our left, no roaring water sound to warn us. And to be honest, I was not as amazed at the Fall at first as I thought that I would be, for although it is the highest waterfall in Japan, it is narrowly poured. Not that I expected Niagara, but my first glance did not illicit a "wow". A tree-lined set of stone steps led to an opening at the base of Nachi Falls and the out-of-the-car, in person, base-view of the fall, did summon the awe that I had anticipated. Something about water falling from high places, as simple as it seems, draws people in, and I am as magnetized as the rest. And in a land of mountains (Wakayama means Peaceful Mountain) it is bound to happen in many places, so tis a lucky thing that I enjoy this water flowage. Paths and stairways leading into the hillsides around the Falls, led to a landing where the Nachi Kumano Shrine sits along with a large laughing Buddha begging for a belly rub.

We spent the night at a beach near the southernmost point in Japan, chased giant spiders (Huntsmen) from our cabins and cooked Yaki Soba on camping grills…when in Japan camping, do as the Japanese campers do. And despite the wet weather, it was a lovely time and the nearly full moon made it ideal for night swimming.

The next night, we were lucky enough to discover that the well-known, well-toured Taiko group, Kodo, was in the area. It is one thing, a great thing, to listen to Taiko, but to see it live is spectacular. The strength, stamina, rhythm and coordination exhibited by the men and women of Kodo is unbelievable. My mom says that they live on an island off of Japan to train. And train they must, because their bodies are incredibly sculpted. I know because one of the pieces was performed nearly naked, back to the audience. Hot damn!

The trip back to home base on Monday was filled with pit stops at rivers and rock formations, treats of the land. I will let the pictures tell the story.

3 X 5

Mama says there are not enough pictures, so here goes a random assortment...

The view from my balcony..yes those are rice fields and yes, the rice here is damn expensive

Elisha, Ann and I...gaijin, gaijin, gaijin

Some of my favorite/most insane Nusery students. The back of the shirt of the one on the right reads: "I Want to be the Most Popular One in the Convex."

An Osaka Street, complete with Tempura stand, mmmmmm

Taiko Meets Technology

Not the best pic, but A View of Wakayama City (the castle is on the hill in the distance)

A Kinki Lap

There is definitely something to say about the spontaneous road trip and the unexpected adventure that they almost always invoke. Me, being a person with little ability to plan despite my efforts, like the planned adventure just as much as the next person, but always seem to end up in a hodge podge sort of trip...and actually have come to prefer it that way (as long as I am not the driver, because driving is scary and makes me grumpy). So, this past weekend was one of those such occasions, where the places you are headed to are reached eventually but never in the manner expected, not until far later than you had planned, and with the various random experiences along the way ending up to being the highlights. My friend Carlton, a real down kind of guy, with a pirate alter ego and a deep passion for terrible Japanese movies that anyone would admire, was given a car for free and has thus been willing to drive everywhere and anywhere in the ken (prefecture) and beyond. Me, being the most genki passenger, jumped at the chance to take a trip with him and our friends Ann and Elisha to a three-story hyaku-en (dollar store essentially) store in Wakayama and then head to Nara (a neighboring prefecture) for a party and some sight seeing, maybe.

Saturday mornng was pick up time, but being that I was at a cultural festival at a nearby high school, the party o' road trippers convened there. Now, I am one for fair food. Honestly. Molly and Lucas can both attest to our shared love for the funnel cake and cotton candy, but I am telling you, the food at this fair was incredible. Tako Yaki, Yaki Soba, gyoza, Okonomiyaki, etc. You name it in Japanese, maybe they had it, though a churro would have been more than welcome. And being at a high school made me wish that I was teaching at one. I am currently the head gaijin/ALT at three elementary schools, one junior high and one nursery. And while the kids are great, it would be nice to throw a high school in to the mix, because as I discovered, this is the spot where much of the character is exposed, despite the uniforms. Dreads and colorful make-up were out in full force (considering the dress code) and the dance performance created and performed by the students at the festival reminded me of my Dance Production days; lip synching, cross-dressing and all. Anyways, moving on...

Turns out my friend Ann was under the weather and thus did not make it to Wakayama, which for that matter did not produce the three-story store of crap that we had hoped. Actually, that is unfair. In reality the hyaku-en stores here are amazing. So much so that the first time I went into one I asked one of the sales people how much things were three times. This was partly due to the fact that I was super juiced to use what little Japanese I know, but mostly because I was astounded that the things sold in a hyaku-en store are truly hyaku-en. But getting back on track, the three-story joy was under renovation until ________, so we instead hit up another one that turned out to be full of fun things such as blow-up, stick on boobs, fake bald heads, depressing pin wheels, third place medals, pointing fingers on a stick and neon glow bracelets. The perfect party favors to bring to a feverish friend, we headed to a town called Misato. Navigating by landmarks, basically the only way you can get anywhere in rural Japan, we arrived at Ann's with dinner and confete (sp?) just in time to wake her from a devilish dream. Up next was the wonderfully bad, awfully good, most terrible must-buy movie I have ever seen. Can't explain, but if you're ever in the subway station and see Battlefield Baseball, don't hesitate to purchase.

Time rolls on and come 10:30, some sense kicks in and we pack into the car for a long ass drive to Nara. Nara is the original capitol of Japan and is home to a deer park and some incredible temples and sacred spaces. I have been to none of these, and this trip did not change that. We went rural. Up from Misato, through Wakayama (again) over into Nara and then south into ___________(insert town, once I remember its name) we headed. These roads are insane, carrying hundreds of tunnels along its untra-curvy stretch. I admit, I had two cat naps along the way, but the swaying side to side didn't warrant much length. When I at last woke up for good, I was pleased to find Carlton driving in the middle of the road (there are no other cars mom, no worries) critiqueing his speed and form in each turn.

We finally arrived at our destination at around 2am, just in time for the second wind of those party go-ers still present. Needless to say, much props were given for our trecking and down-ness.

The next morning, a bit hung over and sleepy, but ready for the day, we hiked about five minutes up a mountain in back of the house that we were staying at and reached a wonderfully intimate waterfall with a pool begging for swimmers beneath. Living rural can be a pain when it comes to the conveniences experienced in city life, but it is treasures like a waterfall a few minutes walk from your house that makes it all balance out. Or perhaps tip the scales. I soaked in my first Japan waterfall experience, literally, swimming in its cold waters and screaming to others above its roar. A frog fell from the fall, or within the fall, as we were swimming and we were happpy to have the company, though it was speculated that he was attempting suicide. One life saved.

Next on to an Undokai, or sports festival at a near by school, where out group of gaijins raced in a relay race against some of the school's teachers. Being unprepared my entire team ran barefoot...and won. Later I was told that it is etiquette to lose gracefully to the locals. I am sorry, but I race to win.

The day getting late, we piled back into the car and headed south out of Nara prefecture, back into Wakayama prefecture and on to Hongu, where we visited the famous Kumano Hongu Shrine, or to better remember, the Shrine of the Three-Legged Crow...specific meaning to follow. Here I purchased a charm for safe travels, for soon I will be joining those who drive on the other side of the road. I too was given a car.

We continued our lap around the Kinki region (hence title) helping a snake out of the middle of the road (two lives saved) and gawking with confusion at the mniature dog breader/store that graced the high way in the middle of nowhere, but was nonetheless "wonderful." Then it was on to Carlton's neck of the woods to bring some treats to his co-workers who were working at the polls this September 11, it being election day for the Lower House (Koizumi dissolved the lower house and called an early election after his efforts to privatize the Postal Service in Japan failed to pass. *refer to blog post: "things I am still trying to figure out..."*). Time to head home, we headed back to Gobo via Tanabe, Minabe and a whole bunch of other small country towns lying on the banks of rivers, through tunnels and looking out onto the ocean. It really is an incredible chunk of land here, this Kinki Penninsula. And this lap really opened my eyes to it.

***Photos (in order but not chronologically, if ya know what I mean): A Wonderful Dog Shop (and just where you need it); Temple of the Three-Legged Crow; Doraemon and Darth out of Cans and Paper, respectively; Dressing up for Ann; Shoes Glorious Shoes (or what happens when Japan runs out of shoe racks).

Conflict of Interest

Today at one of the elementary schools where I teach, there were two boys with Oakland A's shirts on...and they were both also wearing Yankees caps.

Edible Letters

If anyone has read The Phantom Toll Booth, maybe you will know what I am talking about:

I read that book when I was younger and one of the very few things that I remember from it, aside from the land of the Duldrums, were the edible letters. The thing about these edible letters, that the main character What'shisface eats, is that they are described in such vivid detail. I am assuming so at that is, because, that is pretty much all that stuck. They were crunchy yet, juicy and left a permanent longing in my head to find something with the consistency that I envisioned when I first read the book. Well, I just wanted to make the random anouncement, that the search ends in Japan, for I have found it in the pears here. They are amazing. And the juicy crunch is incredible, matching, side from the Orange flavor, all my imagination could have expected to find based on the memory of a childrens book. I hope for your sake, that they find their way to a kitchen near you soon.

food as activity

A wise friend once told me (and stated so on her roommate preference application for college) that her interests included "eating events." Well, she would love it in Japan...and you know who you are, MB. For, the Japanese have perfected the skill of making eating into an activity which entails much more than hand, mouth, chew, swallow. There are the somen noodles that are poured down a bamboo shoot, too be scooped up quickly with hashi (chopticks), there is boat sushi (sushi floats around a circular river, waiting to be picked up...pay per plate, price depends on plate's color) and there is the still-to-be incorporated, breaking open watermelon with a stick, blind-folded. We were at Shirahama hama (Shirahama beach) last weekend and a group of people lounging next to us all stood up with their watermelon. Aware that something was about to happen, we focused our attention and from what developed next, I can say I will never hesitate to bring a watermelon to the beach. I recommend this activity to all: A watermelon is placed at one end of an aisle created by speactators/hecklers/navigators. At the other end is the contestant blind-folded and carrying a wooden stick. This person is then spun around until the count of jyu (10), for more of a challenge I suppose the person can place their forehead on the stickand spin around in that fashion. When the spinning has stopped the person is left untouched, to pace forward towards the watermelon. In our case, there were directions given, much like in Mother May I (ie: take three giant steps forward). At this point it becomes clear how disoriented the person is, and many times it may be necessary for the spectators/hecklers/navigators, to change their positions so as not to be struck with the stick. After positioning and repositioning, and when the blindfoldee feels the urge, a mighty swing is executed, the landing of which is intended to split the watermelon in twane. A partially skinned, clipped or dented melon does not end the game. We watched about three different people attempt to break open the juicy fruit, and finally the fourth person hacked it open with a powerful hack after yelling "sumo" at the top of his lungs. I am convinced that that is what did the trick.

Sensing our pleasure at their game, the players let us in on the fun and a couple of folks that I was with tried their hand at it, the only one successful one to be a woman in our group. Not surprising, but worth noting nonetheless. Watermelon slices were enjoyed by all, and it was a nice way to end a day at the beach.

Why should games be exclusively for drinking?

Typhoon #14

Today Wakayama-ken braced for the outskirts of Typhoon #14, whose eye has hit and flooded parts of Kyushu...so my friend Corri and I figured we should head to the beach near us and check out the waves. It's an angry ocean out there. Above are some pics. There were some surfers out on the water too. Now, tonight, the storm is here and my windows are shaking and seem like they might blow out. That's an exaggeration, but they are definitely rocking back and fourth in their frames. Should have filled my washing machine with water like my supervisor said. Now there is a warning coming over the town's loud speakers, not a lot of help when you can't understand the language much...gotta study my Nihon-go!

Rascals

Here are some pics of the nursery school kids that I teach, aka kancho suppliers...deceiving with their cute matching hats.

Mayor C. Ray Nagin Interview

If you have not yet heard or read the interview by WWL-AM with New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin concerning the situation in New Orleans, I have posted the transcript below. But if possible, click on over to Nytimes.com and listen to the mp3. This is this most honest, raw interview that I have ever heard from a politician and it wasn't until now after hearing it that I have a better idea (though really no clue) of the enormity of the situation and the desperation of the people stuck in it's grasp. As well as the completely inadequate response coming from the White House. It is shameful. It is clear how divided our country is, how marginalized groups of people are in our society are, so much so, that the proper life-saving abilities of our "super power" aren't being utilized. I guarantee you that if the thousands of people surrounding the Superdome were middle to upperclass white professionals, the situation would be different...anyways, here is the transcript:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview With New Orleans Mayor
Mayor C. Ray Nagin's radio interview with WWL-AM.
• Transcript


You know the reason why the looters got out of control? Because we had most of our resources saving people, thousands of people that were stuck in attics, man, old ladies. ... You pull off the doggone ventilator vent and you look down there and they're standing in there in water up to their freaking necks.

And they don't have a clue what's going on down here. They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn -- excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed.

WWL: Did you say to the president of the United States, "I need the military in here"?

NAGIN: I said, "I need everything."

Now, I will tell you this -- and I give the president some credit on this -- he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is [Lt.] Gen. [Russel] Honore.

And he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving. And he's getting some stuff done.

They ought to give that guy -- if they don't want to give it to me, give him full authority to get the job done, and we can save some people.

WWL: What do you need right now to get control of this situation?

NAGIN: I need reinforcements, I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man. We ain't talking about -- you know, one of the briefings we had, they were talking about getting public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people out here.

I'm like, "You got to be kidding me. This is a national disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."

That's -- they're thinking small, man. And this is a major, major, major deal. And I can't emphasize it enough, man. This is crazy.

I've got 15,000 to 20,000 people over at the convention center. It's bursting at the seams. The poor people in Plaquemines Parish. ... We don't have anything, and we're sharing with our brothers in Plaquemines Parish.

It's awful down here, man.

WWL: Do you believe that the president is seeing this, holding a news conference on it but can't do anything until [Louisiana Gov.] Kathleen Blanco requested him to do it? And do you know whether or not she has made that request?

NAGIN: I have no idea what they're doing. But I will tell you this: You know, God is looking down on all this, and if they are not doing everything in their power to save people, they are going to pay the price. Because every day that we delay, people are dying and they're dying by the hundreds, I'm willing to bet you.

We're getting reports and calls that are breaking my heart, from people saying, "I've been in my attic. I can't take it anymore. The water is up to my neck. I don't think I can hold out." And that's happening as we speak.

You know what really upsets me, Garland? We told everybody the importance of the 17th Street Canal issue. We said, "Please, please take care of this. We don't care what you do. Figure it out."

WWL: Who'd you say that to?

NAGIN: Everybody: the governor, Homeland Security, FEMA. You name it, we said it.

And they allowed that pumping station next to Pumping Station 6 to go under water. Our sewage and water board people ... stayed there and endangered their lives.

And what happened when that pumping station went down, the water started flowing again in the city, and it starting getting to levels that probably killed more people.

In addition to that, we had water flowing through the pipes in the city. That's a power station over there.

So there's no water flowing anywhere on the east bank of Orleans Parish. So our critical water supply was destroyed because of lack of action.

WWL: Why couldn't they drop the 3,000-pound sandbags or the containers that they were talking about earlier? Was it an engineering feat that just couldn't be done?

NAGIN: They said it was some pulleys that they had to manufacture. But, you know, in a state of emergency, man, you are creative, you figure out ways to get stuff done.

Then they told me that they went overnight, and they built 17 concrete structures and they had the pulleys on them and they were going to drop them.

flew over that thing yesterday, and it's in the same shape that it was after the storm hit. There is nothing happening. And they're feeding the public a line of bull and they're spinning, and people are dying down here.

WWL: If some of the public called and they're right, that there's a law that the president, that the federal government can't do anything without local or state requests, would you request martial law?

NAGIN: I've already called for martial law in the city of New Orleans. We did that a few days ago.


WWL: Did the governor do that, too? NAGIN: I don't know. I don't think so.

But we called for martial law when we realized that the looting was getting out of control. And we redirected all of our police officers back to patrolling the streets. They were dead-tired from saving people, but they worked all night because we thought this thing was going to blow wide open last night. And so we redirected all of our resources, and we hold it under check.

I'm not sure if we can do that another night with the current resources.

And I am telling you right now: They're showing all these reports of people looting and doing all that weird stuff, and they are doing that, but people are desperate and they're trying to find food and water, the majority of them.

Now you got some knuckleheads out there, and they are taking advantage of this lawless -- this situation where, you know, we can't really control it, and they're doing some awful, awful things. But that's a small majority of the people. Most people are looking to try and survive.

And one of the things people -- nobody's talked about this. Drugs flowed in and out of New Orleans and the surrounding metropolitan area so freely it was scary to me, and that's why we were having the escalation in murders. People don't want to talk about this, but I'm going to talk about it.

You have drug addicts that are now walking around this city looking for a fix, and that's the reason why they were breaking in hospitals and drugstores. They're looking for something to take the edge off of their jones, if you will.

And right now, they don't have anything to take the edge off. And they've probably found guns. So what you're seeing is drug-starving crazy addicts, drug addicts, that are wrecking havoc. And we don't have the manpower to adequately deal with it. We can only target certain sections of the city and form a perimeter around them and hope to God that we're not overrun.

WWL: Well, you and I must be in the minority. Because apparently there's a section of our citizenry out there that thinks because of a law that says the federal government can't come in unless requested by the proper people, that everything that's going on to this point has been done as good as it can possibly be.

NAGIN: Really?

WWL: I know you don't feel that way.

NAGIN: Well, did the tsunami victims request? Did it go through a formal process to request?

You know, did the Iraqi people request that we go in there? Did they ask us to go in there? What is more important?

And I'll tell you, man, I'm probably going get in a whole bunch of trouble. I'm probably going to get in so much trouble it ain't even funny. You probably won't even want to deal with me after this interview is over.

WWL: You and I will be in the funny place together.

NAGIN: But we authorized $8 billion to go to Iraq lickety-quick. After 9/11, we gave the president unprecedented powers lickety-quick to take care of New York and other places.

Now, you mean to tell me that a place where most of your oil is coming through, a place that is so unique when you mention New Orleans anywhere around the world, everybody's eyes light up -- you mean to tell me that a place where you probably have thousands of people that have died and thousands more that are dying every day, that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources that we need? Come on, man.

You know, I'm not one of those drug addicts. I am thinking very clearly.

And I don't know whose problem it is. I don't know whether it's the governor's problem. I don't know whether it's the president's problem, but somebody needs to get their ass on a plane and sit down, the two of them, and figure this out right now.

WWL: What can we do here?

NAGIN: Keep talking about it.

WWL: We'll do that. What else can we do?

NAGIN: Organize people to write letters and make calls to their congressmen, to the president, to the governor. Flood their doggone offices with requests to do something. This is ridiculous.

I don't want to see anybody do anymore goddamn press conferences. Put a moratorium on press conferences. Don't do another press conference until the resources are in this city. And then come down to this city and stand with us when there are military trucks and troops that we can't even count.

Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming here. They're not here. It's too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, and let's fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country.

WWL: I'll say it right now, you're the only politician that's called and called for arms like this. And if -- whatever it takes, the governor, president -- whatever law precedent it takes, whatever it takes, I bet that the people listening to you are on your side.

NAGIN: Well, I hope so, Garland. I am just -- I'm at the point now where it don't matter. People are dying. They don't have homes. They don't have jobs. The city of New Orleans will never be the same in this time.

WWL: We're both pretty speechless here. (both silently crying)

NAGIN: Yeah, I don't know what to say. I got to go.

feeling further away from home

I read the news in disbelief of what is going on in the South...I cannot even begin to comprehend the chaos and devastation. I have been trying to keep up to date on developments, but the words and pictures do not suffice as usual, though they are better than nothing. Being in another country, hearing about the worsening tragedy at home thousands of miles away makes the distance seem years away...I am tomorrow, you are yesterday. And nobody here speaks about it, while it must be the first thing spoken about in the morning over there. Never even been to Louisiana or Mississippi, never got to New Orleans, know few to no people there directly that I can think of, but this week I have felt further away. Sorry to ramble, but I hope that everyone who knows someone, or knows someone who knows someone, etc. is doing alright, my thoughts are there.

things i don't understand/things i am still trying to figure out about Japan

1. driving on the other side of the road
2. who bows last
3. why rice is so expensive
4. the postal system
5. and for that matter, the implications of the election on September 11th
6. the many meanings and usages of "shitsureshimasu"
7.the persistance of spiders, commendable but a pain in the ass, when you're trying to reach your front door
to be continued...