We're taking all the mats down. The last training was today. I didn't have any time to write this week. It was a wonderful Aikido seminar. Maybe I can write about it soon.

Merging

At camp here, an Okinawan/Kyushu karate teacher is the special guest instructor. He was asked to come because his art uses similar principles to Aikido principles to make it effective.
Today I went to my third class with him. We've been doing what are sometimes called 'ki exercises.' These kinds of exercises are not a part of the regular training that I do. They are something of a practice to control your focus, attention, and own sense of quiet confidence. I can't define it exactly.

At one point, the teacher, Ushiro Sensei, mentioned that one of his students also plays the violin. He explained how the basis for a very fundamental technique is very similar to raising an imaginary violin to one's shoulder, while drawing the bow with the other hand. Of course, this was easy for me because I've played violin for a long time but actually doing the technique in this way looked exactly like something else that inspired me when I was a child.
Ha ha, it was only after I purchased my own copy of the Karate Kid that I realized how much the movie had influenced me when I was a child. I was six when it came out. It was possibly my first introduction to the martial arts, and probably when my curiousity started. I was captivated by the story and believed in the transformations of the characters. Today, the raising the violin and pulling the bow looked so much like 'wax-on wax-off' from that movie, but it was real and I understood it.

When I pulled the imaginary bow across the imaginary strings today, I felt the connection between my musical art and the martial arts. I've been looking for this for a long time.

By the way, I forgot to mention that my birthday was on Monday. It was good to be around friends, although I feel strange that I didn't get to talk to some of my family members, including my dad.

Looking forward to next week when I will stay with a wonderful friend.
Really liking where I am now too.

Camp will last until Sunday afternoon.

full speed ahead

Should be sleeping, probably will be soon, but first...

The past two and a half days have been a blur. On the first night, my friend picked me up from the bus station and took me directly to the Aikido dojo. The classes, totaling about 50 people, were just finishing as we arrived.
As we stepped inside and removed our shoes, I reflected on how oddly similar I'd felt at the start of an elementary school class in my old teaching days in Japan. Soon, we were all going to be shaking each other's hands and inquiring about the general state of each other's being. 'How are you's would be passed about and when we finished, we would all smile and feel just fine.
This, combined with hug after hug left me feeling joyously remembered and appreciated. I also remembered the feeling of belonging to a community. This was possibly something I'd missed above all else. I was immediately accepted, after a year of struggling to be accepted and finally giving up. It was something valuable to be experienced, then and now.

Tonight, while shopping out on the Pearl Street Mall, I kept thinking of lesson plan ideas to try when I got back to Japan. I'm happy to be here, and happy to think about being there.

My friends have been really loving hosts and I wanna say thanks to them here, although they seem like family anyway...

Oh, it's way passed bedtime now. Phooey. Tomorrow's a big day: the start of a weeklong Aikido camp in the Rockies. Read more at:
I gotta get to sleep! G'night!!

Colors

Puddles of clustered houses scattered among fields of glistening emerald

transformed to

patchwork quilt lands of battered tans and smoke-stained yellows.

in an instant, I'm home.

Currently in Japan...

...but not for long. A month in the good ol' US of A ought to do me good.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for supporting my me in my choices. We shall see where the future takes us.

See you on the other side.

Good news and good news

Got the news on Friday mid-morning. The girl's high school wanted to hire me. From within me, I said 'Yes.'

I'm going home for a month, then I'm staying another year. Go go gadget me.

We enjoyinged together

About a year ago, I stumbled upon a tiny okonomiyaki shop when I was wandering around the city before Aikido. I like to go to this place for a few reasons. First, they have tasty, economical okonomiyaki(egg, cabbage, etc. pancake) made while you wait. Second, the place doubles as an art studio. The wife runs the restaurant part and the husband sells his paintings. Lastly, the place always seems to be filled with good company when I stop in.
Last night was no exception. I pushed the door open and before me appeared a woman in her late 40s/early 50s, surrounded by six high school boys. They were playing hearts with giant-sized playing cards. One yelled out to me, "Speak Japanese??!"
Turned out the boys were 10th graders in a local boarding school, apparently run by the woman, who drew me a detailed map of how to find the place in case I decided to visit. Then she showed me several pictures of her cats, past and present.
The boys took a liking to me right away. One boy in particular, Kazu, was so happy to try his English, while the other boys showed me pictures of themselves and their friends. Ken, after informing me that his name was just like the English name Ken, expertly moon-walked for us all, while at the same time shyly covering his face. Another boy found an English phrase book(English as spoken by Doraemon, a cartoon robot-cat) in the restaurant's bookshelf and proceeded to ask me questions from it.
They were such a cheerful bunch; we talked for nearly an hour until I looked at my watch and realized I would be late for Aikido if I stayed any longer.
As I left, they bid me well in chorus, singing, "See you again!!"
Perhaps.

Yoossshhhh!

It finally happened. I finally threw one of the Judo kids in a practice match.
With what, a week left at school and almost two months of practice under my belt... I thought this day would never come.

I found out by accident that the junior high has a video camera. We were doing Unit 2 in the ninth grade classes, learning different usages of the verb 'have' plus the past particle, for example: "Have you had that sweater for a long time," "They have been here since early this morning," and "Have you ever been to Bangladesh," you know, stuff like that.
This particular chapter illustrates a news reporter interviewing shoppers at the new Recycling Market in 'Heiwa City.' So, the teacher decided to dust off the video camera and let the students have a go at interviewing each other while actually being filmed.

Afterwards, I rewatched the tapes and graded the students. Then, after that, I 'discovered' that there were boxes of blank video tapes in the teacher's supply lobby.

After asking nicely, the teachers gave me permission to make a video. So I'm making my very first video--complete with conveyor belt sushi, elementary school take-outs, monotonous narration by yours truly, and a variety of other fascinating renderings. Today I interviewed some of the Judo kids. (Golly gee, they crack me up.) I wanted to film practice too, but we ran out of tape just as I threw that kid. Ahh, c'est la vie.
Anyway, I'm having fun with it, and having spent almost three months now at the same junior high, I finally feel some of the satisfaction of that comes from bonding with students. It seems too early to say goodbye--things have just gotten started.

P.S. The job interview was delayed til this Wednesday. Still don't know.

On the phone, part II

Well, it looks like I didn't have to do anything after all. Hiro's mom called back this morning and confirmed dinner tonight at seven. The first thing I said after greeting her was, 'Please speak very slowly!!' : )

On the phone

Students have often asked me what the hardest part is about being a foreigner in Japan. I tend to give two answers. The first answer is being away from friends and family, and the second is talking on the phone in Japanese.

Hiro's mom just called me, exactly six minutes before my alarm went off this morning. Hiro's away this week on a so-called 'business trip' to Las Vegas, and he said that while he was gone, his family would welcome me to stop by anytime. So, I think that's what just happened.
It was all a blur. I tried to get her slow down, but she was using so many words I couldn't understand that it was hopeless. I *think* she invited me over for dinner tomorrow night?? There was one point in the conversation that I said 'uuuuhhh... I don't get what you're saying, Would you please speak a little more...' and she was off, quickly repeating her point using different words that I didn't understand. All in all, she seemed to prefer a smooth conversation to her actually being comprehended. And I suppose I was too embarrased to stop her after every single sentence and have her repeat it ad nauseum. I somehow gave the impression that I understood, while meanwhile thinking I was giving the impression that I didn't understand. Besides that, anyone who knows me knows that the first ten minutes of my waking up are not such good ones to be communicating information to me. But now that I'm up, I'll go fix myself a glass of aloe yogurt drink and contemplate the wonder of my silly new dilemma.

That being said, she thinks she communicated something, and I know she didn't. Hiro's not around to help me understand, so I guess I'll have to call her back, apologize profusely, and try to pinpoint what she actually asked me. Sigh...

"Knocked-out, unable to move arm, broken collar bone, but we're okay!"

On Saturday I went to a school Judo match--which reminds me of something I've wanted to write about for some time: the Japanese medical system.

Injuries and illnesses in Japan are viewed very differently from the way I grew up viewing them in the west. I believe that the Japanese medical system treats injuries and illnesses not soley as physical ailments to be medicated or 'fixed,' but also as personal challenges to be mentally overcome.

Here's what I mean:

A boy got knocked out during his match Saturday morning. He was carried off the mat, and he awoke with an ice pack on his head. This was the only medical treatment he got. Within a half an hour, he was back in the ring fighting another match.

A second boy, the solidly built captain of Arao #4's team, got painfully and forcefully pinned during his match. He yelped, and as he and his opponent untangled, one of his arms dangled awkwardly at his side. He slumped and fell back on the mat, in a daze. Lifted and set aside, he cradled the appendage softly as the nurse rushed off for ice. The other boys tried to create a makeshift sling from his belt; they wrapped it around and around his back and and arm in a mind-bogglingly yo-yo-like fashion, creating something, sadly, not resembling a sling.
About a half an hour later, one of the other boys, with the approval of the nurse, helped the boy put his dogi top back on, and lined him up for his next fight. The boy fought using one arm, and lost.

And finally, the long-foreheaded boy, Mi-kun, was wrestling with a bum knee to start with. He was still using a crutch that morning.
His accident was the most disturbing. While being pinned, his legs began to shake violently. He tapped the mat, exclaiming, "Excuse me!! Excuse me!! Please stop!!!" His opponent didn't hear, and a second later his legs shot up again like they'd been plugged into a socket. Seeing this, his opponent quickly released his hold, and Mi-kun lay flat. Carried from the mat, as he passed by me, I think he said, "I heard it break."
Did someone call an ambulance? Give the boy a pain-killer?
No. He got up, crying, and, aided by the nurse, walked(limping, without his crutch)to the lobby, where he waited for someone to give him a ride to the hospital.
I saw him today. Three months in a cast. Broken collar bone. Surgery. That being all it was, I'm surprised they didn't make him fight his final match.

The mental endurance I've witnessed here in the face of pain and fear has astonished me in so many ways. I heard(although I don't know if it's true) that the three monkeys representing 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' originated from this area. It certainly seems to be a way of life on this side of reality.


(By the way, I still go to Aikido twice a week, in case you thought my Judo craze-faze had somehow taken over.
And... still waiting to find out about the job. I'll have an interview this week and then they'll let me know.)

Post-practice uniforms

Post-practice uniforms
Originally uploaded by jetblossom.

Several women and one rock hard center

Thursday night, I joined several bubbly middle-aged woman and one quiet man for a drinking party in my honor. The party was being hosted by the Ariake International Society, the group that had supported my stay here by giving me free tickets to many cultural events, including Taiko, a philharmony concert, a Kabuki performance, and other events. The head of this group is, of course, my good friend, Etsuko.

The last time I'd visited this particular izakaya(small tavern, usually specializing in raw and cooked fish) was with the teachers from Arao #2 Junior High. If you remember, the teachers of #2 and I got along particularly well. I think this is due to the fact that the izakaya's beers were bigger than any I remember in Japan. Needless to say, the ladies and man of the International Society and I also got along splendidly.

The highlight of the evening was the arrival of a giant Tai fish cooked in soy, mirin, sugar, salt and sake. The head came to me, complete with eye. I knew that as the guest of honor, I was supposed to eat and enjoy that eyeball.

I waited until the rest of the fish had been picked away, my stomach and mind making inner preparations. The eyeball itself was glazed over, and the cushioning surrounding it had taken on a grapefruit Jello-esque appearance. Finally, Etsuko and I made a deal. If I ate the eyeball, she would eat the eyeball gook. She didn't seemed thrilled, but seemed to understand.

The conversation had turned to 'beach volleyball'. It seemed that beach volleyball in America was played on actual beaches, whereas in Japan the term 'beach' didn't really imply a beach. They all whole-heartedly agreed that a better term for 'beach volleyball' in Japan is 'beach ball volley,' to my utter delight.

The eyeball was very hard and crunchy. It had a chalky consistency, and overall, a mildy pleasant aroma and after taste. I tried to chew the core and finally gave up and spit it out. It was hard as a rock.

That night, under the influence of fish eyeballs and Japanese whiskey, I had a chance to reflect on Wednesday's visit and job application to the girl's high school. My reflections were overwhelmingly positive.
Today still, under the influence of heavy rain, my reflections remain the same. They will give their decision this coming week.

international society goodbye dinner

international society goodbye dinner
Originally uploaded by jetblossom.

note the tai's eyeball

Just got back from Judo. One of the boys found out a family member has a week to live. It was very sad to see him sobbing for a long time.

An Exciting Tidbit: reader's choice

I've been feeling like a lion lately. After school I come home and lay around, yawning big yawns and wondering what's for dinner.
Today for school lunch I had a shrimp burrito. I got the ingredients at a specialty food store about an hour and a half from here. The kids were really interested in the avocado I'd brought. Funny, because I bought that in Mammy's supermarket. None of them had ever tried avocado before, so I sliced it all up and gave them each a piece. Now there were six kids in my lunch group today, and when I went around handing out the slices of avocado, I could here kids from the surrounding lunch groups saying, 'Ee na!' in whiny tones. That means, 'You lucky bastard!' in Japanese, except without the 'bastard' part. Japanese is such a clean language overall. 'Shoot!' is about as bad as I've heard, and someone's really got to have goofed up to say that. Anyway, everyone liked avocado except one kid. He ate the slice and immediately gulped down his entire carton of milk. His face went all sour as he ate it, demonstrating fully his dislike. I feigned regret; avocado is quite sour, after all.

I also had a new taste experience today at lunch. After I ate my burrito(the kids hadn't seen black beans before either), I tried the raisin bread from the school's lunch. The funny thing about this raisin bread is that it didn't actually have raisins in it, it was just raisin 'flavored'(never could find italics on this darned blog) bread. No actual raisins, just a slightly bluish tinge to the bread, which made it all the more appetizing. It was pretty tasty in the end.

I almost went paragliding this weekend. It got rained out, so about six of us English teachers ended up at Joyfull Family Restaurant, trying to make up for the lack of thrill with seafood pizzas and tofu salads. I had the 'ebi-fry set-to', a set which comes with three fried jumbo shrimp, a salad, some pickled veggies, a bowl of miso soup and a bowl of rice. I always get the ebi-fry set-to. And I'm never disappointed--the salad always comes with two pieces of broccoli, one tomato slice, and one (out of place) lemon slice. The pickled veggies are always a bit strong for my taste, and the miso is always too hot to drink. The rice undoubtedly hits the spot. Joyfull is like the Denny's of Japan--open 24 hours too!

I know it's nuts, but Wednesday I go in to check out a job at a girl's high school in a neighboring town. If I like it and they like me, I'll stay for another year.
Reader's choice: If you were me, and you got the job, would you stay?

What a beautiful breezy night in the patch of rice fields interrupted by cold concrete buildings, also known as Arao.
As I frequently do, I frequented the grocery store 'Mammy's' tonight. That's pronouced 'Mommy's' in English, something that I've always gotten a kick out of. I like of telling my friends, "Hey, I'm going to Mommy's." It bring back memories of boogey-board 'slip-n-slide' in the mud at the Murphy's house next door back in Pennsylvania. As dinner time approached, weary from the fun of it all, someone would eventually mumble, "Hey, I'm tired. I'm going to Mommy's."

It took me and my brothers a long time to break the 'Mommy' habit. I think my brother wanted to switch to calling our mother 'Mom' before he turned 30, a noble aspiration indeed. Having made the switch has assuredly saved us years of counseling. And yet, these days, I still recall the comfort of the old days when after a long day at school I can say to my friends, "Hey, I'm tired. I'm going to Mammy's."

At Mammy's, I bought a chilled, sweetened late coffee drink, 'Snow Brand Coffee.' The slogan of this drink is, "Please enjoy a traditional taste." Instantly, I pictured armor-clad samurai in heated debate, discussing the fate of Japan, maps sprawled about on a table. As the intensity of the debates increased, one of the men would look about sheepishly and remove a carton of 'Snow Brand Coffee' from his knapsack. Slicing it open with his sword, the others would slowly become silent, watching him gulp down the contents. He would look at them, realizing the akwardness he had creating and would exclaim, "What are you looking at? My family's been drinking this Snow Brand Coffee' for years!"
Japan's so great, ain't it?

Mango Coco, Judo Babble (say 5x fast)

Pht0506201850
Originally uploaded by jetblossom.

Mango Coco

After Judo practice, I stopped at 7-11 for a cool, refreshing 'Mango Coco'.
Please take a moment to share in my excitement upon catching sight of this titilating title. Mango and cocoa? Could it be done? Could the two be fused into a thirst-quenching 'dessert drink?' Oh, the anticipation!

Sadly, yet probably fortunately, there was no cocoa to be found here for reasons unknown to me. Maybe I was slightly disappointed. Actually, it just seemed to be mango juice.
The container promised 'An invigorating drink for your refreshment and exhilaration.' I expected that from a mango/cocoa combo, but I found myself truly exhilarated after almost gaging on several cubes of mango cleverly planted inside the drink.
Note: container should, but does not read--DO NOT SERVE MANGO COCO TO CHILDREN UNDER THREE AND ILLEGIBLE FOREIGNERS--SEVERE CHOKING HAZARD.

Practice was invigorating as well. I had four teachers today: Kikukawa-kun, Murakami-kun(if you'll remember from one of my earlier blogs, he is the one whose hand always seems to return to his nether regions for a good scratch--blecch), Ryu-kun and Hinuzuka-kun.

They huddled to decide who should take the falls for me. Murakami was the reluctant pick, and the rest of the boys chatted idly while he stood in front of me grinning blankly. Finally, he asked me what I wanted to learn. I said, "I just started, you can teach me anything." So, after several minutes of Japanese 'umm's and 'hmm's, Murakami called the coach over. The coach was sitting on the mat, utterly involved in his own world. He was in a daze, rolling up and back and up and back. He could not be disturbed from his rolling.

Finally, and to the relief of Murakami, one of the other boys, Ryu-kun, took over.

Ryu-kun, a solid, calm, humble eighth-grader, is about the same height as me. He has a pleasantly average build. I noticed that he shaved his mustache fuzz today for the first time, which I presume to be something like the male equivalent to the women's onset of menstruation. It goes something like this: 'Ryu is thirteen years old; at home in his bathroom today, he became a man.' I silently congratulated him on his adulthood as he began bashing his chest into mine, going over the old drills.

I like Ryu-kun very much. His earnestness and at the same time, his humbleness on the mat, draws me in. His technique is accurate and relaxed, and despite his modest nature, he takes on the role of instructor easily. Ryu often looks me gently in the eyes, something the other boys don't do, and I don't wonder about it; I'm just thankful for it. After chest-bashing, we went over four other throws. After practice, I went to 7-11.

Hips Higher than Previously Thought

I recently had a realization that my hips are a lot higher up on my body than I thought. My Aunt Cheryl used to tell me that I should wear my pants so they come up to my hips, not saggy and baggy like recent fashions. I always thought she wore her pants very high up, but now I understand that's possibly why pants work, because they fit over the hips. So thanks for the tip, Aunt Cheryl, I finally understand.

I'd like to attribute this seemingly insignificant triumph to the students of the Arao #1 Middle School Judo team and their worn-out, but sensible coach.

Using this 'higher hip' knowledge, all my Judo throws will now be flawless.