So, Friday after work I went for a nice hour-long bike ride. To nowhere in particular. Just around. Then I met up with some friends for ramen and karaoke. The karaoke place in Maibara is pretty special -- the Red Velvet Lounge. Unlike most Japanese karaoke places, this is an un-manned, one room karaoke lounge. With red velvet walls. You pay by the song (100 yen a piece -- about a dollar). Bring your own alcohol, snacks, etc. I've been there about 5 times now, and this Friday was the first time anyone else had shown up (ie not people I came with). We had an old Japanese couple show up to use the room. It was actually kinda awesome. We sang "Single Ladies" and Backstreet Boys for them, they sang old Japanese ballads for us. A fair trade, I feel.
On Saturday I decided to buy a new bike. Well, I'd decided to do so beforehand, but I got up and decided to actually do it on Saturday. So I checked the Maibara tiny bike shop, saw some options (ie two options) and decided to take a trip up to Nagahama (a bigger city North of me) to try there. First stop was Hard Off (yes, it's actually called that) which is a secondhand shop. No luck on bikes, but I bought a fantastic crockpot for 2100 yen (~$21). At Hard Off I ran into another JET I know who said he bought his new bike at a nearby shop and offered to take me and help me talk to the workers there (seeing as I speak little Japanese).
So... say hello to my beautiful new baby:
S/he doesn't have a name yet. I haven't decided for sure yet if my bike is male or female, but we are slowly getting acquainted and then I will name my beauty. It's a 6-speeder. I was super tempted by some 18-speed bikes and some aluminum frames, but decided to go simple since I'm only here 1-2 years.
In the evening I checked out the Maibara Hikiyama Matsuri (children's kabuki festival) that was going on in town this weekend. Basically a group of little elementary school boys perform a kabuki (Japanese theater) performance on a big float. It was super cool and suuuuper adorable (see image below). Plus this was definitely just a local little festival. It totally made me feel part of the community just being out there. I also ran into some gaijin ("foreigners") there -- some JCMU students who had wandered up for the festival (JCMU is the Japan Center of Michigan University, an exchange program in the city South of me).
Afterwards, while watching them maneuver the float back down the street I had "conversation" with the barber from across the street. And by conversation I mean he talked to me in Japanese, I understood some of it and did my best to make the appropriate responses. It made me feel special cause I could actually follow him somewhat. My Japanese is improving like crazy!
On Sunday, I went down to Otsu (the prefectural capital) for their big festival. This one involves big floats as well, this time with musicians on them, which are pulled all around the city all day. A number of the JETs actually volunteered to help pull them. I would have volunteered, but we didn't realize until too late that women were actually allowed this year for the first time.
In Otsu I met up with some friends and had yummy pizza as well as festival food. I also was given a Japanese scarf for free from one of the festival guys -- he was handing them out to all the foreign girls. Afterwards a bunch of us JETs went to a local bar and had dinner and drinks to celebrate the day. It was great to see everyone. Also I spent a good hour helping a Japanese guy (in a mix of Japanese and English -- again, I'm stoked about how fast I'm learning!) build up the confidence to talk to the bartender, who he's in love with. All around, a good night.
Finally Monday. As was appropriate for Health and Sports Day (though I didn't think of it at the time) I took a fantastic 2 hour bike ride on my new bike (though it was split into three parts). I rode down half an hour to a sports store in the town south of me to get some stuff then rode around some more for another 50ish min. Ended up stopping at Starbucks for the first time since I arrived in Japan 3ish months ago. Meaning, I had my first chai in 3 months. It was absolutely fantastic. Then I biked 40 min home.
In the evening I met up with another JET and we checked out the Maibara kabuki festival (again) together since it was the last night. We went to the 5:30 show, the penultimate show of the festival. The adult helpers were already rather drunk. It was a lot of fun, so we decided to get dinner and come back for the final show that evening.
Well, we got to the shrine where the last performance was being held super early. So we wandered around a bit, chatted with some junior high students, then sat down to wait. Of course, being two foreign girls chilling at the shrine got us some attention, so we ended up having a bunch of drunk, middle-aged Japanese men come chat with us for about an hour. Here is where my Japanese really got tested/practiced. At first I probably followed about 40%. But as they got drunker, that dipped closer to 15%. It was super interesting though. I did my best to communicate and I felt great about it.
The last performance, even though we had to leave early, was totally worth it. Half the audience was drunk, everyone was having a good time, and it really made me feel like I was living in a real community (as opposed to just a train stop).
So yeah, this was an insanely long post, for which I apologize (assuming anyone actually read all of it -- I know I wouldn't have). The weekend overall was exactly what I needed. It was a perfect balance: between being alone and being with people, being at home and being out, being productive and just having fun. I need that kind of weekend more often.
Up next: A 100+ mile bike ride all around Lake Biwa!
I understand about the homesickness--we definitely miss you too! This post was really interesting, and not prohibitively long, so don't worry. I loved seeing the pictures of the festival--keep 'em coming, and have fun on your bike ride!
ReplyDeleteLake Biwa. Must be where Biwa pearls (the rice krispy kind) are found!
ReplyDeleteThinking of you as I read a most wonderful picture book ... Japan Country Living by Amy Sylvester Katoh and Shin Kimura. So inspiring, all about the traditional uses of natural materials in building and furnishing traditional rural homes. Wonder if you have seen seen beautiful things where you are.