Thursday, November 03, 2005
Festival!
Oh billy, today was a wild one. Wild. I just wish the best parts of the story could be told.
Today is "Culture Day" here in Japan so that meant no classes. I went to school anyway because today was the first day of Gaidai-sai (外大際), the school festival. Mako and I were making plans to go see some sights but when I told her about the festival she said we should just go there instead. After all, the temples and shrines aren't going anywhere!
We met on campus at the main gate and took our time walking around. The entire campus was decorated in some fashion of another with every thing from giant banners to makeshift torii. I took a lot of pictures which will appear on a separate page right here (might take me an hour or so to get that up). I was surprised by how few people I recognized around campus; the crowd seemed to be mostly non-students, especially families with young children. It's not like I wanted to show Mako off or anything, I just figured I'd run into more familiar faces than I did. I guess most people took off for the long break (there are classes tomorrow but otherwise this is practically a four-day weekend).
What did we do? We sat in on a collection of student bands which cost 100 Yen but that included a free (soft) drink. We watched some singing and dancing on the outdoor stage and sampled a variety of foods from the booths around that area. Some of it was stuff we had never heard of: takoban (which was disappointingly free of tako), tamasen (a portmanteau of tamago and senbei) and poutine (who knew Canada had cuisine?). We also found room for old favorites like takoyaki and yakitori. Everything was incredibly cheap; nothing we bought was more than 200 Yen which somehow made everything taste a little better.
As the sun set and the crowd began to disperse, we walked towards a corner of the campus I had never been to before. It turned out to be a pleasant little garden with an actual Japanese tea house! Since it was festival time there was a bevy of kimono-clad ladies welcoming guests inside. Mako asked if we could go inside and attend a tea ceremony. Of course the answer was "yes." I had never been to a real tea ceremony before but I knew what to expect: lots of silence, a small snack and very little tea. The ritual itself is the reason you go in there, not because you're hungry or thirsty. I figured I would get by so long as I sat quietly and just did what the other guests did.
However, I failed consider one thing: to attend a tea ceremony you're supposed to sit seiza-style. If you recall from my past posts about trying to join the shodō club, you'll remember that I find sitting in that position excrutiatingly painful. I wasn't about to make an ass of myself (especially in front of my girl) so I rolled right in there and sat down the right way. Within seconds everything from the knee down hurt like hell. I tried to discreetly adjust my position but it was obvious to everyone in the room that I wasn't feeling so good. Of course, being the only white guy in the room probably led them to that conclusion from the start. When one of the kimono-ladies saw my face she offered to let me sit more comfortably which drew a laugh from everyone but I had no choice but to comply. Posture aside, the experience was most pleasant and tasty to boot. Afterwards I admitted to Mako that was the first time I had ever done that; she said the same thing!
Our taste for snacks satiated we went to the station to find a suitable dining spot. I didn't have any particular spot in mind but I knew where the restaurants were in that area so I took charge. We quickly found a nice looking yakiniku joint which is derived from Korean cuisine so they served a lot of Korean dishes on the side. I noted that Mako and I ate Korean food on our first date in September and we laughed in remembrance. The food was good but what else would you expect: we cooked it ourselves!
Tend to the hearth, baby.
That's about the whole day, save for the really interesting part right in the middle. If you want to hear about that part and you're a man, you can ask me and I'll consider telling you via e-mail. No offense ladies, but that story is very private and to be honest, you wouldn't understand. Check that, you couldn't understand.
Today is "Culture Day" here in Japan so that meant no classes. I went to school anyway because today was the first day of Gaidai-sai (外大際), the school festival. Mako and I were making plans to go see some sights but when I told her about the festival she said we should just go there instead. After all, the temples and shrines aren't going anywhere!
We met on campus at the main gate and took our time walking around. The entire campus was decorated in some fashion of another with every thing from giant banners to makeshift torii. I took a lot of pictures which will appear on a separate page right here (might take me an hour or so to get that up). I was surprised by how few people I recognized around campus; the crowd seemed to be mostly non-students, especially families with young children. It's not like I wanted to show Mako off or anything, I just figured I'd run into more familiar faces than I did. I guess most people took off for the long break (there are classes tomorrow but otherwise this is practically a four-day weekend).
What did we do? We sat in on a collection of student bands which cost 100 Yen but that included a free (soft) drink. We watched some singing and dancing on the outdoor stage and sampled a variety of foods from the booths around that area. Some of it was stuff we had never heard of: takoban (which was disappointingly free of tako), tamasen (a portmanteau of tamago and senbei) and poutine (who knew Canada had cuisine?). We also found room for old favorites like takoyaki and yakitori. Everything was incredibly cheap; nothing we bought was more than 200 Yen which somehow made everything taste a little better.
As the sun set and the crowd began to disperse, we walked towards a corner of the campus I had never been to before. It turned out to be a pleasant little garden with an actual Japanese tea house! Since it was festival time there was a bevy of kimono-clad ladies welcoming guests inside. Mako asked if we could go inside and attend a tea ceremony. Of course the answer was "yes." I had never been to a real tea ceremony before but I knew what to expect: lots of silence, a small snack and very little tea. The ritual itself is the reason you go in there, not because you're hungry or thirsty. I figured I would get by so long as I sat quietly and just did what the other guests did.
However, I failed consider one thing: to attend a tea ceremony you're supposed to sit seiza-style. If you recall from my past posts about trying to join the shodō club, you'll remember that I find sitting in that position excrutiatingly painful. I wasn't about to make an ass of myself (especially in front of my girl) so I rolled right in there and sat down the right way. Within seconds everything from the knee down hurt like hell. I tried to discreetly adjust my position but it was obvious to everyone in the room that I wasn't feeling so good. Of course, being the only white guy in the room probably led them to that conclusion from the start. When one of the kimono-ladies saw my face she offered to let me sit more comfortably which drew a laugh from everyone but I had no choice but to comply. Posture aside, the experience was most pleasant and tasty to boot. Afterwards I admitted to Mako that was the first time I had ever done that; she said the same thing!
Our taste for snacks satiated we went to the station to find a suitable dining spot. I didn't have any particular spot in mind but I knew where the restaurants were in that area so I took charge. We quickly found a nice looking yakiniku joint which is derived from Korean cuisine so they served a lot of Korean dishes on the side. I noted that Mako and I ate Korean food on our first date in September and we laughed in remembrance. The food was good but what else would you expect: we cooked it ourselves!
Tend to the hearth, baby.
That's about the whole day, save for the really interesting part right in the middle. If you want to hear about that part and you're a man, you can ask me and I'll consider telling you via e-mail. No offense ladies, but that story is very private and to be honest, you wouldn't understand. Check that, you couldn't understand.
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Sounds like a good day. I always wanted to go to a tea ceremony as well, but never got the chance yet. Glad you got to do it.
Hmm... While I respect your privacy and your "guy-ness," you do have me wondering...
Anyway, glad you're happy!
:)
h
Anyway, glad you're happy!
:)
h
I'm glad you got to do it, too. It sure sounds like you both had first time experiences, and got to share them with each other! I sure wish I had been there to view the sights. Have fun!!
# posted by 
: 04 November, 2005 09:39
: 04 November, 2005 09:39
Dan somethings are best left private. Its more mysterious that way and in some cases more discreet. Glad to see you are enjoying yourself. Mako sounds wonderful and she is really pretty too.
Dan-Sounds like a really fun day, I'm glad that you're enjoying Japan so much. Feel free to email me all the great details at slyydog@aol.com
NDN
NDN
# posted by : 04 November, 2005 13:47
: 04 November, 2005 13:47
I wish to state an obsevation right here, and, I might add, right now; Dan, in some magical, almost cosmic way, you found a girl who reminds me of you and only you. I can't even tell you what it is, I see her and I just see you in her. so when do I become an uncle?
コメントがあるちゃう？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.# posted by : 05 November, 2005 12:17
: 05 November, 2005 12:17When leaving comments, please don't remain Anonymous. Click on "Other" and pick a name!
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