flowers

One of the things I love about living in Japan is just how drastically different it is from northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Living here has been a fantastic learning experience.

There are so many things that are different.  One of the most evident is the difference in seasons.  Japan has four completely distinct seasons: a blazing hot summer, a beautiful cool autumn, a mildly cold winter, and a pleasantly warm spring. 

Minnesota and Wisconsin have two “real” seasons: Definitely cold, and possibly cold.   Spring doesn’t really start until late April when all the snow is finally gone.  Autumn is beautiful, but is always too short. Winter is long.  Summer is short.

Because of the vast climate difference, there is also a tremendous difference in the growing seasons.   In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the growing season is all too short.  In Saitama Japan, it is year round.  The crops changes of course, but something is always growing in the gardens.

What also amazes me are the flowers.  There is always some type of flower blooming like crazy.  Even in the dead of winter.  

 Gorgeous. 

花火 (Hanabi-Fireworks)

I know I have heard that word somewhere…let me think…

Aha!  I remember.  There is a Japanese restaurant downtown Duluth that I ate at with my dad right before moving to Japan last summer.  The restaurant’s name is Hanabi.  There are pictures of fireworks on the menu.  

Japanese can be very frustrating and difficult to learn, but at the same time it can be very rewarding and fun.  Take the word “花火”(hanabi): the first kanji character means flower, the second means fire.  So literally, it translates to “ fire flower.”  There are lots of cool words like this in Japanese.

Hanabi are a big deal in Japan.  As I mentioned before, they accompany virtually every 祭り, or festival.  While we were studying Japanese in Okazaki over part of the summer, we happened to be there during the summer festival (夏祭り).   

Now, a little bit about fireworks displays in Japan.  The shows typically last much longer than the ones back in the states.  Usually over an hour.  Companies sponsor fireworks shows and announcements are made during the show informing the audience which company paid for which displays.  An interesting way of marketing. 

The fireworks show I saw in Okazaki was only the second one I had seen in Japan. I was told by many people it is the best show in Japan.  It is an extra long (2-2 ½ hours) fireworks display that is the pitch to the companies watching and looking to buy for next year’s festivals.

Beautiful!

 

Zig-Zag

So.  Despite my last post about Yamasa Institute, I need to mention all the great things they offer there.  The teachers we had were really wonderful.  The study materials were good.  We came away with significantly improved Japanese skills in just two weeks.  We made lots of friends from all around the world.  And…

…there was Zig-Zag.

 

Zig-Zag is the student bar on campus.  It is only open on Thursdays and Fridays-for obvious reasons.  (To keep all the students from socializing too much when they should be studying.) The first night we went we were not expecting much…but we were very pleasantly surprised with the selection. The most amazing thing?

Guinness.  On tap.  

You can find Guinness in Japan-usually in cans or bottles.  Finding it on tap is a rarity.  In fact, finding any dark beer on tap is a challenge.  At least around our place. 

So we enjoyed the company of our new friends, accompanied by several pints of Guinness. 

An excellent way to spend an evening. 

Obon

During our two-week study vacation at the Yamasa Institute, we were faced with an unhappy reality.  There is an unofficial holiday in Japan called Obon.  This is a four-day weekend (Fri-Mon) in August during which Japanese people go back to their hometowns and pay respects to their ancestors. 

I have nothing against Obon or Japanese culture.  However I do take issue with the fact that we were charged for Japanese classes for the Friday and Monday during Obon.  Classes that we didn’t get-because Yamasa was closed.

In Yamasa’s defense, they do list this on their website…but the website is extremely difficult to navigate.

As a foreigner who lives in Japan, I can say for myself that it didn’t even occur to me to check the “holidays and closed days” calendar on Yamasa’s website.  Karl and I have a calendar hanging in our apartment that listed all the official holidays of Japan.  There are no official holidays in August, so why would I check? 

Karl and I did know in advance that Yamasa would be closed during Obon, only because of a friend who had attended classes there last year.  For students staying for several months or even several weeks, this isn’t much of an issue.  However, for those of us only staying two weeks, it’s a big deal.  Especially for people who spend their own money plus transportation from overseas.  (Yamasa is not cheap.)  It is not fun to realize upon your arrival that you will lose two days of classes while still having to pay.

We would have gone during other weeks, but it was not possible due to other obligations in our schedules.  We were irritated.  But we still had a good time and learned a lot.  The teachers and programs offered at Yamasa are very good. 

So we made the best of it.  We spent one day at the beach.  I got my hair cut.  We visited a castle.  And we studied.  A lot.

新幹線 (The Shinkansen-Bullet Train)

Aiports.  Airplanes.  Air travel.  I do. not. like them.  They are such a hassle and ludicrously expensive.  Thankfully, there are many travel options for getting around Japan.

When Karl and I went to Okazaki-Shi (岡崎市) last month to study Japanese for two weeks, we decided to take the “shink.”  (The nickname for the shinkansen.)  It was ah-mazing.  An extremely fast, smooth ride with virtually zero hassle.  No crazy security measures, no waiting for hours-just one smooth ride. 

Our Shinkansen was the one on the left.  The one on the right was a double-decker!

(I just want to say that I completely understand why such security measures are in place-it just makes me sad that they need to exist in today’s society.)

Now.  It wasn’t a cheap ride, but after considering all the aspects of traveling, it was the best choice for us.  The cheapest way to travel is, without a doubt, by bus.  (Which we did for our return trip.)  However, is did take more than three times longer than the shink.  Driving your own car is expensive not only because of the gas, but because you have to pay tolls to use all freeways in Japan.  And it takes at least as long as the bus ride. 

The shink was about eighty bucks one-way and it took a mere two and a half hours.  The bus ride back took waaaaaay longer (due to traffic) but was only about twenty-five bucks.  So depending on your travel needs, you have some pretty great options in Japan. 

I’ll really miss these travel options when we get back to the US.  Here’s hoping there will be some investments in high-speed rail in the near future! 

Doesn't it look cool?!

七夕祭り (Tanabata Festival)

“Tanabata” means the seventh evening of the seventh month.  Every year on this night, Orihime is allowed to meet her lover.  Read the whole story here. 

   

There are many Tanabata festivals held throughout Japan during the summer.  We attended the one in our town, 小川町 (Ogawa Machi) at the end of July. 

 Vendors lined the streets, selling all the regular festival foods: やきとり(yakitori)、お好み焼き(okonomiyaki)、たこやき(octopus balls)、やきいか (barbequed squid)、きゅうり (cucumber)、steamed potatoes loaded with butter, Turkish kebabs, pineapple on sticks, chocolate covered bananas on sticks, shaved ice, やきそば (Japanese fried noodles), etc.

We wandered about, eating and drinking along the way.  Taking photos.  Listening to taiko performances.  Running into friends.  One of Karl’s coworkers ran into us and invited us to sit down with her at the booth her husband was working at.  They insisted on giving us shaved ice, yakitori, and l-o-t-s of beer. 

  

One of the older Japanese fellows who kept pouring beer for us insisted that Karl take one of their group t-shirts.  He was also insisted I should have a baby by now.  He was also very drunk.  

We watched people dancing.  We saw a handmade paper demonstration.  And, of course, watched the fireworks.  

Before the fireworks finished, we walked back to our apartment where we found our neighbors all sitting outside eating and drinking.  They invited us to join them, so we sat down and ate more fair food and drank more beer.  

  

Even though I miss my favorite festivals from back home, Japanese festivals are proving to be an excellent substitute for the time being. 

夏祭り(Summer Festivals)

The food.  The arts.  The crafts.  The music.  The dancing.  The parades. 

I always have loved going to outdoor festivals.  Back at home, my top three festivals are: The Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Renaissance festival and the Bayfield Applefest.  Especially the Applefest.  There is nothing better then a crisp, lovely Autumn day next to Lake Superior, filled with apples, apple cider, apple pie (with cinnamon ice cream!), apple brats…apple anything!

Hold on.  I need to stop that.  I need to keep the homesickness at bay and focus on where I am. 

Japan.  Festivals.  The two are practically synonyms.  Almost every weekend, there is a festival somewhere in this country.  Summer festivals are in their own personal category. 

Because of the Japanese summer heat, many people wear yukata-summer kimono.  Wearing traditional garb to festivals is a very popular practice in Japan.  The typical kimono is simply far to complex and heavy to wear during the summer, so the light summer version is worn-the yukata. 

We attended two festivals this summer.  The first one was in our own town.  It was back in July.  A festival to celebrate two star lovers called 七夕 (Tanabata). 

But that deserves a post all to itself.  More to come!