Dance

This is the very first part of the piece with Hayashi san's dance.

Second Half

Finale

Drum Recital

As I mentioned earlier we had our big drum recital yesterday. It went really well and I think my group has come a long way from five years ago. Shige said that when he saw us last time he wasn't too impressed but that this time was a different story.

This picture was taken after at the party. Of course my group had to have a little skit and we at the end we had the whole room up and dancing to YMCA. It was too funny. Even the guest artist, one of Japan's top class shamisen players, was up and dancing with our group. There was another group up after us and at the end they conceded that they were again outdone by us.

Poo

Connie, this one is for you. Where but in Japan would someone come up with a poo wig? And as with many of these things I have to try it on, and all my friends say it looks good on you.

昇

Just got back from a long day at my drum teachers 10th anniversary drum performance. These are the cream of the crop, but I have to admit that I think that Nagihana, my group was one of the better if not the top performance of the day. Rach took a video and as soon as I get it from her it's going on youtube.

Bonsai

I'm always amazed at what the Japanese can do with bonsai. This picture was taken last year at Heiwa Kinen Koen in Tachikawa. They have a very nice display of bonsai. What is interesting to me is some of them can be up to 300 years old. And just think I am proud of my Jade tree that I have had for 10 years.

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

I don't know if I always feel like I accomplish all of these things, but there is a lot of truth to this story, and it also say something about the plight of so many underpaid teachers in the states. Luckily in Japan that is not an issue.

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach"

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You
want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began.)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube, or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

"I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them criticize.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, because we live in the United States of America!

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life."

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)
"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.

You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?"

THIS IS WORTH SENDING TO EVERY TEACHER YOU KNOW.
(And everyone on your mailing list, for that matter).

THERE IS MUCH TRUTH IN THIS STATEMENT: "Teachers make every other profession."
Michelle Smith
Tecumseh High School

Hot spring

This was taken a couple of years ago on a trip to Shichimi onsen, this place wasn't open when I was there but it is obvious that they have a lot of thermal water. The place that we stayed at was very nice and I found out on my second visit with Susan that the Tanuki's come and visit the inn. In fact Susan said they came by the bath when she was getting out.

Choco Bear

I received this cute little choclate a little late and I didn't get around to opening it until last night but it brought a smile to my face. Just goes to show you how cute things in Japan can be sometimes.

Green Stairs

These steps are in Kamakura I forget at which temple but I thought ther were really cool. And if you couldn't tell they aren't used anymore, you have to walk around. I guess they want everyone to enjoy the beauty of the moss.

Last Week

We are now into the last week of classes and I am so happy. Why is it that I can't wait for another vacation? I would like to get away this spring but it is still hard to say. Hopefully the tennis coach will come back early and I will be able to escape any responsibility for the tennis team. I hope it is not just a dream.

Surviving a Cold

Haven't posted this week mostly because by the time I have gotten home I just wanted to go to bed. I have been fighting a cold or sinus or something not sure exactly but it has beeen exhausting. I think I'll run to the Dr. this morning and see if he can't do anything for me.

I really enjoy looking at blogs rather than reading, so for those of you like me here is this weeks view of Japan.

Mini Gardening

So on the way home last night we ran across this cool little flower shop and I picked up 3 of these cute little plants, but I wasn't satisfied with the results so I went out and found 6 more rearranged everything so now I have two nice arrangements. Well actually 4 I just didn' take pictures of the other two small ones.

Hadaka Matsuri

This is one of the 3 biggest "naked festivals" in Japan. I went there 3 years ago. It takes place in Okayama on the 3rd Sat. of February in the middle of the night.


This photo was taken just before midnight, right before the main event. Before they get to this point they run around the temple grounds and through a pool of water.


Then at midnight they turn off all the lights and they drop down a phallic symbol into the crowd and they all scramble to get the prize and gain good luck for the coming year.

If anyone is bored this coming weekend you might want to check it out, with the weather being so nice recently you probably won't freeze your butt off.

On a side note, it is interesting that in many festivals in Japan the standard attire often includes the fundoshi or in this case just the fundoshi. Once a Japanese pastor said to me that maybe when Japanese men were baptized they should wear a fundoshi. Interesting thought that I don't think anyone has ever followed through with given how much Japanese Christians often tend to throw out most things that would have any similarities to anything of traditional Japanese culture.

Zest

Had a nice evening out at Zest in Setagaya. I had beef jambalaya, it was eat your lips off fantastic, and filled with so delicious jalapeno peppers. I think that I am going to have to make this one of me haunts.

On the way there we stumbled on great street performers outside of Mizonokuchi Station. They were three guys but they were called 4hollerz, go figure.

Dangerous Roads

Got a link to a page listing the most dangerous roads in the world and how cool is it that I have been on this one, the road through Taroko Gorge in Taiwan.

Actually this section of the road is rather tame, it is the road leading up to this beautiful area that I remember. Susan, Summer and I went there on a local bus. At one point along the load we were stopped by a landslide, not one that had happened, but one that happened right before our eyes. I remember seeing this huge boulder thundering down the mountain and taking out a tree on it's way down. We amused ourselves on the bus for the next couple of hours playing cards with the bus driver and after they had somewhat cleared the road we were allowed to proceed over very loose gravel and rocks. I think I will never forget that experience.

Friends

Had a really nice evening out with a former student, but more importantly a good friend. It was nice to spend an evening all in English too. As I think about it my time in Chiba really produced some strong friendships that have lasted over time. The kind of friendships where even if you haven't seen each other for a long while, it seems just like yesterday, and you pick up where you left off. I think tonight I came to the realization of how blest I am to have friendships like these.

Travel

This is the last one of the They Walk Among Us series, I will have to see if I can think up some of my own now.

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area, so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?" They Walk Among Us!

Piercing

I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, "Wouldn't the chain rip out every time she turned her head?" I explained that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned. They Walk Among Us!

Hungry?

These guys were pretty hungry and they were just swarming to get something to eat. Believe me the photo really doesn't do the scene justice but I think you get the idea. This was taken in Aizuwakamatsu a while back.

Discount

My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount. They Walk Among Us!

Save yourself

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk. They Walk Among Us!

Sunburn

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a convertible, but "didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving." They Walk Among Us!

On another note, a curious thing that I have noted in Japan is peoplewith convertible sports cars driving in the middle of the winter with their tops down. I mean hat and glove weather, not just a cool day. Go figure, they drive among us too.

Lt. Watada speaks out

I don't consider myself a political activist, but I think that what Lt. Watada has to say is very important and something that we all need to hear. Lt. Watada's speech.

And here is some background, taken from The Berkley Daily Planet, Commentary: Molly Ivins Tribute: Supporting Watada By Ying Lee

Lt. Watada, is the first U.S. Army officer to refuse to serve in Iraq. He enlisted in patriotic firmness after 9/11. Over his mother’s protests, he insisted that he did the right thing. His military superiors consider him to be exemplary as an officer, “a leader of men” and told him that he would have a bright future in the Army. While stationed in Korea, his superior officer told him that he would undoubtedly be posted in Iraq, and as a good officer, he should learn everything about the country to which he was to be sent. And he studied. In the process, he learned that the attack was based on lies told by the Bush administration: that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that there was no connection between the attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and wherever the downed plane in Pennsylvania was approaching and Iraq.
Watada was also aware of the Nuremberg Principles that essentially places responsibility on the individual, even if that person is the head of state, or a member of the military, to not obey orders that violate international law.
He tried to resign three times (an officer submits his resignation to the president) and was denied each time. He is now court-martialed in Ft. Lewis, Washington facing four counts: two for missing troop movement and two for criticizing the president. Two other speech counts, which depended on the testimony of freelance journalists Sarah Olson and Star Bulletin’s Gregg Kakesako, were dropped when other journalists joined in defending freedom of the press.
Watada is a young man (27) with extraordinary clarity about his moral responsibility and I am grateful for his principled and clearly articulated thoughts about his obligation to defend the Constitution, the U.N. Charter, and the Nuremberg Principles, He said, in talking to a roomful of veterans: “...that to stop an illegal war and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fight it.”

Time Zones

Maybe this person lived in China where there are no time zones and the whole country is on Beijing time, making people in the outer regions of the country to live dual time. One time that is realistic and one that follows the govt. line.

"I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific." They Walk Among Us!"

I'm not listening

For Connie who posted about the numerous people that she has encountered in Japan, the next time you run into this situation try this.

I know that I have wanted to do this sometimes.

Directions

So glad I got my new curtains so the sun doesn't wake me up.

"While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the north?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff." They Walk Among Us!!"

Pizza

Seeing as tonight is my weekly pizza diner at the Shimada's, I think this is appropriate.

While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. "Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces." Yep, They Walk Among Us!

Dead Birds

One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when one of them shouted, "Look at that dead bird!" Someone looked up at the sky and said, "Where?" They Walk among us!

Takaragawa Onsen

One of my favorite bathing spots.

Refrigerator

I think these stories are great.

A friend of mine bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: "Free to good home. You want it, you take it." For three days the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. My friend decided that people were too untrusting of this deal. It looked too good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: "Fridge for sale $50." The next day someone stole it. They walk among us.

They Walk Among Us

Got an interesting mail from Roger and thought they would make good reading.
I will be posting them over the next few days. Enjoy!

I walked into a Blimpie's with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a sandwich. I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said "buy one-get one free". "They're already buy-one-get-one-free", she said, "so I guess they're both free". She handed me my free sandwiches and I walked out the door. They walk among us and many work retail.

Hey, I used to work retail.

Mt. Fuji

View of Mt. Fuji from IzuOne nice thing about winter is that if I get to leave work early enough I can see Fuji on my way home as I cross the Tama river.

Juken

Today was the second day of our entrance test. 224 students sat for the first test and there were over 300 today. As of this morning around 50 students had signed up for enrolment. Now today they have to figure out how many more students to accept to meet our target number of students. They have it worked down to a science and they are usually fairly on target, although the last few years we have passed our enrolment numbers.

Today is also Setsubun, which marks the end of winter and the New Year of the lunar calendar. There are bean throwing ceremonies all over Japan on this day to welcome in good fortune and to get rid of all the misfortune.

So if you see anyone looking like this and carrying this bax of beans don't be too worried.