Karaoke...Dragonflies...And more Karaoke

October is rushing by at quite a clip.  I look and see today's date is the 21st.  Doesn't seem like that long ago when I had spent a Sunday afternoon sitting through the 2nd annual charity karaoke presentation at the Yonezawa Civic Theatre.

There was no real lead up to that afternoon...aside from one of my co-workers deflecting queries a month before from his students about an upcoming karaoke presentation he was going to participate in.  He had let that item slip out in class and found himself being badgered to divulge details.  He held his ground, refused to give out any details, and the matter failed to get any further mention.

That is until I went out for drinks on a Saturday night and mentioned the matter to the proprietress of the establishment.  She smiled and told me she was going to be performing at the same event...and would I like to buy a ticket.  I said "Sure, why not?" and thus found myself the next afternoon sitting through three hours of enka tunes with a bit of dancing added in. 

My co-worker came by to say "Hi" before the show started.  He was nervous as heck and had a drink in his hand which he was consuming in an effort to calm down his stage fright.  I'd hazard to say that seemed to do the trick as he was able to do both his numbers, a duet and a solo number, without any glaring problems.  He got a more than warm round of applause during his solo effort (after being egged on by the MC with reminders of "Don't sing in English!").  Naturally, I did make a short video clip of each of his performances...to show to his students.  Hey, what are friends for eh?

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Thursday last week was sunny and quite pleasant.  I drove to work that day since that's what I always do on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  As I reached the outskirts of town I noticed that were a number of dragonflies in the air...some of them coupled.  I remembered that a co-worker had said that he was afraid of dragonflies.  I had thought then "Well, I can sort of see that".  Well, as I drove along their numbers increased.  There could've been dozens of them flying past me as I drove up the road.   By the time I reached the next town their presence was starting to get a bit unnerving.  The good thing is that I didn't get any stuck on my vehicle.  I had had this happen to me last year when driving up to Tendo to watch a soccer match.  There's nothing quite as distracting as seeing a big dragonfly stuck on your windshield wiper as you drive along.

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Going back to the topic of karaoke:  What does one get when you mix two drunk guys (I wasn't one of them) with a song neither of them were asked to sing...but felt they had to because someone had requested them to sing it?  Typically the response would be a polite round of hand waving and "Sorry I couldn't possibly do it" followed by a quick jab at the "Cancel this song" button.  But this past Sunday the response was more along the lines of "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!".  I don't recall the title of the song but it was a duet, an aria-like number which was quite popular about 15-20 years ago.  On a wild guess I'd say it was made popular by Pavarotti or, less likely to be correct, Sarah Brightman(sic).

Nonetheless, that night the song started and the two guys found themselves wondering what they were going to do given their inebriated states.  One fellow got the baritone part and the other got the tenor part.  It started off with the male lead singing the first verse.  Our baritone singer immediately flubbed up the words (they were in Italian) and all he could manage was a bit that sounded a bit like "con so...".  That quickly became "kon-so-me", as in "consomme" soup.  Needless to say not a single word of the original lyrics came out from there on.  It was a steady string of "kon-so-me" and "wakame" (yes, it's that wakame, the seaweed one often finds in miso soup) sung by both fellows until the end of the song.  That was accompanied by gales of hysterical laughter from the everyone else in the establishment.  The whole thing was irreverent, jack-ass-like stupid, a touch inspired, and so atypical.  It's not every night where one encounters bust-a-gut laughter in a snack....

Silver Week

They call this time of year "Silver Week".  Except when I said it in class with a flat North American accent, none of my students initially caught it.  When I repeated myself one student exclaimed "Ah...shi-ru-ba u-ii-ku".  Well, I could've said it that way but using my Japanese method of saying English words wasn't the point of the lesson.

Nonetheless, we get to enjoy three weekday holidays all in a row starting from Monday this week.  This stretch of days off is called "Silver Week" in contrast to "Golden Week" in May.  None of my students have offered up an explanation but I suppose the reason is as simple as the order they happen...gold is first and silver is second.  There.  Simple, eh?  Not sure about the accuracy of my guess though.

Today is Tuesday and, thus, the middle of the stretch of the three days off.  With the weather being quite warm and sunny, I went ahead and did a load of laundry in the morning.  After immersing myself in a computer game, I then headed out in the early afternoon to check out an event at a local park.  An acquaintance had mentioned it when she spotted me at the supermarket the previous night.  She said was going to be doing some "ani-song" DJ'ing.  "Ani-song" meaning "anime show song".

Having completed my visit to my acquaintance's event, and consuming some chowder whilst doing so, I sauntered back home and decided it would be a waste to spend the rest of the afternoon indoors.  So I grabbed a book and hat, then wandered over to the park by Uesugi Shrine.

As it turns out preparations are in swing for the upcoming Fall Festival.  The Yonezawa Fall Festival bills itself more or less as a festival which is held just because there's time to have a festival.  Or something to that effect.  Nothing too complicated eh.  Most of the tents have been laid out but only a portion were raised and occupied by folks selling various types of food.  I wasn't particularly hungry so I made my way to the grassy knoll in the park and set myself down in the shade of a tree to do some reading.

What followed was nothing exciting: I just read, checked out a Wikipedia page about Alice Munro and Munro's Books, and listened to an album by The New Pornographers.  I became immersed in the book, Alice Munro's "The Good Life", and was shielded from the music being played over the nearby PA system by what was flowing out of the earphones I had on.  I essentially lost touch with my immediate surroundings.

At some point in time I suddenly realized that the points of reference on my person had slightly jarred me from my physical location.  I was listening to music in which I could readily understand the lyrics, I was gazing upon print I could readily read, and the web page showing on my iPhone browser was the Wikipedia entry for Munro's Books, a place which I've quite enjoyed visiting in the past.  Those elements put together had me disoriented for a moment.  It was like I wasn't in Japan but I was back in Canada.  The PA system was streaming out Western music then and the sun was in my eyes.  Once I glanced around, that feeling of having been teleported vanished, just as quickly as it had arisen.

Commuting to Work....

Twice a week I commute to work out of town.  The destination being the town of Takahata.  Initially my commute there involved walking or driving to Yonezawa station, riding the train to Takahata, and taking a taxi to my final destination.  That changed earlier this year when our school came into possession of a former teacher's car.  That teacher had driven used the vehicle up in northern Yamagata.  Once she returned to her home country the vehicle was freed up for use by another school.

My commute consists of a drive up Route 13.  This road runs up the centre of Yamagata prefecture along its north-south axis.  At the southern end it's a two lane road which goes through what more or less a series of car dealerships, convenience stores, small eateries, warehouses, and small industrial sites.  I would hazard to say that its closest relative in Vancouver would be Kingsway...which is another road I drove upon frequently (coincidence perhaps?).

Anyways, I spotted a car dealership sign a few months ago which had me scratching my head a bit.  The name sported on its signage is "Metis".  Yes, that's exactly what's spelled out on the sign in the English alphabet.  About a month later I conjectured that the name was an incorrect reading of an English word which had been imported into Japanese.  Two weeks ago I spotted the Japanese katakana rendering of the company's name.  It read "Medeisu".  Okay, there went my theory that it was supposed to be "meteisu" or "maties".

Another feature on Route 13 which caught my eye is an abandoned two story building at the south end of a bridge not far from the southern border of Takahata town.  It's been stripped of fixtures such as doors and windows but hasn't been completely covered in scaffolding and tarps...a sign in Japan that a building is being demolished.  I had no idea what it used to be and I often thought it may be a building which is awaiting renovation.

A few weeks ago I drove up to Tendo to catch a Montedio Yamagata match with a friend.  He used to live in Yonezawa but presently works in Niigata.  When we passed the above mentioned building he quipped that it had once been a love hotel, a hotel catering to couples who needed a private room to engage in amorous activities, which had a brightly coloured sign on top that featured an image of a pink Godzilla.  I've seen plenty of uses of Godzilla in advertising products and services in Japan but I must say that was the first time I've heard of Godzilla, furthermore a pink version, being employed to advertise a love hotel.  Certainly must of have stood out a lot in comparison to the demure sign for the Faeries Hotel down the road. 

Something Heard A While Ago

I don't remember when exactly I heard the following story.  It had to be about a week or so after I returned to Japan from my trip to Canada.  By my calculations it would've been July 15th when I last visited the place where I heard it which is a "snack" (a ubiquitous type of bar which usually serves drinks on a time based fee rate and always features a karaoke system) called "Ruru".

The lead up to the story was where the proprietress mentioned to the customer sitting two seats to my left that I worked as a conversational English teacher.  The fellow went off on the usual segue about not knowing how to speak English.  The next part of his monologue went into the only trip he had made to an English speaking locale.  The place in question being Oahu, Hawaii, and the time was his honeymoon about 25 years ago.

As was typical in those days, he and his wife went to Hawaii on a honeymoon tour.  That meant the newlyweds went on their honeymoon with other newlyweds on a group tour.  He mentioned that the tour company had supplied the group members with food vouchers which could be redeemed at establishments which catered to Japanese tourists.

After three days of that fare this fellow had had enough.  He wanted something different and his wife was in agreement.  So the two of them went off on their own to find a restaurant in Waikiki which looked "Western"...that meaning the place didn't have menus or signs in Japanese and it wasn't on the list recommended by their tour company.

They found themselves at the entrance of a nice looking restaurant.  The couple looked at each other and thought that a meal there would set them back a bit.  But they were determined to experience something unique so they didn't turn back.  The maitre d' didn't speak Japanese and the storyteller didn't speak much English.  All he could manage was "dinner", "honeymoon", and "please"...not in exactly in that order.  Nonetheless, it was enough to get a message across and they found themselves seated at a table in a dining room which featured a floor to ceiling high aquarium tank.  They also found themselves with a problem of trying to figure out the menu so they could place an order.

Fortune was on their side that night.  The maitre d' returned with an African-American kitchen staff member in tow.  It turned out that the kitchen staffer had been stationed in Okinawa during his tour of duty with the US military.  So he knew a bit of Japanese.  He was more than happy to help explain the menu to the newlyweds.

The meal the newlyweds had was delightful and they were more than pleased with their turn of luck.  In addition they were extremely grateful to the staff for being so accommodating.  They quite literally had had the time of their lives...as I could tell as I watched the man tell his story and he smiled to himself....

Sunday Surprises....

Yesterday (July 26th) was a pretty interesting day.  It started off slow.  Woke up and did laundry whilst distracting myself watching a series of top 10 video lists served up by watchmojo.com.   By the time I finished my two loads of laundry it was early afternoon.  My washing machine had sprung a leak which I had noticed before my departure to Vancouver.  On return I could see the condition of the machine had not stabilized.  The amount of water on the floor after each load was increasing.  So the final load of the day was done using the machine in the coin laundry room of my apartment...which is located in the rear of the real estate company and property management building on the other side of the parking lot...which also meant sauntering out in 35C temperatures outside.

Nonetheless, after finishing chores I walked over to the Matsukawa Riverside Park (which somewhat confusingly is not next to a river called Matsukawa - Pine River - but is next to the Mogami River) to take in a music festival and the so-called "Y1 Grand Prix".  The latter had nothing to do with auto racing.  It was a food competition.  One could visit and try the wares at any number of the food stands set up by local restaurants.  Customers were given a bean along with their food.  At the event administration tent a series of boxes with photos of food dishes attached to them were lined up to collect the beans.  At first I wasn't sure what the beans were for but sussed out their purpose after spying the boxes.  Oh yeah...I tried the following dishes: a roast beef donburi (I heard it was the eventual winner), tempura mochi soup, garlic and beef pizza (with minimal cheese but plenty of garlic), and a rice flour waffle (topped with whipped cream, ground roasted local bean powder, and black sugar sauce).  Needless to say, I didn't have dinner later that evening.  I satisfied my late evening hunger pangs with an order of melon soda and popcorn at my local cinema.

I actually hadn't planned on going to see a movie until around 8:45pm.  I browsed the movie listing online and decided on a promising looking entry called "Umimachi Diary" (海街Diary).  I had enough time to glance at the plot synopsis (the story starts off with the father of a trio of sisters passing away and they go to his funeral in Yamagata) and read the names of the actresses (Ayase Haruka was the only one I recognized).  I left home in a hurry and got to the theatre with time to settle down into my seat with my drink and unexpectedly large looking "small" order of popcorn.

I had had a small slip of tongue when I purchased my ticket and picked a seat next to a sold seat.  I usually don't do that but figured it wouldn't be a big deal.  Well, just as I had settled into my seat I heard a female voice exclaiming "What the heck?!".  I looked up to find out the source of the remark was Ami, our office manager.  I think we were more than mutually surprised to meet up there.  Mark one up for pure coincidence. 

Anyways, the movie was very nice one.  Slow paced, carefully crafted, and sensitively acted.  About a quarter of the way through the film I started thinking to myself, "This is like a Koreeda movie".  So I got a small surprise when the end credits rolled by and there was Koreeda's name listed as the film's director. 

I went out for a nightcap drink and whilst walking home noticed something zip by my feet.  This happened just outside the entrance/exit ramp to a parking lot.  My initial thought was that a small lizard or skink had run by me.  I took a look around and noticed a small green creature.  It was a frog.  At last I had spotted one of those frogs whose chorus of nocturnal croaking in rice paddies and parks is often very, very loud.  I took a photo of the little character and was told later it was a specimen of "amagaeru" (Japanese Tree Frog).  Anyways, I figured the entrance to a parking lot wasn't safest place for a frog so I chased it into the neighbouring park.  I found out the next day that handling them isn't a good idea.  Their skin is covered with a poisonous substance which isn't fatal for humans but probably isn't a good thing to be in contact with.

...And that's my list of Sunday surprises.....

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Postscript:  This is a link to a short video recording I made of Japanese tree frogs:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/8936205@N02/18522618686/

It's Only Been Four Days...

I arrived back in Vancouver on Monday and was met by family at the airport.  I cleared customs and got my luggage so quickly my sister wasn't halfway to the airport on the Canada Line Skytrain.  Yes, arriving ten minutes ahead of schedule can make a difference.  The interesting thing is that the plane arrived ahead of schedule in spite of our departure from Narita being delayed.  We sat on the runway a bit while a plane two ahead of us was being checked out.  Just as its pilot was revving up the plane to start a take-off run the plane was struck by a bird.  So they had to rush a couple of engineers out to check that all was okay.  It turned out that the plane was fine so they were able to proceed on their journey.

I've been busy over the past three nights.  Attended a Round of 16 match at BC Place Stadium on Tuesday night.  I had the pleasure of watching Japan emerge victorious over the Netherlands.  Wednesday night's feature was a reception to welcome Mayor Fumiko Hayashi of Yokohama city.  I had luckily managed to scoop up an invitation through a friend who I had phoned the night of my return to Vancouver.  Toss in a dentist appointment the following morning and a barbecue that night and I find myself just relaxing and typing away on my computer on Friday morning.  I've been through a small whirlwind of activity and it goes without saying I'm working on staying alert to make sure I can keep tabs on what is on my calendar.

The next ten days will see me go through a number of dinners and parties with friends and family, a couple of 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup matches, and O-haka Maeri the day before I leave.  That final item being where one attends to the graves of family ancestors as part of the practice of rituals tied to Obon, the annual period when the souls of the dead are believed to visit.  Canadian Jodo-Shinshu Buddhists typically hold their Obon events in early July whilst in Japan they are held in August.  The cause of this difference comes from a decision someone made in Canada to adjust the date for Obon to the Gregorian calendar.  The same was done for Hanamatsuri, the festival celebrating the birth of Shakamuni Buddha, which is observed in April.  The instances where the adjustment wasn't made is for the spring and fall observances of O-Higan, the spring and fall equinoxes.  No need to make any changes there.

Ran Out of Gas....

I had an observer in my final class today.  The girl is a 2nd year junior high school student.  As luck would have it she's in the same school year as the girl who presently is enrolled in the class.  Goes to a different school though.  The class went relatively well but as it progressed she seemed to run out of energy to keep up with my intermittent Q&A barrages.  I chalked that up to the fact that most junior high and high school students show up for classes after a long day at school.  I've seen students almost fall asleep whilst in the middle of writing a sentence.  Anyways, by the time the class had finished her mother had done all the paperwork to have her enrolled.  Which is a good thing as far as business goes.

The standard practice in our school is that the office manager leaves an information slip on a teacher's desk when we have new or prospective students coming in.  I had glanced at the name for this new student, thought it was a unique name, and left it at that.  Ami, our office manager, had said something about the girl having taken English lessons in the past but that didn't leave an impression on me.

After tonight's class Ami asked how the observer had fared.  I said "She seemed to have run out of gas".  Ami didn't understand what that meant but I didn't have time to explain because we had students clearing out after class.  Taking the time to say goodnight and thanks for coming is de rigueur.   Afterwards I explained that the girl seemed to have run out of energy to speak and her facial demeanor had become a bit stiff and expressionless.

I was seated at my desk when I relayed that information to Ami.  I looked over to my co-worker James and then it struck me like a lightning bolt: that girl was his former student.  I had also taught her a few times a couple of years ago.  She had been a rather silent student back then.  Apparently not too much different now.  James got excited, pulled open a desk drawer, and produced a photo taken three years ago.  Yes, she was in that photo.

So my challenge going forward is to start off with a clean slate.  The desire to tell the girl that yes, I do remember her from three years ago is strong but I figure it's best not to haul all that stuff back out.  Being thirteen is tricky enough without having to deal with embarrassment caused by adults whose memories are too long.