Sports Day, Neighborhood Parties
and the fine art of social drinking, Japanese style. Sports Day, Neighborhood Parties
and the fine art of social drinking, Japanese style.
During early October, the entire country participates in a Sports Day. The schools Shannon and Heather attend have had theirs and Seiwa has had its own. Even our own little city of Nankoku had its sports day with teams from different neighborhoods. The organizers, usually housewives, go door to door within their neighborhoods recruiting people for different events. All events are team and group oriented, in keeping with Japanese culture, and are comprised of mostly relay races that are humorous, e.g., run 50 ft with your partner of opposite sex, blow up a balloon, place balloon between your chests and hug each other hard enough to pop the balloon, then run back to your team for the next couple to take off. (Pretty racy, huh!) For some reason you partner can not be you spouse. So I was matched with a woman of average Japanese height, about 5'2". Her face came to my chest. Hence, the mechanics of popping the balloon was somewhat awkward. I've been told it was very amusing. But somehow we managed.
Later that evening there was a neighborhood party and meal. The Schmidts have not told us the real life a a missionary in Japan. Held at the local neighborhood hall, the meal and libations are served in a tatami room with low Japanese-style tables. When we got there the mood was very festive. There was much to celebrate. Our neighborhood (Myoken) went from 19th place last year to 13th! Catherine's effort in the women's relay race had inspired everyone. The meal was filled with wonderful goodies: sushi with squid; cold, sliced, boiled pigs feet, along with terriyaki chicken and other delicacies more sensible to American tastes.
At a Japanese party, one should never have to fill their cup. It their way to show hospitality and friendliness. My beer glass never made it past half empty. Sake, rice wine, is served hot, poured from little bottles that look like a vase into a porcelain cup the size of an egg cup. After sipping from a proffered cup and proclaiming it quite acceptable, I was instructed on how to properly quaff. (Where did I learn to write like this?) Toss it back! Having been taught this important social skill, many around me thought it important that I practice. Equally important is that I should fill the cups of those around me. This too was celebrated with more libations.
After 5 or 6 rounds (or was it 9 or 10?) I was asked to give an after dinner impression of the day's events. Coached by Catherine I managed to say in Japanese to a strangely tilted room that I like Sports Day, followed in English that the people of Myoken neighborhood are very nice. This was well received and, of course, to be toasted with several more rounds of sake. During these later event, Catherine made the astute observation that many were taking a small sip, but then pouring the remainder discreetly into a nearby bowl. We took a slightly different approach and said our children needed to get home and get ready for school the following day.
There are many things I would show you if you were to visit. First I would take you on a walk on the neighboring hills filled with bamboo forests and sprinkled with small family burial grounds. Near the gates of Seiwa is a burial plot that has been with a family for 400 years! Many times a burial plot will have a small shrine associated with it where flowers and/or food is present. Are these offerings to incline the ancestors to act on the behalf of the family as in Africa or are they simply courteous remembrances such as we observe in the West?
In about 20 min we can walk to an entire temple complex located on the top of a nearby hill. I observed a woman pray at one of the shrines. As she approached she placed some money in a wooden collection box, then knelt at the shrine. She clapped her hands twice, then struck a chime which had a beautiful clear tone, then clapped twice again. She then bowed her head, her hands clasped in prayer for about a minute and then departed. What happened? Was she just performing an act of reverence, or in that exceedingly short time did she present a petition? What is the meaning of the fox statues I saw everywhere? What did all the inscriptions I saw carved on the temples and posts leading up to them mean? Prayers? Teachings? Memorials?
At crossroads and bridges sometimes you will find an idol. Usually they are quite small. They may have a coat on made by someone with offerings of food, flowers and sometimes a few coins in front. There is nothing about them that elicits awe or reverence in me toward them. Actually, I find it slightly comical that anybody's god should be that small and cute. And yet in biblical days household idols surely were similar. What does that do to a person to have a god whose representation is so accessible, so contained, so manageable? Yet they are representations of forces, concepts that elicit fear, awe or wonder. Imagine the effect on the psyche upon graduating from household idols to elaborate temples with their elaborate trappings and priesthood.
I am team-teaching with a Japanese English teacher, Mr. Honda, at a junior high school once per week. We have 4 straight classes of seventh graders. There are 40 kids in each class, typical for Japanese schools. I was told by the head of the English department that they wanted to make English learning interesting for the children and to improve their conversational abilities. She went on to say that the expected response of children in school for most classes is to be passive: the teacher lectures, the students memorize. That, however, does not get you very far in language learning. So they have been trying to overcome the student's passiveness with different types of teaching and a walking, talking, audio/visual aid such as myself. I really don't have to plan much because the Mr Honda has primary responsibility. Mr Honda also plays the guitar so we had a class session playing and singing in English. So its been great fun for me. This particular school is associated with the local university, so there are entrance exams. The kids are fairly bright, but more importantly seem very interested in learning. The school is hoping that they can budget me for two team-teaching classes next school year (Apr 92).
I've joined a basketball club! Pickup basketball seems to be unheard of here. At least I can't find any evidence for it. But there are clubs that one can join, in keeping with the group mentality of the Japanese. I am the tallest on our team by about 2". However, my greatest shame (my inability to jump) embarrasses me each time we jump off. The quality of basketball is not bad at all. Except for their height they could play in the FSU pickup courts with honor. When posting up I simply can't dribble the ball because it's stolen and gone in a moment. They are quick.
Financially we're doing pretty well. Even though prices here are high for most things, we don't have to pay for rent or health insurance, plus I'm making a little on the side. It looks like we'll be able to buy a car in the near future. The school's PTA president is also president of the local car dealer's association, so hopefully we'll get a good deal.
Shannon has decided she doesn't like Japan so much. She says it gives her a headache. Catherine says she has 200 brainless wonders that she tries to teach each week. Heather seems to like the structure of her elementary school. It's all about par for the course. Stay tuned.