Now with 800% more bedding!
(My first night here sucked on account of they hadn't delivered my bedding yet.)
So far I've had two orientation days and a day of class at the university. The campus itself feels a bit like SSU (The university near where I live, and also where my high school was located, so I'm pretty familiar with it) but shrunk down by a third. There are a few buildings being renovated at the moment, but over all the buildings themselves are pretty plain. The scenery is pretty nice though. Here's a photo of the walkway from the campus to the train station.
(If you zoom in you can see all the blossoms blowing in the wind)
Of course it won't look quite as nice once Sakura is over. But I think there's enough greenery to keep me happy.
The first day of classes went pretty well. I was keenly reminded of just how much I've forgotten over the past three and a half months, but I think I'm at the right level. I definitely need to refresh myself on a few things, but with the constant practice of actually living here in Japan I'm hoping it will all stick this time.
Over the weekend I took a train out to Saga to see Mary so I could attend the public tea ceremony that she was going to be serving tea at. I also attended a Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing Party) with her and some of her other ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) friends.
I woke up rather early on Saturday so that I could take an early train and meet up with Mary at Hakata (The major train station in northern Kyushu) where she saw her parents off at the airport just prior to my arrival. From there we traveled together to Saga where the Hanami was happening.
(I was not the only one tired on the train)
At the Hanami I got to meet a lot of Mary's friends and co-workers, and enjoy lunch under the cherry blossoms. Sadly (Ok, not really sadly, I was having fun) I didn't take many pictures because I was being social. The park itself was crowded but rather pretty. As you might have guessed, lots of other groups were doing exactly the same thing we were.
(This picture doesn't do the park justice)
Mary's friend Ron had to leave partway through the Hanami in order to attend a BBQ that the people at his Karate dojo were having. Since Ron has a car we hitched a ride with him in order to get home easier. On the way, Ron convinced us to attend the BBQ with him (It didn't take much). This BBQ turned out to be a rather cool experience. The Dojo itself is right below a Buddhist temple/Shinto shrine (It was both apparently). I'm not sure if the guy was a priest, or just happened to live there, but the Dojo was up behind his house. Regardless it was a rather nice place, and the food was quite tasty.
(I love this informal style of eating. It's just so much fun.)
While we were there Ron showed us around and took us up to the temple/shrine. I think I've been slightly spoiled by all my sightseeing being done during Sakura. I'm not complaining, but I sometimes wonder how other things will compare when I see them at other times of year. Anyway, here's a couple photos I took around the compound.
(I have some strange attraction to Bamboo it seems)
(This gate leads up to the main temple)
(This is the pathway down from that gate. The angle doesn't really show it, but it's rough stone steps)
After the BBQ Ron took us on some windy back road through the Mountain to get back to Mary's place. That road was an adventure in itself. Thinking back, driving that road would have made a good video, but I wasn't really thinking about it.
That was Sunday. Saturday was the Tea Ceremony. After Tatara-san and Okamura-san (Two of the ladies Mary does Tea Ceremony with every week) dressed Mary up in her Kimono, we got driven to a nearby mountain temple where the event was taking place. The driveway up to the temple was lined with Sakura, and is apparently rather well known. There were lots of tourists about and even a little stand selling snacks and gifts. Once we parked up at the temple, Mary ran in and started helping (Well, I suppose she shuffled actually, you can't really run in a kimono). By the time I got my shoes off (after wandering the courtyard and snapping a few pictures of course) and made it inside the temple Mary and Tatara-san (who drove us. At least I think it was Tatara-san..... ) had disappeared into the back and I was on my own. Women in kimono were bustling about carrying pottery and sweets in and out of the main room in the temple. I went inside and was able to catch the second half of a ceremony from the door. I hadn't really seen a tea ceremony before. At least not in person like this.
(Some of the tools used in Tea ceremony)
After that first ceremony had finished, I was beckoned to sit down in front and served a sweet snack, that I'm sure has a proper name, but I have no idea what it is. Apparently they don't normally have foreigners attend these events often (Not a surprise really, Saga isn't exactly tourist country) and immediately associated me with Mary. So they sent Mary out to perform the next ceremony. (I have no idea if Mary was expecting to perform or not. As far as I know she was only supposed to be helping to serve tea)
I suppose how the setup deserves some context and explanation. Basically the ceremony itself took place between two people. The person preparing the tea, and the "customer" (who was also one of the ladies dressed up in kimono). While the ceremony was happening other viewers from the general public could walk in, sit down, and have the other women not currently performing the ceremony bring them sweets and tea (the same kind of tea that was being prepared in the ceremony, which is a thicker more bitter tea then you would normally drink).
The Ceremony is highly ritualized. Every step is predetermined and each piece has a place where it is supposed to grasped and set down. The pace is slow, but each movement is deliberate and precise. It's very calming to watch. I would have loved to have gotten video of it but I was running low on memory.
From what I could tell, all the women involved, besides the Sensei (teacher), performed a ceremony. This includes the little girls who are apparently also learning Tea Ceremony.
(I was surprised that they were involved so young. I think it's good though)
(This wasn't part of the ceremony. Lighting incense is something you do when you pray at temples.)
(On the lookout for guests)
These girls were super cute, and I took several pictures of them throughout the course of the day. The little one in pink referred to me in a variety of ways ranging from "Gaijin-san" (Mr. Foreigner) to "Shotto Ke-ki Oji-san" (Uncle Short Cake). Apparently saying "Cheese" when taking a photo was a new concept to her, and she linked it to cheese cake. Cheese cake eventually lead into short cake. She was also perplexed by my hair being "long like a girl's (Rough translation), and frequently came up behind me while I was sitting down to play with it. (I really wish I'd been able to get a picture of that, as I'm sure it was adorable)
Since Mary was working the tea room all day, I had plenty of time to wander the temple grounds and take some (ok, a lot) of pictures. Here are a couple.
(I love all the garden paths around Japan)
(This is the driveway up towards the temple)
(I knew about leaving sake, but Coke is a new one for me)
During one of my walks around the grounds I met a Japanese woman who was astounded by my beard and asked to touch it. I was happy to oblige. It's nice to know that not everybody is afraid of me.
Once they finished doing the ceremonies for the day, since they had seen me taking pictures all day, they asked me to take a picture of all of them together. Unfortunately the little girls had already changed out of their kimono, but I still got a pretty good picture of everybody.
All right, I think that's enough for now. Sorry it's been a while. (Though I'm sure there will be similar long breaks in the future) Until next time, Take care.
~Daniel
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