Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Before I left Kobe, I decided to visit small zoo perched on the side of a mountain in Oji.

Japanese zoos are horrendous. Almost all of the animals are kept in concrete cells smaller than those you would find in your average prison. Most disappointing were the bears and monkeys that were clearly suffering from nervous disorders.

On the upside, I got to see an anteater, and met a squirrel up close.

I also saw the star attraction, a pair of pandas - not a stick of bamboo in sight.
And one extremely hot polar bear sunbathing in a pen that offered no relief from the sun.Unless there's an animal I really want to see, I won't be going to a Japanese zoo again.

DRINK, GIRLS, FEKK....

If it wasn't for the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, which killed over 5,500 people and injured over 26,000 more, Kobe would never have become the pristine cosmopolitan city it is today.
Kobe has, as Lonely Planet puts it, risen like a phoenix from the ashes, and is now one of the most desirable places to live in Japan. It is set between the mountains and the bay, and is only half an hour from the mayhem of Osaka. There is a large foreign community which means you can sample real foreign cuisine, from Thai and Indonesian to African and Jamaican - and not the Japanese version either.

The conference for returning ALTs turned out to be so much more than just a conference. Once I got over an immense case of reverse culture shock brought on by being surrounded by hundreds of foreigners again, I succumbed to the need to socialise and managed to bust a move on one dance floor or another whilst consuming vast amounts of alcohol for four days straight with a very limited amount of sleep.

During my stay I managed to see some of the sights of Kobe, such as the Maritime Museum (Port Tower in the background): And Weather Cock House in the bizarre Kitano "foreigners residence":One evening I also met one Mr Nagasaki who pulled a cock out of a bag.This is Poco, a world famous in Japan soccer playing, TV appearance making, on hire to a karaoke room near you rooster.

I also bumped in to Bruce Lee while wandering around China Town (Street).

And I Pray....

If you are female, over 25, and not married, there is something wrong with you.

At least, that's how it is in Japan. After all the Bridget Jones and Christmas cake jokes, I finally relented and agreed to go with some Japanese people to Izumo Taisha last weekend.

Because I'm lazy I will do a bit of a copy and paste job from this site: http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/japan/izumo_taisha.html

"Situated at the foot of the sacred Yakumo and Kamiyama hills, the temple of Izumo Taisha is considered to be the oldest and most important Shinto shrine in all of Japan. The main shrine is dedicated to Okuninushi-no-kami, a Shinto deity. According to the Kojiki (the Legendary Stories of Old Japan) and the Nihon Shoki (the Chronicles of Japan), these being the two oldest books in Japan, the main shrine was the largest wooden structure in the country prior to 1200 AD. The height of the main shrine was then about 50 meters, surpassing the 46 meter height of the Todaiji Temple in Nara (the largest wooden structure in the world today). Sometime around 1200, following one of the many fires that ravaged the site, the main shrine was rebuilt to a height of 25 meters. The present main shrine dates from 1744. Legends relate that Okuninushi's father courted and married his mother at Izumo. Because of this divine marriage, the shrine has from ancient times been a special place for marriage for the Japanese people. Okuninushi is also the deity who is traditionally credited with the introduction of medicine and the art of farming. Izumo Taisha hosts at least fifteen major festivals each year and the beautiful complex of buildings nestled in a virgin forest is always bustling with pilgrims."

One of the cool things about this shrine not mentioned above is that once a year, ALL of the gods from ALL over the world, including Western gods, have holiday houses built there, and they gather there once a year.

Needless to say, I was taken through the correct proceedure for praying at the shrine - hand and mouth washing, walking through tori gates, bowing, clapping, money throwing (exactly 45 yen in each box), and finally the prayer itself. I was told to request the gods to bring me a man who will find me acceptable to marry. Instead I opted for requesting the gods to bring me a man who I find acceptable to marry - I hope I didn't jinx it. After a few hours, I was on my way with the obligatory omamori, or blessed charm, and a mikuji, or fortune.

On the winding journey home as I lolled in the luxury van with my feet hanging out the window, I found out that one of the guys in our group goes there every year on New Years, prays, buys a charm, and waits......He has been doing this for six years....
A huge bridge over a huge gorge in the middle of nowhere.Crazy Japanese pine.The god Okuni-nushi.One of the main halls.

How to eat sushi

I love kaitenzushi. In NZ and Australia it is a common thing to go to a "fast sushi" establishment and find bland looking sushi circulating around the room on train carts. I like going to kaitenzushi because you don't need to know the names of the fish or serving styles; you just take what looks good as it passes you by. In Japan, things are a tad classier - no kitsch trains in sight. There is a certain etiquette to eating in one of these restaurants, but I was recently emailed a link to a video clip which takes things to extremes.

Nature

One of the things I really love about Japan is its interesting and varied flora and fauna. Springtime brings out the best (and worst) of what Japan has to offer. I have been so caught up noticing all the trees and flowers (I can now distinguish between a cedar and a Japanese cypress (white cedar) tree - why am I proud of that??), that I have not noticed the animals and insects.

The eves of school buildings have become host to swallow condos and the birds endlessly swoop and dive nearby distracting me from my lessons.

The students talk of a bear that was sighted in the Niizato area. It is a rear thing, happening once a year or so. I ask what the best course of action is when spotting a bear. I was told "you shoot it". I actually meant something along the lines of standing still, avoiding eye contact, or playing dead...

When riding on my trusty chari I am reminded of how a bug splattered windshield must feel. It's imperative to keep your mouth closed. It'd almost be safer to ride with my eyes closed to stop the constant annihilation of mozzies on my eye balls. I've had to spend a lot of money installing screens over my windows, but that hasn't stopped a gigantic cockroach from appearing, or a huge spider similar to an Australian Huntsman from living in one of my shoes.

All kinds of caterpillars are hanging from threads in the trees, and large fury brown ones are inching their way across the road.

The frogs are loud enough to keep me awake at night. When I do manage to sleep, I am tormented by the memory of the carnage caused by driving home through the rice fields at night as hundreds of frogs fail to get out of the way, the squash noise like finger nails on a blackboard to me. Have you ever stepped on a sea cucumber? I don't want to accidentally stand on a small amagaeru, thumb sized frogs whose skin changes colour to camouflage them amongst the grass, trees, or window panes where they sit in wait of their prey.

Here's an amagaeru I took a photo of the other day.

Walking home from the train station one day, a brown mammal crossed my path, and the road. At first I thought it was a tanuki, but the legs, tail, and face didn't match. I've since found out it was a Japanese nutria, introduced and farmed for their fur, but now running wild in the mountains, always close to river systems.
Japan is often known as a country which has marginalised nature, however with the population spreading and taking over many creatures' natural habitats, you sometimes have the opportunity to encounter nature close up. I love it.

Jaroo?

Almost all English Language Teachers end up hosting "unauthorised" eikaiwa, or English conversation groups. I got roped into mine - it's really run by a Japanese guy who lived illegally in Glendale California for a year in the 70's.

Sometimes, it can be quite funny. Especially when we're not concerned with talking on a specific topic, but rather just talking and seeing where the conversation leads us.

The other night, I was learning a bit of Niimi-ben, the local Japanese dialect. Dialects sound so much cooler than standard Japanese and I would love to become fluent in it (as far as possible). I was also learning a bit of yakuza slang to scare the naughty boys in my class (actually they think it's kinda cool to have a hard-arse foreign teacher).

I was warned not to pronounce jaroo as joroo. Why not? was my perfectly honest question. What does it mean? C**T!!!! yells the most hilarious guy in the group. I cracked up laughing as everyone just sat and stared - keep in mind that apart from him and his sidekick, they are all very straight laced mature (37+) types. I explained that that was probably the worst word to use in the English language, and that some people have a big problem with it, while others, like myself, don't. I then had to give example sentences, thus displaying my vehement hate for certain things.

I asked this guy how come he knew the word. He showed me the entry in his dictionary (Joroo also means prostitute). It was highlighted. He had highlighted all the rude words he could find!

Some things remain the same no matter what language you are learning.

Emergency

How do I know that two houses burnt down in Shoden, a suburb of Niimi, early this morning??

It's not merely because they were probably made of mud, bamboo, and rotting wood....

It's because between 4:50 and 6:50 this morning, every single vehicle in the city with a blaring siren attached passed by my window. It's also because at 7 am there was a "community notice" broadcast on the loudspeakers Big Brother has secreted about the city.

The fire engines must be small in order to handle narrow roadways, however, it does mean the "fleet" ends up being three times the size of one back home, which caused the endless roaring past my window this morning. They also had these interesting red dune buggy type vehicles, but I couldn't find one to take a picture of.

Here's a nice window display on the main street to illustrate just how important fire safety is - especially when most homes here are highly combustible and remote, surrounded by forrest which could easily catch alight on those 38 degrees plus summer days.

Handbag size fire extinguishers must come in handy....

"A Pastoral Symphony of History and Nature"

I rented a bicycle and cycled from Soja to Ichinomiya through the beautiful Kibiji District. It was nice to be out amongst the green hills far away from the traffic, noise, and oppression of the daily grind. Unfortunately, as it was a public holiday, there were many others with the same idea. Along the way I was able to take in some culture, in the way of kendo, kyuudo (Japanese archery with impossibly long bows), three ancient burial mounts, and many temples and shrines. I also watched some guys racing souped up radio controlled cars.

Sadly, the last stop on the route, the main hall of the famous Kibitsu Shrine, was shrouded in a construction cover as it was being restored.
This is the five story pagoda of Bitchu Kokubunji. This is Komorizuka Tomb, a keyhole mound which you can enter. It comes complete with a stone coffin (empty of course).The most interesting form of child transportation I think I've ever seen.Today is children's Day (previously Boys Day). To celebrate this, carp streamers called Koi-nobori are hung up and samurai dolls put on display to symbolize strength, power, and success.
To join the celebration, I purchased some small Hello Kitty Koi-nobori from the supermarket, and some holiday snacks.

Silver Week

I only consider it to be a Golden Week if you get a whole week off. As I have no nenkyuu (annual leave) left, I have to settle for the Silver Package.

My first day off I spent sleeping in, spring cleaning, and riding around town taking it easy.

April 29th was Green Day, yesterday was Constitution Memorial Day, and today is a public holiday simply because it falls between two other Public Holidays.

Today I got up early and ventured down to Kojima on the coast of the Inland Sea. While there, I took a boat tour around Seto Ohashi, impressive for incorporating six continuous bridges, including the longest suspension bridge in the world, the longest twin cable-stayed bridge in the world, and a truss bridge. If you can get past all of the concrete (ie squinting or viewing from a distance), steel, iron, rubbish, and pollution belching forth from factory smoke stacks, it can be quite beautiful.

I also saw a fishing village, some temples, an old salt merchants house, and climbed Washuzan for the view (one of the best 100 sunsets in Japan!!!).

It was steamy hot and I got sunburnt. The train stations were jam packed, and all trains and buses were standing room only. I caught the bus past Washuzan Highland, a massive amusement park (I want to go on that roller coaster), and saw the queues to get in trailing down the hill and the car park overflowing.

I was also chased by a rabid corgi that was thankfully leashed.

Do your balls hang low?

I've always wanted to see a real live tanuki ever since I first went to my favorite Japanese restaurant in Auckland (called Tanuki). Unfortunately I've only seen dead ones on the side of the road.

Translated into English, tanuki means racoon dog, and that's exactly what it is - half dog, half racoon.

Tanuki are revered in Japan as they are native animals and feature in numerous folk tales. They are said to have the power of transformation and good luck, and so have religious significance and act as a patron of restauranteurs.

It's all about the balls.

Why else would they be so revered? In real life, tanuki have gigantic balls due to fierce competition between males. These balls are said to be the source of the magical powers and good luck. They also make a good pair of drums.

I'm not quite sure how they manage to turn this....

Into this...

For a really good source of information both factual and legendary, go here: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/tanuki.shtml