It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

I have to be honest, I was a little bit apprehensive at the thought of spending Christmas in Japan. The main question in my mind was, ‘Do they even celebrate Christmas at all?!’. Well happily the answer was yes, in a sense anyway. I guess Japan is a little like England in the ideas of Christmas. No, most of Japan society is not Christian, but then neither are a lot of families in the UK but we still celebrate Christmas (take my lovely family for example). The main difference in Japan is that Christmas isn’t really a time to be spent with family. Actually, Christmas over here is more like a second Valentine’s Day – young people should spend time with boyfriends/girlfriends/partners, or simply people spend time with friends. It is their New Years Eve and Day that should be spent with family, at shrines and temples and the like. However, there are many similarities between Christmas in Japan and England.

Number 1: Shops begin preparations for Christmas before Halloween is even over! That means presents start to be advertised and Christmas decorations start to go up.

Number 2: The constant playing of Christmas songs is highly encouraged in both shops and restaurants alike. If you can go into a shop and not come out humming some repetitive festive tune then it is indeed a Christmas miracle.

Number 3 (and the main thread of this post): Christmas lights start going up wherever you look.

And these lights my friends are not just the one strand of Christmas lanterns hanging above a door frame, nor a single Christmas tree glittering in a cosy window. No, this is tacky at its best. And I love it!!! 

awesome! It constantly changed colour as well!

Anyway, the highlight (no pun intended!) of these Christmas illuminations came in the form of the light display at a park in Kagawa (the prefecture above mine). Luckily, I have a very lovely friend who I knew from uni who lives in this prefecture, and this very lovely friend invited me for a day out in Kagawa ending with seeing these lights at the park. Needless to say, I had a brilliant day (treating myself lots whilst we were shopping) and the lights at the park were absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it, and probably never will. This is no small park, and the organisers seemed to have covered every square inch with lights of every colour! Anyway, my words won’t describe the scene very well at all, and to be perfectly honest the photos don’t do it justice at all. However, I will just upload the ones that I took and hopefully it will give you some impression of the scale of these lights. Simply awesome. Oh, and to top it off, I even saw a few flakes of snow while we were there! Perfect.

A trip to Kobe: Takarazuka style

Sylvanian Family store!

Yesterday was a really good day． Myself and 12 other ALTs joined a bus load of Japanese middle-aged women on a day trip to Kobe! The main event?? A Takarazuka show in the evening. Before I go into that, I will tell you a little bit more about the afternoon first. After a 3 hour (yawn) bus ride, we finally arrived in Kobe, and the biggest (and also first) shopping outlet I have seen since coming to Japan. *cue big grins all around*. Although there were a great number of shops to rummage around, including intriguingly named shops such as ‘A Bathing Ape Pirate Store’, I actually only managed to go to 3 shops!! The reason?! We happened to head into the Gap Outlet store first! Well that was it wasn’t it?! After quickly ducking out to find the nearest cash point, I was back, money in hand, for the next hours shopping!! Now usually I never shop in Gap – clothes I find too expensive for something I can get far cheaper in Primark, however, as there is no Primark in Japan, and this was an outlet centre, I dug straight in and (very rarely for me) bought everything I tried on! Woops! Luckily, for some reason, we got 30% off the already discounted items! Yatta!!! 

New shoes =D

I then quickly made my way to the Vans shop (a popular shoe shop) tried on one pair and bought (again for an extremely discounted rate that I have seen anyway else!) Feeling very pleased with myself I paused at the entrance of the Sylvanian families shop! Which I think I was the only person who was excited about it! So a good shop and a quick McDonalds later, we were back on the bus headed for Takarazuka.

 

For those who don’t know (which I hope would be most of you, as I only found out myself a few days ago! ） Takarazuka are an all female cast who have performed a variety of extravagant musicals. The story this time around?! An adaptation of the film ‘Ocean’s 11’! Now you’re probably thinking, “How the hell can you do Ocean’s 11 as a musical?!” and you are not alone in this thought as I thought it too. However, put a bunch of extremely talented women together, throw in some catchy songs and blast it with an unbelievably complex set and stage involving moving side panels, countless slot machines and a rotating stage that allows rooms to appear from the floor, then said film can indeed be done, as was proven last night. I don’t think I have been specific enough in describing the actors of these productions. Takarazuka, like I said before, is made up of an entirely female cast, this meaning that all male roles are played by women, those who know the film will be aware just how many men are in it! I can hear you all thinking now “Well I’m sure they’re ok, but you will still very much be able to tell that these are women.” WRONG! From the moment the leading ‘lady’ appeared on stage and started to talk, you immediately forgot that she was in fact a woman, having to remind yourselves countless times throughout the performance. Her voice was incredible! She had the perfect ‘male’ pitch that made you 100% believe that this was in fact a man. Body language and correct clothing included, and you had an extremely suave man at that!

I ended up being very much in love with the 'guy' on the far left!

I think this is the point of the Takarazuka, not only do they portray men, they portray the ‘ideal’ man for any Japanese woman: suave, attractive, confident, and a brilliant singing voice. If, by the end of the performance, you haven’t fallen for at least one of the ‘men’ on stage, then I would suggest you were not watching properly, I myself came away very much in love with one of the characters! So a hour bus journey home, with purchases and memories ending an absolutely brilliant Sunday, and to anyone who heads to Japan, I would HIGHLY recommend you going to see a Takarazuka show, the only words of warning?!... Go to see something you know the story of unless you are capable of understanding Japanese, otherwise it will make for a rather confusing visit, but still fun!

genkkidesuka Yoma san?

 I don’t think I have told you about Yoma yet. Yoma is a Japanese man who lives 30 minutes drive away from me. For over 10(?) years, he has invited all the ALTs who live out west over to his place for dinner every Sunday night for the small price of 500yen. And trust me, seeing his food, this is an extremely small price! His cooking is absolutely exceptional, each week will always consist of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, and then finish with a hot drink and chocolatey snacks. The main each week is a surprise but is always extremely delicious and well worth getting off my lazy butt at 6 on a Sunday and dragging myself over to his. I may struggle getting there, but as soon as I arrive I am always extremely glad I have. Not only the food on the night, but if there is food left over, he usually wraps it up and gives it to anyone who wants (yes I usually take some!) It is just an all round very nice evening, whether there is 20 ALTs or just 2, the conversation is always flowing, and the company is always friendly. The hardest part of the night?! Staying awake on the drive home after having a brilliant meal and a great chat.

A meal from one Sunday

An extremely tasty week!

 

Some of the ALTs that make it to Yoma's each week.

Christmas party eikaiwa style..

Students at my eikaiwa!

  Now I know I usually bitterly complain about having an eikaiwa, but really I am extremely lucky to be able to meet up with such wonderful and wonderfully diverse people each and every week. Our eikaiwa Christmas party really brought this home to me. I had to do NOTHING for this party… my only input was when my students asked me if I was able to make the party on the 8^th. Yes, I was as it happens. That was it. On the evening of the 8^th, I got picked up by one of my students and taken to the nearby venue, when we arrived in the room they had booked for us my mouth just dropped open! This place was HUGE! 

Our dinner table (set for 20) looked pathetically small compared to the spacious room it was housed in. That wasn’t the only thing that was big. The dinner, one we started eating just kept coming! Now, I have to be honest, it wasn’t my most favourite meal since I’ve been in Japan. I hate to say it, but I think it was just a bit too ‘posh Japanese’ for me! However, on the plus side of this, I unwillingly became the evening’s dinner entertainment as everyone (especially the people opposite) began watching to how I would respond when the sashimi, tempura, fish and … dare I remember it…?!, WHOLE CRAB came out!... Not very well apparently. I did try everything, you have to give me that, but I simply could not get on with the crab! Everyone was just munching down on the soft shelled thing but that was something I just couldn’t hack. One of my students grabbed a leg and said “like this” and proceeded to chomp down on the leg like she was Bugs Bunny eating a carrot, at which point I shook my finger and said “That’s not right….’ To which everyone exploded into laughter! Glad they were entertained anyway!

First up, freshly heated udon! (with xmas card from one student)

Sashimi (raw fish at front) was ok.. prawn... no! Just too runny!! =S

ARRRRGH!! What am I supposed to do with this!?

The 'Trapp' family singers - well that was what I was told!

Silent Night by candle light

Ok, despite a few setbacks with the food (another notable time was when I confused a steamed egg for cream soup) the evening was a lot of fun. We played some silly games, had an impossible quiz, my beginners sang a song from the Sound of Music, and I made them play a memory game, for which they were rewarded with stickers! We also sang some Christmas carols together which was awkward but quite nice at the same time. Finally, we did a Christmas present pot luck, where I ended up with a bag of plants!! WTF?! Actually they were really nice and have now become a nice little grown up feature of my house…. Well that is until they die of course!

My 'grown up' present!

Sometimes, I’m really glad I have an eikaiwa!

Just for giggles....

The photo below was taken at the Shikoku Field Day that happened last weekend (26th/27th). I'm not going to say much about the event, just that it was a friendly competition with a mixture of all 4 prefectures from the island I live on - Tokushima, Ehime, Kagawa and Kochi. The day was mainly centered around fun, mixing the teams to compete in events such as rock, paper, scissors, human pyramid, sumo and capture the flag to name but a few. The outcome? Each team earning a respected animal spirit - mine ended up with falcon!





Good day and brilliant night all round - especially with the  competition heating up in the evening with some good old fashioned beer pong/flip cup/crossfire.
However, back to the main point of this entry - I know I am small but there are some seriously tall people on JET.... I though I'd share this photo and hopefully raise a smile or two.

study, study, fighto!

The above words have often been shouted at me by my school's secretary, a lovely woman who seems to have taken on the role of teaching me Japanese....
Did I ask her? No. Had we spoken at all before this? No. Is this an extremely Japanese mindset? Hai hai hai!

Anyway, she has started me on ihcinensei (first grade elementary) Kanji books which I am currently working my way through, and each lunch we spend half an hour working on my reading skills (which are excrutiatingly slow at the moment!)

In helping me with my learning (and this is the bit mummy dearest is really going to get excited about!) she took me to the library today to set me up with an account! It's a really nice little library and is only a 5 minute drive from my house - opposite the building I have my eikaiwa! Very convenient.

Convenient or not however, it is still painfully embarrassing to be led straight into the kids section of the library and then shoved in the corner with the 'baby books' (a direct quote from Harada-san!) What was even more demoralising was that about 10 of my JHS students were also in the library! Brilliant. Ah well, hopefully that will motivate me to learn quicker and progress a bit faster away from the baby books!

Today's haul along with bookbag!