a moment in Nagasaki

Peace in Nagasaki.

I was given an amazing opportunity to visit the picturesque city of Nagasaki last weekend. It had remained on my list of things to see in Japan for quite some time. Traveling there, I anxiously anticipated my visit to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial, the final location I had wanted to visit that held strong ties to the Pacific War (Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki). It was almost like obtaining that final baseball card that completed a dream team collection for me; a check waiting to be placed on my sheet of folder paper. I had no idea what lessons God had waiting for me in Nagasaki...


I found myself on a park bench at the Atomic Bombing Epicenter Monument at just after 11:30am. Some peaceful Chris Tomlin music was playing on my ipod. I ever so carefully began to fold a paper crane out of some scratch paper I found in my purse.  I noticed a pack of Japanese tourists following their guide around the park. Two European men posed for a picture as their friend shouted to them in French. An older man bent down to clean up a mess his dog left for him by the water fountain. I looked up at the bright blue sky; the brilliance of autumn leaves caressed the young day. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine how, amidst the beauty and peace that surrounded me, such a disaster could have devastated such a place, at just around the same time of the day, almost 65 years ago. Just as I looked up to the black monument, Chris Tomlin's words sounded through: "I will rise on eagle's wing, no more suffering, no more pain." That moment was enough to trigger the waterworks.

I look back at all the pictures I took of Nagasaki during the trip and my mind can't help but wander. I ask myself what someone who experienced the atomic bombing on that day would say if I were to show them one of the pictures I took. If I were to somehow travel back in time and, amidst the chaos and sorrow following the explosion, show a picture of today's Nagasaki and say, "this is what Nagasaki will look like in 65 years." Would they believe me? How could one see past such turmoil and destruction? How do you even begin to rebuild a city that has seen so much devastation?

The view of Nagasaki's city lights from Mt. Inasa.

The beautiful Nagasaki skyline.

The pictures and videos in the museum paint the picture, in my mind, of hell on Earth. People whose bodies are charred with scalding burns, wanting to die but not being able to, searching for loved ones amongst mountains of debris. Today I see junior high school students on a school trip touring the same location with cameras in hand, old Japanese couples feeding birds under the cooling shade, and children laughing as they chase each other through the soft, green grass of the park. Peace lives in Nagasaki. I tucked my checklist away in my pocket, almost ashamed, ashamed of my attitude coming to the park. I came with the intention of getting some nice snapshots for my album and I left with a new understanding of the word peace.

When I grow up, I wanna be a fox...

Me pretending to help carry the big, heavy omikoshi shrine ;)

In Japan, November 3 is National Culture Day. I found myself at the Kudamatsu Fox Wedding Festival, which is a celebration for a successful rice season. Food and game vendors lined the narrow streets of Kudamatsu's small town of Hanaoka. There was a bunch of festivities, including a parade of omikoshi hand-carried shrines (which I was blessed to be a part of), Japan boy scout performances, a kid marching band, handmade floats, and finally, the Fox Bride and Fox Groom, signifying good fortune. Every year, two people are picked in secret, and their identity is kept hidden from the public throughout the festival.

The couple of the hour! The Fox Bride and Fox Groom! Do you know who it is?

I've heard a bunch of different versions of the story upon which this festival is based. One of my teachers I teach with said that long ago, a priest found a pair of white foxes in the forest. He raised them as his own children and in return they brought good fortune to his village. And so every year there is a festival in their honor.

The amazing people who let us join in the parade.

It was really cool to have the chance to actually participate in the omikoshi-carrying down the street. Kyle's friend from City Hall, Nakamura, invitied us to take part in the tradition with a group of his friends. We all hoisted this heavy wooden structure up on our shoulders (well, not me really because I'm so much shorter than everyone else) and yelled out "washoi!" in time with a whistle. They even let me have a chance at riding the shrine! I will admit, it was quite scary being up that high, while being carried by a bunch of drunk and happy men :) I had an amazing time laughing and chatting with the other omikoshi carriers. Many people drank lots of sake before the actual parade (and even DURING!). I don't know how we managed to carry that thing all the way to the end. We even got hoppi coats to wear...and FACE PAINT! We were true Japanese foxes :)

Kyle and me in our "fox" outfits.

During the festival, I took a step back and watched the festivities around me. There were hundreds people around me, both young and old, who were gathered here to celebrate their culture, my culture. I am Japanese afterall. Never before had I felt such a strong tie to my Japanese roots. It was an indescribable feeling. I was almost moved to tears as I watched a traditional dance team perform in front of the Hanaoka Shrine. This is stuff my ancestors must have done a long time ago, I thought to myself. Finally, I've begun to feel like a part of the Yamaguchi family, and a part of Japan.

I am proud to be Japanese.

Rafting with the Power Rangers

The Oshimatsu gang: (L to R) Michelle, Brandon, me, and Kyle :)

The reservations had been set, tickets purchased, and I had (by some miracle) managed to reverse my car onto the ferry that would take us to Mitsuhama Port in Matsuyama, Shikoku. The short weekend getaway came at the perfect time, and the Oshimatsu gang was ready for some white water rafting excellence. After about an hour ferry ride and a 2 hour car ride full of 90s hits, we found ourselves in a quiet, super inaka (countryside) town called Otoyo at around 10:30pm. We met the owner of the rafting company, a cool Aussie named Mark, who then loaded us up into his tiny Japanese pickup truck and drove us to our hostel. The hostel had a worn-down, old log cabin feel to it. Our futons had already been laid out on the tatami floor. It felt like we were high school kids who had just been dropped off by Mom and Dad for an unsupervised weekend :D I could barely close my eyes from all my excitement, but somehow managed to drift into a deep sleep...

We woke up bright and early, grabbed some food from a local market, and met up with the other rafters at the Happy Raft office. It was a special day for rafting, geared towards veterans who had rafted with the company many times before. In the spirit of Halloween, many people were dressed up, including our rafting guides, the POWER RANGERS! :)

"Oh, Japan..."

I got to sit in the VERY front! AHH!

Emergency contacts were exchanged, safety waivers signed, and before you knew it, we were geared up and loaded onto a bus for Yoshino River. We met our rafting guide, Gordon aka. the Green Ranger w/dreds, who gave us a safety shpeel before getting us into the raft. The water was FREEZING. Like Jack-Dawson-floating-in-the-Atlantic-Ocean FREEZING. It was quite beautiful though. A lady I met in an onsen told me that the rocks on the river floor have a blue tinge to them, making the crisp, clear water appear even more blue.

The next 4 hours rafting down a 9km segment of the Yoshino River can only be descibed as "bizarre". IT. WAS. AWESOME. Guides would randomly pick up and throw rafters into the blistering cold water, creating chaos amongst the boat. No one was safe. Just as you were helping a fellow raftmate back into the boat, you yourself would either be pushed or pulled in! The Blue Ranger was dropkicking people off of their rafts, people were splashing each other with their paddles, and the Scream Ghost was doing backflips off the edge of the boat. Incredible. At times I needed to take a step back and breath just to process the craziness before me.

The rafting itself was both exciting and terrifying. Since we had come the 2nd to the last week of rafting season, the water level was lower than usual, exposing many rocks and affecting the water flow around certain areas of the river. On some of the higher grade rapids (level 4), the current was super strong and our boat seemed to be almost vertical at times. Despite the playful mannerisms of the rafting crew, when things needed to be taken seriously, they were superbly professional, making me feel safe 100% of the time. At one point, a rafting crew got stuck amongst the rocks and current. It was cool to see the other guides band together to help them out. (What was even COOLER was that they were dressed as Power Rangers, there to save the day!)

Battling one of the grade 4 rapids.

We all survived the adventure and concluded the day with a delicious bagel sandwich buffet and a nice onsen bath. The crew was kind enough to invite us to a party at one of the guide's house for dinner and drinks. We partied the night away; meeting fellow rafters, learning about the area through broken Japanese/English, feeding dogs, eating crocodile and kangaroo BBQ, watching people fool around in their Halloween costumes, and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Tokushima.

Success! We made it through! Thank you Green Ranger! :D

I wish I could have stayed in that moment forever. It will definitely be a highlight during my stay in Japan :)

Life Lessons with Mr. Matsuoka :)

It was 3-1, Red Hats. Victory was within our grasp, we just needed to hold our ground for a bit longer. It was a gorgeous day for soccer. Thy sky was as blue as ever and a refreshing breeze generously graced the field. Mr. Matsuoka and I had been leisurely playing offense for the past 20 min with the kids of Shimanaka Elementary School.

We Red Hats were just about to end the slaughtering of the White Hats when suddenly, things took an unexpected turn. Enter Yoshiki and Ayana, the 3rd grade powerhouse duo. In a flash, the score had transformed: 4-7, White Hats. The boys on our team were getting a taste of defeat and they did not like it one bit. How silly, I thought to myself as I watched a kid on my team kick up some dirt. I was then reminded of my own elementary school basketball games and the gutt-wrenching pain of defeat I had once endured. This wasn't just a leisure lunch recess soccer game, it was a war.

The White Hats were throwing in goals left and right. Each time a goal was scored, the boys on my team would begin grumbling and complaining, motioning for a trade in team members. "Give us Shinji for Toshiya!" they'd call out, shamelessly sacrificing a team member. Step in Mr. Matsuoka. He huddles the kids together and passionately exclaims, "When you lose a point, you just gotta stand right back up and play that much harder!"

Doesn't that work on so many different levels? I paused for a moment to absorb what Mr. Matsuoka had said. When it came to kendo, work, my busy schedule, and anything and everything else buzzing around in my head at that particular moment, Mr. Matsuoka's words put me fully at ease.

Mr. Matsuoka and I decided to step up our game a bit to try and show the kids that their new efforts would not go to waste. Unfortunately, despite their age and height, Yoshiki and Ayana were just too strong a force and the White Hats won, 6-17. I'm not sure if those boys were able to fully appreciate the important life lesson given by Mr. Matsuoka that day, but I'm sure they will have plenty other opportunities to learn it. One thing's for sure: Tiff needs to get better at soccer.

カープ, カープ, カーウ 広島!

It was a beautiful day for some baseball!

I have never been a huge baseball fan. I'm more of a high intensity, full contact type sports fan, namely football and hockey. My parents tell me they took my brother and me to local games when we were little, although the only thing I remember from these "so-called games" is the hot dogs :) So when there was mention of going to a baseball game here in Japan, I was a bit reluctant.

I'll just say it now: Japanese baseball games are the greatest things EVER. This game we went to would easily make my 'top 10 favorite moments on JET' list. The energy of the crowd is amazing. Think of it as being a combination of the excitement of an 8-year-old running to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning and the insanity of walking up the various levels of a Don Quixote in Tokyo (just google image 'Don Quixote' and you'll see what I mean). The amount of loyalty and dedication Japanese baseball fans have to their favorite team is beyond description. Let's just say, if our NASA rockets could utilize such dedication as a means of fuel, we'd be having tea with Chewy and Han everyday at 4pm.

It wasn't the most memorable game in the world. The Hanshin Tigers dominated the Hiroshima Carps, 11 to 4. Each batter took their turn at the plate, hitting foul balls, 2-baggers, and even 3-baggers. We even witnessed a home run :) For me, the noteworthy part of the day was being fully immersed in the same moment with the thousands of people in the stadium. We all came from different walks of life, and yet, in these few hours, the game was all that was on our minds. Disregarding the mountains of paperwork due on Monday or the lesson planning for the week, all we cared about at this exact moment in time was whether Kokubo would strike out or not.

Oh, Japan. You never cease to amaze me.

There are some interesting components to Japanese baseball that have no American equivalent. One being the 7th inning stretch tradition of inflating falic-shaped balloons and shooting them into the air while singing a team's fight song. Also throughout the game, drums and trumpets would lead the fans in special chants specific to the players at bat. They even sell special sticks to help aid in keeping the rhythm. I have yet to learn the various motions and chants associated with the Hiroshima Carps, but have made it a goal before opening season next April.

My baseball commentator/slang educator, Kyle :)

I had such an amazing time at the game. Who knew baseball could be so exciting? Even though our seats were in the Hanshin Tigers cheering section by mistake (hehe, a bit awkward at times, especially when the Carps made a hit), we still managed to cheer our little hearts out (Japanese style) and have a grand ol' time :)


Hiroshima Carp Cheering Section (These guys are intense! Check it out!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY5RgphWMVg

Carp Fight Song (My goal is to learn the words to this song, and sing it w/all the passion in the world at the next game I attend!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B1gqR3AKKo

Checklists

2 months have passed in this, my 2nd and final year with the JET Program. It's a strange feeling because now, when I take a trip to a far away place in Japan, I catch myself thinking how it may or may not be my last visit. I don't blog out of sadness or dismay, but rather, anticipation of the countless adventures yet to be had in this amazing nation in the remaining 10 months!

With that, I present to you my checklist of things I want to see/do in the next 10 months while in the JET Program (not in any particular order):

1. Capture the 100 Shinsengumi Memorial near Itabashi station in Tokyo through artsy photography.
2. Run down the riverbanks of the Arakawa River in the Adachi area just like they do in Kinpachi Sensei.
3. Hug the Hachiko statue at Shibuya Station.
4. Leave a paper crane in the Peace Memorial Park in Nagasaki.
5. Snowboard a black diamond slope in Hokkaido.
6. Slurp down a meal at an outdoor ramen stand.
7. Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea. (At least one day per location!)
8. Ikebukuro Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City. 'nuff said ;)
9. Cheer at a kendo competition.
10. 2010 Saga International Balloon Fiesta. Again, 'nuff said :)
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11. Slurp down some ramen at the Ramen Museum in Yokohama (credit to Dad...hehe)

hawaii sweet hawaii (part 2)

Me and my brother enjoying shave ice in Hilo.

I had survived the grueling 13 hour climb up Mt. Fuji and was now enjoying the reward of being home for 2 weeks. What was my first meal being back in Hawaii? Go on, guess ;) The answer: RUBY TUESDAYS! 2 turkey mini burgers, a side of steamed broccoli instead of fries, and their endless salad bar. Delicious. The next couple of days were filled with dinners, surfing, parties, Ala moana trips, and other outings with friends and family. I surprisingly got back into driving on the right side of the road pretty quickly. (There was one incident early on where I annihilated the 'no parking' sign in our driveway but besides that, everything was cake.)

Mom and me at TACO BELL! (My 2nd meal back in America!)

It was so nice eating the food in Hawaii! (At one point when I was very homesick in Japan, I made a list on my laptop about all the eateries I wanted to go to when I returned home.) Although there wasn't enough time to go to all of them, I did manage to go to the following: taco bell, L&L drive inn (spam musubis....thanks Erickshin!), subway, shokudo (honey toast mmm...thanks Colin!), yamaz fishmarket, zippys, island burgers in manoa, buca di beppo, cheesecake factory, big city diner, kincaids (thanks Heather&Brandon!), and kaka'ako kitchen. Notice, no Japanese food! Yeah, I made it a point not to eat Japanese food...

Buca di beppo w/Kai, Allie, Heather, Brandon, Steph, and Kele. Oh...and Myles ;)

Cheesecake factory w/the family :)

I was blessed to have the chance to celebrate my champagne birthday (24 on the 24th!) back home. A small handful of people came over to my house for a home-cooked spaghetti and pizza dinner. Seeing as how my house is an alcohol-free zone, we moved the party to Toma's and drank&sang well into the night. にじかい (2nd party after the main party) was at Ocean Sports Bar where James and friends took good care of us ;) I had such a great time. Thank you again to everyone who came out! You guys ROCK!!! Doomo to James, Shelby, and the gang at Ocean! (Let's party it up in Japan next time!) :)

The gorgeous ladies of the evening :)

During my trip, my friend Cyndi (a fellow ALT from Yamaguchi who was ending her contract) came for a short visit. It was really cool having my life in Hawaii mix with my life in Japan. Cyndi got to meet my friends, people that I had talked about all year, and see me in my natural habitat :) We did a lot of touristy things (things that I had been wanting to do after finding this new sense of excitement for my island home!) like Ala Moana, Waikiki, surf lessons (sorry Cyndi! I am a BAD instructor!), and North shore. Jamie (a 3rd year JET this year) also came down for a visit! The time flew by and before I knew it I was packing up and heading to Hilo.

Cyndi and me at Waimea Bay, North Shore.

The final highlight of my trip was going to Hilo to see grandma&grandpa. It had been one roller coaster of a year and I was so happy to finally be able to go and see them in their new home. They were the main reason I came back this summer. We spent time on my uncle's deck, looking out into the beautiful surrounding landscapes, and talking about anything and everything that came to mind. It was nice having the entire immediate family (with the exception of my older cousin Ryan) all under one roof. We were like one big, happy family. We had an amazing local dinner one night with everyone eating together at the table. That moment could not be beat. One day, my mom, dad, brother, and I went to Akaka Falls and did the 30 min hike (which only took us 15 min). It was nice just spending time with everyone, laughing about stupid things, and being "tourists" for once.

The Yoshida family in Hilo.

The best grandparents a girl could as for.

I'll never forget my trip home to Hawaii. I'm so glad I decided to go home. The time spent there really refreshed me and gave me a new perspective to bring to this new upcoming JET year. That no matter where I am in the world, I'll always have Hawaii and it's amazing&beautiful people to call my home.

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It was awesome seeing you all! To those I didn't get a chance to meet up with, I hope to see and spend time with you when I come back for good! Love you all so much! :)