I am

alive.  I promise.  It just happens to be graduation season so I’m busy with lots of stuff at the moment and I don’t have much time to sit at the computer and verbally meander.  Things should let down in a week or two.  I’ll get to you all then.

The Honored Japanese Tradition of Making Children Cry

Last weekend I went to see the Namahage Festival in Oga.  Oga is a small peninsula that juts out of Akita, is pretty well flat, and is famous solely for Namahage, humanoid red-faced devils who, once a year (maybe more) attack children without mercy.  They also drum, dance, and throw a pretty mean bonfire.

Said bonfire:

A kid fascinated with fire before the terror begins:

The village people who will turn into Namahage come down from the temple and don their face masks.  The moment the let out their devil scream… the fear begins to set in.

Fortunately the locals are brave enough and try to scare the namahage away by… pulling on straw.

Fair enough… I didn’t get close enough to get in a good pull.  It was too crowded and the people were a bit too pushy.  Perhaps the most hilarious part of the whole thing was the big bonfire in the middle.  It was a cold night and lots of people were crowded around this huge pile of fire.

The only problem was that it was a windy night too, and every time the wind kicked up it would send sparks (and people) flying in terror.  I think the sparks outdid the devils this year.

MILK… ME!!

One of my students said this shortly after I swiped their milk at lunch.  This is why you should never complain about not liking English in front of the ALT.

Oddly enough it’s the students who don’t like English the most who end up making my day with the gold above.

It was a good weekend… hopefully I’ll put up some pictures tomorrow.

Ski Bum

Four times in one week– this just isn’t healthy.  But, when there’s nothing else going on (aside from everything else that’s going on), what’s one to do?  I just learned this year that Futatsui has night skiing on a small hill about 10 minutes from my house.  And, only 600 yen for four hours.  Can’t argue with that.  This weekend I went up to Ani Ski area with a couple of British ALT’s.  Getting there, I was glad I purchased goggles the day before.  It was -9 at the top of the hill and the wind was blowing snow all over the place.  It scared one of the ALT’s enough to go back down in the gondola.  By the end of the day, I was trying to do a few ski jumps with mild success– I at least flew.

These are some photos from a ski place in Aomori.  It was my first ski trip of the year, up around Mt. Iwaki.  I took Kayti and Dad there last May. 

 

This is me at the top of the slope.  I have since purchased much better ski pants.  Behind me is the Japan Sea.

  

Masahiro is the dude to the right in orange.  Unless he’s drunk, he almost always looks about this serious.

 

A couple weeks ago I taught the 2nd graders at elementary school.  Not sure what it is, but 2nd grade teachers have a thing with taking class pictures.  Only 2nd grade though.  Strange.