Happyokais, Birthdays, & a Phone Call...A Weekend for Celebrations :)

Traditional Japanese Dance

Those of you closest to me know that the past week hasn't been the easiest of weeks for me for one reason or another. Still adjusting to being back in very cold Japan, I was also preparing to deal with the impending absence of a certain someone and I wasn't handling it very well. But with the awesome support of you all and a little pep talk from myself, I slowly came out of the funk that lasted for most of last week.

Wednesday (also known as DD...hehe okay, a bit dramatic...) was not only the day Patrick finally made it to his final destination in MO and therefore was officially unavailable via cell phone, but also the day of the Yochien's happyokai, a school pageant of sorts that features of variety of singing, dancing and acting. Any other age group doing it would be borderline bearable...not because it would be bad, but because I wouldn't understand most of it (ex: Shimizu). However, the level of talking involved with the kindergartens and nursery schools is minimal, making it much more enjoyable for the non-Japanese speaking audience member (usually only me). I believe the goal of the happyokai is to impress, amaze and dazzle. I was certainly impressed by Yochien's finished product, even though I had seen the entire production twice by the time the day of the show rolled around.

Hawaiian inspiration: Aloha

Animal Farm-esque play

The show included the standard Japanese style dances (which are always adorable but sort of lose their novelty after the third or fourth go around), cute Japanese songs that were obviously popular among kids, and then this play involving the entire school. While in rehearsal, I could NOT for the life of me figure out what this play was about and because no one speaks English there, I didn't even try to ask questions. At first glance, I thought it was some kind of watered-down children's version of Animal Farm...the animals were complaining about being over-worked (I got that from their tone and gestures) and the people were kind of snotty (again...tone and gestures). In the end, it seemed like the animals demanded something and complained about it SO much that they finally got their way (see....that method does work). It turns out that I was almost right; the name of the play was called Bureemen no ongaku tai or The Bremen Town Musicians, which turns out to be a classic Grimm's Fairy Tale popular in Japan (I don't know about the rest of the English speaking world, but this wasn't a fairy tale I was aware of). For the complete story, click here.

The rest of the show was adorable, of course, and we finished it out with the much anticipated Japanese rendition of Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca. Yes. I've posted the video for your enjoyment.

Latte art...impressive ne

On Friday, also known as Day 2 with no communication, the other local gaijin and I celebrated the birthdays of Sannohe ALTs Kendal and Ululani. The girls had heard of this cute cafe down the highway called Keko Cafe, or Slow Flow Cafe, that featured latte art and from what I understood, had relatively normal food. I wasn't in the mood for crazy sashimi eel or something like that. We gathered together with a few of the other ALTs in the area including Nanbu Ben, and had a great time. I hadn't laughed that much all week and it felt really nice to just be funny and smile (again, this all sounds so melo-dramatic now, but it really did make me feel better). After a delicious dinner and lots of fun dinner games (if you had to work at a chain restaurant...if you were a super hero...etc), Nanbu Ben and one of the birthday girls, Kendal, headed over to my apartment in Takko and we just spent the evening drinking, chatting and watching ridiculous YouTube videos (Drunk History...it's a must-see).

My biggest mistake Friday night was not drinking enough water and I paid for it the next morning when we all rose early and I headed to the town auditorium to watch the second happyokai of the week. Takko Hoikuen is a much bigger school than the Yochien because it's a nursery school and therefore has far more kids. The production was way more intense; there were scenery changes, extravagant costumes and even coordinating lighting to each song. I was thoroughly impressed, but was getting antsy at the end of the three hours. Yes...three hours.

I had watched a few of them during rehearsal, but not nearly as much as the Yochien, so most of the numbers in this show were new to me, which made the viewing experience that much more enjoyable. Like the Yochien, there were Japanese dance numbers, but this also included some dances featuring contemporary Japanese pop music, in particular, AKB48 (slowly becoming a new favorite of mine...they aren't as moody as Utada Hikaru). The big finale number, however, was what really caught my attention. Featuring a classic Disney song with a twist, Some Day My Prince Will Come, the kids of Sakura san, the ones I teach at the school, put on quite a production. Check out the video below.

After a very entertaining morning and mildly relaxing early afternoon, I made my way over to the house of Chiba for some okonomiyaki and tako yaki. I spent most of the evening just talking with Mieko, Tomo and Chiba sensei, hung out in their deluxe massage chair, and watched some Takko TV (entertaining because Mieko's sister was on it). Mieko is due in a couple of weeks, so we discussed plans for me to spend the weekends at their house for two very important reasons: 1) to play with the blessed child and learn how to change a diaper; 2) my house lacks insulation, and staying at the Chiba's will be to my benefit.

And finally, the moment I had been waiting for finally arrived on Sunday at 6am (my time) when Patrick was able to make his first real phone call. I immediately knew it was him...my gut just told me so. I spent the next five minutes and fifty-two seconds in utter bliss and enjoyed every single second. When he said he had to go, I wasn't thrilled, but I knew that longer phone calls would come in the future and I'd just have to be patient.

In other news... I experienced my first snow in Takko on Monday. It didn't stick, but it sure was freezing and made for a very beautiful scene outside the school window. I first noticed it while at the yakuba. I looked outside and noticed it was "raining", but I couldn't hear it. Odd...since I ALWAYS hear the rain here. I realized what it really was when I went outside and said aloud "It's snowing" to no one in particular. Excellent observation, Jeshka san. Incidentally, I was teaching weather that day to my classes, which led to lengthy discussions about whether or not it snows in Gilroy. They were SHOCKED to find out that it doesn't.

Coming up... The end of the volleyball season is here. Yes, I'm on a volleyball team and we haven't even been playing long enough for me to write a blog entry about it. I'll get on that soon. Anyway, our last games are tonight and tomorrow night and our end-of-the-season party is Saturday. Excellent. Also, I'll be paying a visit to little America on Sunday with a special pass onto the base courtesy of Ulu's family friend. Hurray!

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