Japanese Trivia
Mood:  surprised
I've heard that it is a Japanese tradition to put a small bowl of salt outside of a drinking establishment. This tradition originated in China when customers left their oxen-drawn carriages outside the bar and the oxen waited contentedly while licking on salt licks placed in front of the bar.

Kobu Teacher's Volleyball
Mood:  bright
This afternoon one of the P.E. teachers casually asked me if i'd like to play volleyball this evening. I thought he meant play with the kids. That was a bit too intimidating to me (actually, i thought they might seriously injure me, or that i'd injure myself! Hah). I politely declined, but said that i'd love to see them play. He indicated that it was a competition between another Jr. High and ours. This should be really fun so i pedaled on home and had some dinner and pedaled on back. Much to my surprise it was actually a game between Kobu senseis and Kamikoshien senseis. What a thrill. These teachers after teaching all day long played so hard. Of course our team won both games. We have some very athletic and a few really TALL teachers at our school. We had two teachers who could really slam it over a net that i couldn't reach the top of even if i jumped with all my might. It amazes me how much communication that i miss even when we are trying our hardest. Now i know that this competition will continue through the next few months. Kobu's team won the All- City tournament last year, so i think that i will have to be a part of the cheering section from now on. Go Team Go. Fight Team Fight. Ganbate!

Kobu Judo
Mood:  surprised
Wow, this is the first judo practice that i've ever watched. I decided to wander into the gym this afternoon to watch the kids "play" judo. Actually, it looked more like "work" to me. The warm-up exercises started out easy enough. I did a few stretches and bends with them at first, but then the tumbling began. No way was i going to do somersaults and rolls. Pretty soon they were walking across the mats on their hands and shimmying across the floor dragging themselves by their feet and wrists. Oh, my gosh,i'm getting tired just writing about it. I never tire of watching these kids excel in their athleticism. Many may not take their English studies too seriously, but they sure make up for their lack of enthusiasm in the gym. These kids are strong, agile and confident. What a contrast to our "couch potato" clan back home. I realize that we have fine young athletes in the states, but here it's the norm rather than the exception. There are lots of kids walking around with taped ankles, wrists and arms. There are even casts and crutches in school almost all the time. These kids take risks and push themselves. I think that kids in the U.S. would be much happier if we weren't trying to protect them from themselves all the time. Actually, i think even the adults would be happier if we stretched ourselves a little bit and didn't worry so much about being "safe" all the time. Ah, well.

It's getting hot!
Mood:  smelly
Well, tomorrow is June 1st and the temperature is definitely rising. It was over 85 degrees in my apartment last evening. Today the humidity must be up in the 80's. It's cloudy and windy and it's been looking and feeling like rain all weekend. We've heard that once it starts raining in June it doesn't stop raining for a month. I am hoping that this is an exaggeration but i'm sure that this isn't going to be my favorite month weatherwise, especially after having experienced such a marvelous spring. Ah well. Take the bitter with the better and make lemonade if ya can.

Aids for the Blind
Mood:  surprised
I just found out that there are little dots in Japanese paper bills so that blind people can feel the differnce between a 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen note. Amazing

By the way, there are rough strips in the middle of many sidewalks so that a visually impaired person can follow them and stay in the middle of the walkway. There are vertical strips to indicate entering an intersection. Many of the crossing lights have audible sounds when it is safe for pedestrians to cross. These strips are a bit difficult to navigate on a bicycle but a small price to pay for the mobility it affords a person with a visual impairment.

Schools battle bad behavior of first-graders.
Mood:  sad
Here are some excerpts from an article in the English version of the Daily Yomiuri newspaper this week: "Primary school teachers frequently find it hard to manage first-grade classes as children ... walk around classrooms and talk during class time.....A major factor contributing to the disintegration of acceptable behavior in the classroom is the declining ability of the family and the community to raise children properly." Oh, my gosh, does this sound familiar, U.S. teachers? "The term soichi puroburemu (first-grade students' problems) was coined to refer to the situation as most of the students who cause trouble are those who cannot adapt to their new surroundings.....An increasing number of primary schools nationwide are implementing various measures to deal with the behavioral problems of students in the lower grades. One such method is limiting the number of students in classes to ensure a manageable group of children. The method can be approved in exceptional cases under the compulsory education standard law, but it states that a class should have 40 children." Oh, my gosh. "Another method is a cooperative exchange between kindergarten and primary schools of teachers to facilitate a child's transition from one school to another." It seems sad to me to see that Japan is beginning to experience a problem that has been growing larger and larger in the states. I can't help but think that it may have something to do with TV, music, computers, and advertisements, which are carbon copies of what our kids and WE in the states are being bombarded with. Turner broadcasting and all the corporations including Pepsi, McDonald's, MTV and...are here preaching their form of consumer-ism. The kids are getting used to shorter and shorter sound bites. They are the short-attention span kids who have been raised on fast food and TV. What are we doing to our kids? Ok, i know it's only my opinion. I'll stop preaching now and go have some tea and read a good book.

Spaghetti Party
Mood:  celebratory
This took some planning. I made numerous trips in advance to grocery stores to transport #10 tins of tomatoes and 10 loaves of French bread and paper plates, veggies and more all on my trusty bicycle. What fun tho. We had ALT's and some of our favorite English teachers from Nishinomiya here. My favorite family brought their twin sons and one of my favorite junior high girls came all by herself. We had hiking friends and Japanese language class friends and many other acquaintances. Everyone seemed to enjoy the friendly, informal atmosphere. I had to answer lots of questions before hand because some Japanese are not used to informal, potluck type parties. The party began a little before 5:30pm and the last folks left around 11:30pm. I didn't really count, but I think there must have been 20-30 people here. What a surprise to be sharing my apartment with not only Japanese friends but also friends from Bali, Bangladesh, Australia and Iran. I wish I had taken a picture of the shoes. They filled the entryway and spilled out into the hall. It looked like a used shoe sale! Sunday was mostly spent cleaning, but there was a nice warm glow about the place after sharing it with such friendly, happy, enthusiastic folks.

School Trip
Mood:  incredulous
Third grade students (14 - 15 years old) caught the train by themselves this morning to meet their teacher in Nagoya, about a two hour trip.
They are staying 3 days and two nights with farmers and learning about the area for their school trip.
Can you imagine having our 14 year olds being responsible enough to get themselves to a train station and show up on time two hours later to meet their teachers? wow.
I keep "thinking lawsuit city." Personal responsibility is just expected of these kids, and they mostly live up to that expectation.

Sunday, May 16th
Mt. Hiei trip

Sacred Mt. Hiei
I met Yokoyama sensei this morning at the train station. She is my Japanese instructor on Thursday evenings for the next few weeks. She also is a Tendai Buddhist monk. I am very lucky to have met her, and she has kindly invited me along today for quite an experience. She also brought along a long time friend and fellow Buddhist woman. We headed out for Kyoto on the train and then transferred to a bus to take us up the steep, winding, narrow road to Endakuji temple ?C about an hour!?s ride. This is a huge complex of Buddhist temples that are scattered around the top of Hiei-san.
We are going to meet Ajira, a marathon monk. I find out later that he has been walking since 12:30am till 8am this morning with a small group of followers on trails around Mt. Hiei. Now you have to realize these are only foot trails and it has been pouring rain all night and into today. We arrive around 10:30am and he is doing a service with a lot of traditional chanting. Then we meet him for lunch that is served quietly in a wonderful tatami room. We eat QUICKLY in silence. I still can!?t get used to how fast we eat. Then we are moved into another smaller tatami room where he is doing tea ceremony. This is one of those times that i have to vigorously fight making judgments. This man (about 40 something) has accomplished some unbelievable physical feats of endurance including walking practically all night for 1,000 days on Mt. Hiei. He also has fasted for 10 days straight with absolutely no food or water and survived! He is considered enlightened ?C a living Buddha by some. But here he is! doing tea ceremony and smoking a cigarette that is placed under a low table next to him. Hmm. The contradictions in this culture are many and who am i to decide who is and who is not a Buddha? All i know is that he looks perfectly healthy and awake. I would be exhausted if i had been walking since midnight!
Next we do some strolling in the rain to view some of the other temples and end up at a Fire Ceremony in front of one of the very famous sites on Hiei-san. The Fire Ceremony is incredible. I swear it sounds and smells and looks like a Native American ceremony. Yokoyama sensei says that maybe it was borrowed from them (at least I think that!?s what she said). There is a big bonfire going with quite a stack of cedar bows that are continually added to the conflagration. There are percussion instruments and chanting that, if i close my eyes, can almost sound Native although the language is definitely Japanese. One of the monks is throwing little sticks into the flames. They have writing on them. The writing is people!?s fears and worries that will be burned away by this ceremony. The theme of this ceremony is peace and it will be held again in August. There will be representatives here from a number of different sects of Buddhism at that time. Also there will be a contingency of Native Americans participating. I wish i could be here for this but i!?ll be in Africa then. The rain continues all day long ?C sometimes heavy and sometimes just a light pitter-patter. The views are hazy and wet and green. It feels like we are walking through a Japanese painting, a bit dreamlike. It!?s an inspiring and peaceful way to spend a day. This would not be anything that i could pay a tourist agency to do. I chant a few prayers of gratitude for being able experience such a powerful day.

So, i've learned so much more about these Ajari since reading this website and viewing two videos on them. Please take the time to read about this incredible endurance test:
Marathon Monks



Here are some details
Since 1885, 46 marathon monks have completed the 1000-day journey
The routine for the 1st 100 days (completed in one year) is that he will get up at midnight, attend a one hour service and start his marathon run/walk (kaihogyo) around Mount Hiei, completing the route between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. He will then attend an hour-long service, followed by bathing and the midday meal. After lunch, he will rest, then attend to temple chores. The last meal is taken around 6 p.m., and he gets to sleep around 8 or 9. The only variation in the 100-day ordeal will be a special 33-mile run through Kyoto, robbing him of one night's sleep altogether.
During the daily walking route, he will sit down only once.

OH, BY THE WAY, HE MAKES A COMMITMENT THAT IF HE HAS TO QUIT DURING THIS ORDEAL FOR ANY REASON HE WILL COMMIT SUICIDE BY EITHER HANGING OR DISEMBOWELMENT. How's that for some strong motivation to continue?

The first 300 walks are 18- to 25-miles each undertaken 100 days in a row, from the end of March to mid-October over three years. Starting in the fourth year, he will be allowed to wear socks with the sandals. During the fourth and fifth years, he will walk 200 consecutive marathons each year and will be allowed to carry a walking stick. At the completion of the 700th marathon, he will face the greatest trial of all, called doiri -- seven and half days without food, water or sleep, sitting in an upright position and chanting mantras day and night.

He will lose one quarter of his body weight during this fast. He will be able to rinse his mouth out but cannot swallow any water. The Ajari who we met fasted for 9 days. If he lives through this trial, which brings him to the brink of death and therefore to the ultimate appreciation of life, he will have attained the Buddhist level of Saintly Master of the Severe Practice.

Following the "1,000 days of moving and the seven and a half days of stillness," the next stage towards Enlightenment is the Sekisan Marathon (sekisan kugyo), which takes place the sixth year and consists of 100 consecutive days of 37.5 mile run/walks that require 14 to 15 hours to complete. The seventh and final year, he will run two 100-day terms. The first 100 days -- considered by some to be the ultimate athletic challenge -- consists of a daily 52.5 mile run/walk through Kyoto. That's two Olympic marathons a day -- for 100 days in a row!

In his book, The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei, John Stevens sums up the greatest contributions of these spiritual adventurers: "The most admirable thing about the Hiei gyoja is their warmth, open-heartedness and humanity ... Facing death over and over, the marathon monks become alive to each moment, full of gratitude, joy and grace. ... [they] have much to teach us ...: always aim for the ultimate, never look back, be mindful of others at all times, and keep the mind forever set on the Way."

1600 Miles
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: ...and what do you get?
I can't believe that my little bike odometer turned over 1600 miles this week. I can't believe it actually still works due to all of the rain and moisture in the air.
I highly recommend a Cateye wireless computer. It's worked like a wonder so far.

New School - New Tune
Mood:  incredulous
I've been at Kobu Jr. Hi. (chugakko) for a month. I just can't believe that I haven't seen one boy punched violently in the stomach, not one kid swearing at a teacher. I haven't lost my voice yelling over the din in the classrooms. Kids stand at attention here, bow, sit down, and are silent mostly. THEY ALL SIT AND LISTEN AND ANSWER POLITELY. Maybe the last two schools were just a bad dream. I loved my first two schools but there was bullying and a roughness that is not at this school. This is more what I think the stereotypical Japanese school looks like. I am very relieved to know that it still exists. I am so sad that students at the other two schools have to live with bullies and constant disruptions in the classrooms. I am so very sad also for the hard working teachers who deserve to have a classroom environment that is respectful and positive. I am so glad that I get to experience the full spectrum here in Japan.