Konnichiwa
Well it is Monday afternoon around 2:30pm and I best get the last few days logged in here before they all start to meld together on me. WOW! First of all let me tell you it is HOT HOT HOT here in Yokohama. I feel like the wicked witch on Wizard of Oz when I am outside in the hot sun ..."I'm Melllllllting ". Yicaramba !!
CJ and I had a very busy weekend filled with lots of cool experiences. Saturday AM we hung out in the house for the morning getting caught up on expense reports from our trip back to US and then we headed out to see if we could find out what was going on and where the local Yamate-cho festival was taking place.
We walked down to the neighborhood "Itsucooshema Shinto Shrine" and met up with a very friendly guy named Sugishimu-san who explained to us that it was a celebration with food and then preparation of the alters "meekoshee" for the procession on Sunday.(We learned later in the evening he was the chairman of this event) There were all kinds of little older people working hard to set things up and he told us it started at 5pm. We said we would be back later, and then just went walking around the city looking to see if we could find any more hidden treasures. We visited a rugby store and looked to see if they had any Japanese LARGE size shirts for Grambo. I was actually surprised that they even had rubgy here in Japan. I figured it was more a sport for BIG guys?...who knows, maybe sumo wrestlers play it here ? We too saw a very old All BLACKS Jersey from Australia that we thought Grambo would like to see when he is here in December. We found out we can order a large size,but they are kind of girly looking I thought as they are red and have cherry blossoms as their logo?
We then walked through Chinatown, and to see if the Naka Ward office was open to pick up our Alien cards. I heard some noise as we passed one of the Temple buildings and when I poked my nose through a fence next door to it,I saw across the gymnasium field a group of kids practicing for an upcoming festival it looked like. We then continued on to the Naka Ward office but found it was closed till Monday, so we went across the street to the stadium, to see if there was a game on tonight. The ticket lady said the games were Sunday and Monday, but there were all kinds of people sitting on their little plastic mats outside like they were waiting for something to start, so we were very confused. I tried to ask her what they were waiting for, but of course she had no idea what I was saying ? Oh well, that happens to me about 10 or so times a day, so what's new? I have got to start studying my Japanese, if I ever quite wandering the streets and stay home long enough. We went ahead and bought tickets for the Sunday night game vs the Honshin Tigers.
It was getting so darn hot out,so we decided to head home, but first we walked through the tunnel and to get out of the sunshine to the little neighborhood grocery store where we picked up some salad ingredients. We figured we'd cool off a bit, in the AC at home before making our way back to the Shinto Shrine later that night.
I took CJ up some side roads he has never been on and we stopped at that shop I thought was a Kimono shop. Sure enough it was and the man was busy again helping this pretty petite women pick out fabrics. This time I did poke my head in and asked her if it was a made to order kimono store and she said "Yes". We began talking about Yukata's and how much they would cost to make them to our sizes y12600...Of course she said, he just had a great Yukata sale last week, but it sadly had ended yesterday. Darn! I asked the lady a bunch of other questions about the outfits cloth,obis,...and said maybe one day I would come back and order one, but the only problem is I would need her as he didn't speak any english. She laughed and then the next thing I know,I had Fuku's business card in my hands. Was I ever surprised when I read it and saw that she is a translator and she said she would be happy to help me if I ever needed it. So I gave her one of my cards too, as who knows perhaps I may actually need a translator at some other time, or at least I could call her to say Hi if nothing else. Yeah !
Back at home we unloaded our food, and CJ had an ice cold and very refreshing beer and I had some very tasty grape juice. Cooled off and refreshed a bit, we then made our way back out into the heat.
When we arrived at the Shrine, everything was set up and in full swing. We stopped just inside the entrance where there were some books for sale. My assumption was that it was their holy book or something to do with the Shinto religion, but upon asking about it, they asked us to wait a minute, and they went to get a person that spoke english. Suzuki-san arrived and he told us it was a book that was just completed for the 150th Annversary about Yamate-cho and Yokohama Harbor area. Cool a history book about the area we will be living in for the next year or 2. I wanted one to read, so I can learn about my surroundings...but of course, the only ones I saw on the table, were in Japanese! I then asked if they had any in english, but sadly we were told by Suzuki-san it was only made in Japanese. He said he could probably translate it for me, but it would take him a year. He then dug out his wallet and gave CJ and I his business card. Here he too,was a french and english translator as well as the owner of the very fancy French restaurant Mu Te Kiro down the street. He told us to come and visit him some time there as well. Alrighty then! Ok, so you can imagine, I am "totally pumped" that we are making connections with people, VIP people no less and then getting their business cards too. YAHOO !!!!
So we make our way further in to the shinto grounds, and we see many families and lots of little kids standing in line and sitting on the steps buying/eating lomain like noodles, grilled chicken on a stick, potatoe chips and hot dogs on a stick (go figure), popcorn, snowcones, dumplings of some kind, and some traditional Japanese soup with some very "interesting" looking veggies in it?? The children were busy playing some velcro dart game and of course the universal fishing pond game and they all seemed to be happy with the prizes they had won. The little girls were so cute in their Yukata robes and little wooden sandals or bright colored Crocs. A couple of the boys were very intrigued with the crayfish they had as well, and I am not exactly sure where they got them from? Perhaps in the little sanctuary pond I saw earlier in the morning out behind the Shinto Shrine Building?
We bought some of the delicious noodles with grated red ginger to share...which I am really becoming a BIG fan of and then CJ got in line to get some chicken on a stick that was being cooked by numerous very sweaty men and women on a long row of hibachi grills. Boy am I ever glad that was NOT my job to stand in the hot afternoon sun and fan the hot coal flames to help the chicken cook faster. I was hot enough just standing there taking pics of all the activity that was going on around me. We got an ice cold mango snow cone and a beer to go with our food and then stood right there in the middle of the lot and ate our tasty food nuggets while watching the action all around us.
While we were eating Suzuki-san came up to us and said they were having a party upstairs and they would like us to join them. Really? :-) So we said we would be up as soon as we were done eating. I then looked up at the window above us and sure enough there was Sugishimu-san and about 4 other people smiling and waving at us to come up. Oh boy, I looked at CJ and said "How cool is this"? So we peeked at the big soup bowl while finishing up our chicken and were asking some questions about what was in it and then they just gave CJ a bowl of it. We then were told by Suzuki-san to come up stairs NOW!! So we quickly climbed the first flight of steps, and stopped to take off our shoes when we saw them all scattered about on the landing. We put ours in some empty spots in the shoe rack and then continued up the second flight of stairs. WOW...was I ever surprised to see at the top of the steps a room with two big long tables filled on both sides with people. I right then, felt like a VIP, but I was soon to find out, that we were actually in a room full of VIP's from Motomachi and Yamate-cho neighborhood. OH YEAH !!! Yikes..I thought to myself as I was opening the door with all eyes on us, I hope I remember all the "Japanese" manners I read about.
So in we went, bowed to all and said "Domo Arigato" before being ushered to sit down.
We no more than sat and then before us we had Asahi beers,a plate of sliced cheese, another bowl of that interesting soup, some yellow slices of veggies "Takuan"(marinated dakon radishes), little bags of sesame and seaweed crackers, and little individually wrapped spicy hot mini cheeseballs. We tried to eat a couple bites, but got so busy talking with the men across the table from us. While they asked for a young lady to translate for us another very full plate of about 10 chicken on a stick were set before us.
Yoko, the female translator was a former engineer who is now doing environmental work and she helped me talk with the men across the table from us. Now who do you think we met"? First the Vice President Shiro-san of the local public school was introduced to us and then next to him the President Hattori-san. On the other side of the VP was Miyamoto-sensai. He is a first grade teacher. Well, I am sure you can just about imagine that I nearly jumped in their laps. As you may know I would LOVE to do some volunteer work in the schools here, and so who better to meet than these guys. INCREDIBLE!! Like my friend Kris says..."It's a GOD thing" or in this case a "SHINTO GOD" thing"? (Do they beleive in God, I need to learn more about Shinto and 101 other Japanese things...very quickly):-)
I was needless to say, SO EXCITED ,and told them how we had just moved to the Yamate-cho area and I was hoping to find a way to do some volunteer work with children while I was here. I told them about my work with Honduras, my travel on humanitarian trips to other countries, that I went to college for early childhood education...We then exchanged business cards till I ran out of mine. Yoko helped me out some more, but then her and CJ began talking about his work and so I just kept on with these guys. They told me the school has children from 9 different countries. YES!!
CJ told me on the walk home later, that Yoko said to him,"She is a very aggressive woman", and CJ said "No, she is "VERY ASSERTIVE".
Anyhow,the 3 men told me that I should get in touch with them come September. Their school is under construction right now and it is summer vacation. I also pulled out my map and showed them where I lived and they said "Your just down the block from the school, very close"..I said, "Yes I know, perfect!" :-) So who knows, what may come of that? All I know is, I have lots of traveling and things to see, do and learn this month now, if I am going to be busy at the school come fall.
I then asked if I could take some photos of them and it ended up being group shots with us and them. As you can see, I even got them to smile and do the peace sign. haha When taking the photo we also met Yoko's friend ? and Ozawa-san who works in the Naka Ward office with community development and public relations. I told him I would bring him my card on Monday when we come to get out alien cards.
CJ and I tried to eat a few more bites of the chicken and the funny looking veggies, some cheese and I even drank my beer. CJ of course noticed that and complimented me later for not gagging on it.:-)I almost opened my own can, but then I remembered you should never pour your own drink, that someone else should do it for you. Luckily I caught myself and then Shiro-san poured us each a glass while we graciously cradled the glass in both hands and bowed to them when done...."Kampai!"...Cheers!
We all then quickly went outside where we gathered around and watched as they made the meekoshee ready to carry in the procession tomorrow from 12-5pm. On the way down the steps to get our shoes CJ then noticed the basket of slippers that we were probably supposed to put on our feet. Oops! I wonder if they noticed we were bare footed? First mistake of many more to come, I am sure !!!
The young and old men tied the big bamboo sticks together under the alter with wet ropes. We then had a ceremony with 3 shinto priests and some sort of blessing I guess in the shrine building at the top of the other steps. There was lots of bowing and clapping going on and I wish I knew what it was all about. I will have to get my hands on some book to help explain it all. Once the blessings were done then a bunch of men and women in special happi coats carried the meekoshee out under the red shinto "tori" gates and into the streets of Motomachi and Yamate-cho. Where they went we do not know. We bid them all a fond farewell and lots of deepe bows and "DOMO ARIGATOS" and told them we would see them at the procession tomorrow.
UNBLIEVABLE..Who would have thought all of that might happen there? Not me, BUT I am VERY HAPPY it did. Can't wait to see what might transpire from that meeting.
Back home, another refreshing shower and to bed I went with many wonderful thoughts floating about in my mind.
"kashi yumemiru"...Sweet Dreams
Karla and CJ
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