So getting back into the swing of things. Because of a bird hitting the plane, a cancelled flight, a delay and then returning to Otsuki at three in the morning, it ended up that I had to go back to school the day after getting to Japan. That was exhausting and I felt while I was already tired and all why not just go to the fire festival in the evening so that’s exactly what I did. Kevin drove out to see me and we walked over to main street and ate tons of fantastic festival food: chocolate waffles on a stick, fried cheese, yakitori, barbeque beef, potato fries and tacos! All the while men were running up and down the streets brandishing their lanterns and stopping at each of the pillars to light them on fire. The night became increasingly hot and filled with flickering light. There is a certain atmosphere at the fire festival that can’t be recreated elsewhere: the combination of food, the sparks of the flames, the silhouette of Mt. Fuji in the background, the chants and bells of the priests carrying floats on their shoulders, dodging stray fires and meeting with old friends as half the prefecture gathers in one place to celebrate our beautiful mountain and pray it doesn’t erupt on us all!
I think I kept it pretty casual after that. Spent most of my time resting or reading. Went to see ‘Man of Steel’ with Kevin and ate some good food at the mall. Planned a trip for later this month and did some lesson planning.
The next weekend it was back to iaido where I learned I was registered to take my black belt test in November. I don’t think I’m ready… but my teachers have faith in me and I’ll practice hard until the test. If I don’t pass I think I can try again in January. It was hard to get myself motivated to go but once I was there I really enjoyed myself. Then in the evening, after a very much needed shower, Kevin and I met with Sheena, Ken and Laura and we went to a festival in Uenohara. It wasn’t my first ‘let’s carry around ultra-heavy portable shrines with lanterns and make lots of noises as we run up and down the street’ festivals but it was my first with my new camera which excels at nighttime photograph. I think I got some really cool shots and we had a great time. Especially when we ended up at the main shrine and just hung out in the precinct, strung with lanterns, as the omikoshi returned home. It was really cool to be in this little pocket of magic with the lanterns and the shrines, priests and chanting. And with the small town feeling it felt like we really belonged there, especially as I ran into a few of my old Torisawa kids! All and all a success and I love lanterns!
I slept over at Kevin’s place because the next day we headed for Greater Tokyo area to go to the Tama Zoo. I’d visited it with Nikki in winter and had a lovely time but I didn’t have my camera. So this time I returned armed to capture the adorable snow leopards, tigers and lions! And in the time since I was last there they had built the wolves a new enclosure, of which they seemed to thoroughly enjoy, and the Przewalski horses had been introduced. Then there was the red panda, baby zebra, raccoon dogs and the butterfly garden. Oh and the beautiful cheetah that we actually saw run. It is a really amazing zoo, and with the exception of the tigers, all the animals have a nice habitat and look genuinely happy. There wasn’t any pacing or glazed over eyes. It made me really happy! And the snow leopards played and were adorable!!! Love snow leopards!!!
After we went to Costco and ate the world’s best… okay maybe just Japan’s best… pizza. That pretty much did it for that weekend. The next one was a long weekend but didn’t do much to report about. Had a great iaido class and one of the kinder teacher’s let me use his real katana after discovering mine was unbalanced. I just used it for a few moves but it felt completely different and amazing. Oh and I was finally able to make the swishing sound with mine. Yeah! Sunday, Kevin and I went to see ‘Wolverine’ which was really good and set in Japan, more delicious mall food of course. Monday there was a typhoon so I mostly stayed indoors and read and wrote until there was this fantastic sunset like no other I’ve seen before. At the same time the sky was orange, blue, pink and purple. And then Wednesday I headed over to my favourite shrine for a local festival at dusk. All in a month’s work.
The next couple of weeks I have travel plans again. Yay trip! Including… so excited… can’t wait… FINALLY the last prefecture of Japan I need to visit, Hokkaido!
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