The mountains (Yahiko, to be exact)!

On Thursday night, I went to Niigata station to pick up the lovely Shelby Kimmel, who was staying for a visit (she left last night). On Friday we co-taught at Iwamuro JHS about Hannukah, and then we had a fun yet busy weekend in Niigata city with some of my friends. Monday was the most exciting, though, because we decided to climb Mt. Yahiko, a beautiful big mountain near my house. We woke up at nine and, after a quick visit to Yahiko shrine, began the hike at around 10:30. Surprisingly, there were lots of people on the train, all looking very impressive with walking sticks and big boots. As we climbed higher, we realized why - it was very muddy and slippery, due to the snow all melting at the top (it was a very nice, sunny day). However, we made it up and back down in about 3 hours. It was pretty much straight up and then straight down, and we were exhausted by the end, but it was completely worth it. And we treated ourselves to a very long onsen visit afterwards. So, even though I missed mountain day in Williamstown, we still got to celebrate it (albeit in December) in Japan.

Why?

Can someone tell me why this guy is torching his field? Also, aren't the mountains pretty?

Nagaoka Mall

I don't know why they would try to translate a quote from English to Japanese to English. Why not just use the original English?

Also, this is a pants store. Apparently, they look best when bent over. 

Nagoya

Two weeks ago I went to Nagoya (and failed to post, sorry) to meet with a Professor from a program I'm interested in. He does research through the Institute of Religion and Culture at Nanzan University in Nagoya, so I went there and stayed in the Institute's residence. I didn't know too much about it before I went, but it turns out to be an amazing program that puts out a lot of the important research on Japanese philosophy. I talked with the professor I went to see and also with Jim Heisig, who wrote the book 'Remembering the Kanji' (which I'm now using) and is currently working on a sourcebook for Japanese philosophy. Basically, I was in academic heaven. On Sunday I walked around on my own and visited some temples and Nagoya castle, and felt like a proper tourist. Despite the absolutely horrible night train I took Friday night, I had a very good trip, and the bus back was amazingly comfortable. Here are some pictures of the beautiful day that greeted me on Sunday as I made my way around the city.

Homestay

This past weekend, a bunch of ALTs went to homestays all around the prefecture. Mine was on Sado (as was most other Niigata city ALTs). I was a little nervous, especially because I have practically no Japanese ability, but it turns out I didn't need to worry. Both of my host parents had been English teachers, and their 12 year old daughter was way ahead of her age group. I had a really wonderful time with them - they reminded me quite a lot of my family. After doing a homestay in the heart of Tokyo, it was very different to be out on Sado. It was probably about as different an experience as possible. They showed me how to light a fire under the bath tub to heat up bath water, and we cooked sweet potatoes in a traditional outdoor stone oven. We also picked kaki (persimmons). The father had traveled a lot in Europe and was especially fond of street organ music. We listened to a lot of it. The mother had worked at a brain research institute in Niigata, so we talked about that, and also about her new hobbies (quilting, making miniatures). They were very warm, and eager to share with me. At the end they said my 'character' fit very well with that of their family, and said I was welcomed back any time. I hope I get the chance to take them up on it!

In the pictures:

Praying at a local shrine, the path to the shrine, a beautiful dinner of nabe (stew), drying kaki, and cooking sweet potatoes.

Sunsets and pancakes

Here's a gorgeous sunset from Tuesday as I was leaving work, and a tasty surprise I found on my desk today (the students made pancakes in home ec and left them as treats on all the teacher's desks. All the other teachers pointed out that mine was the best. Ha!).

Bunkasai

So, two weekends ago (I know! I'm sorry!) I went to 'Bunkasai,' or 'culture festival' at two of my schools. This is a day where the kids show off all the cool stuff they've been doing - art, performances, etc. At some schools, there's a chorus contest thrown into the mix, while at others the parents sell snacks and there are games and activities in the classrooms. On Saturday, I went to a bunkasai of the former variety, while on Sunday, the latter. 

My Sunday bunkasai was especially exciting because the teachers put some of my calligraphy up in the special 'teacher exhibition' room. Then, when I was walking around the school with one of my teachers, he kept prodding all the kids to comment on my calligraphy. Also, I got to have a very tasty free lunch of udon (big noodles in soup, yum), and I bought some dango (mochi with red bean paste in it) for dessert. 

Here's a picture of some gorgeous lanterns the kids made in art class. I think the art teacher might help me make one! I'd upload more photos, but I think I'd get in trouble for putting up photos with kids in them (sigh).