a school marathon!!

so my story of success starts with a young, middle school girl with eyes alight and shining with hopes of doing well during her very first season on the cross country team. she started running, slowly, barely making it two miles. throughout her high school cross country career, she ran through ups and downs - figurativally and on the course. those difficult and nearly impossible - seeming two miles streched to six a day before it was all over and done with. or so she thought . . .

of course the girl of which i'm speaking is myself. i was a runner during my school years. what i didn't know wasn't over and done with was the running bug coursing through the blood in my veins. through the several years since graduation, in various phases and cycles of my life, i've, at times, freshly felt the bite of the running bug, inspiring and spurning me on to hit the pavement once again.

well, that bug bit me almost the moment i arrived in japan last year in 2004. and then this year, when the weather changed from horrible to fabulous and i revved up my motivation, my old, dirty, beat-up running shoes pounded my previous running paths. this time, however, is a little different. for the first time since high school, i've wanted to keep it up for longer than a couple of months. perhaps, like other sayings, once you're a runner, you're always a runner. it's in my blood, just like traveling. the feeling of being out there on your own, in the zone, and listening to your music is close to unbeatable. if you run for long enough, your second wind kicks in, creating a natural high - yet clean and extremely good. your body feels so strong when you run for distance, during, and in particular, after.

soon it will be too cold to run outside, like it almost is now, and then it will be impossible, due to the snow, until next april or may next year. i'm going to miss it i know.

it just so happens that, in japan, every elementary, middle, and high school has an annual 'marathon'. it starts with 800 meters or so for the youngest kids, and by the time the kids hit high schools, that 800 meters has stretched into several kilometers.

out of all the schools in the joetusu city region, my schools runs the longest distance. and i rather like that! the boys were originally supposed to run 17 kilometers (story to ensue), and the girls, 13 kilometers. and according to my trusty ole' favorite converter site, 17 kilometers is 10.563 miles, and 13 kilometers is 8.078 miles. and i was ready! i was excited. i'd been running since june of this summer. last year i didn`t run at either of my schools because i was at the opposite school each time they decided to have the marathon.

as soon as i found out the marathon was coming in the fall, i started doing one long run a week. now, i'm not talking about running super long runs, like actual marathon lengths, but i was running nonstop for about an hour and anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes. it felt so good.

and then the runner's nightmare happened. i got shin splints. shin splints affect you heavily, with shooting pains exploding in your shins (hence the name) every time your foot comes into contact with the ground. this go round - i'm a pro when it comes to having shin splints - it was very painful from my ankles to my knees.

thus, i had to quit running for a while so as to heal my strained ligaments. with a small break, i recovered enough to run a little before the marathon - pain free - enough times to be prepared for the school marathon. i was pumped!

the marathon was postponed due to torential rains, and we finally had it on a friday instead of wednesday. the courses, however, were changed because there wasn't enough teachers to cover all the checkpoints (those teachers had business trips that day). it turns out the boys would run the girl's course, and it was shortened to 12 kilometers; the girls would only run 10 kilometers. i decided i would run with the boys - 7.456 miles - because i was prepared for that.

and the results - drum roll please . . . . i came in 150th out of 220 boys total in an hour and 15 minutes. and i beat several girls running a much shorter distance (parts of the course were converged, including the ending kilometers). yes! it felt great.

i hadn't seen the course beforehand, but if i had, i feel like i could have done it faster. i held off too much in the beginning, pacing myself, trying not to burn out. if i knew the course, i would have known where to pace and where to speed up. oh well. there's always next year. . . .

the finish line at the school

I had to take pictures down from this post.

the school marathon enkai

so of course having a hard and trying day called for some relaxing beer guzzling, sake downing, and food stuffing with the fellow teachers. we call these things enkais in japanese - a two hours all you can eat and drink party. there's enkai for everything - special days, holidays, and coming and leaving parties for people. soon is our bon enkai - next week - the winter holidays enkai; most teachers will attend this one. all the enkais range in very small (7-8 people) to very large (as much as 100 or more, i'm not sure, i don't know the about the biggest enkai ever).

enkais are just so great because it allows inebitions to breakdown, letting people mix, mingle, and talk with people whom they don't normally chat. particularly me. several teachers are a little apprehensive at trying their fading english skills during the work day. but get a few beers in 'em - and boom - they're ready to roll. it's always entertaining getting drunk with your normally reserved teachers.

so gather we did for party!

on my walk to school

every morning, i walk from the eki (station) after riding the train to the school at which i work. the distance is 1km aproximately, or about 0.621 of a mile. during the spring and nice fall days, it`s a real treat. the air is warm and fresh, beautiful japanese nature and culture abounding with every step, and peace felt in my life here. during hangovers, it`s refreshing to have a nice, sobering walk. during friday afternoons when i get off at half past noon, it`s a tantalizing think-tank period for all the fun that`s surely to come mere hours later. but during the cold, freezing, and snowy, dark months, it`s hell. the wind whips blindly around you while you slip on the snow and metal grates on the ground, urging your cold legs onwards towards the warmth of the station and train. it`s 12 minutes of wishing and whining in your head, `why don`t i have a car?? why don`t i have a car? why oh why . . . . `

this past weekend, i had to make a brief appearance at work after forgetting something essential at work the previous day. luckily, the sun was brilliant, creating a perfect mid-morning stroll. i snapped some pictures, i wanted to show you a few of the small daily reminders of why i love japan. how quaint, lovely, and perfect everything feels by just looking around and seeing these surroundings. it makes you retrospective and reflective, all the while appreciating the calmer sides of life. japan is incredibly beautiful; obvious in the mountains and landscapes, and subtly in the more mundane areas of life. once you get over how shockingly different it is to your home country and backwards it seems, everything starts to make sense . . .

a very typical home


another one


forlorn, kind of pathetic looking mailbox; i`d like one to keep in my home




a shrine. yep, a years and years and years old shrine, just on my way to school. you simply can`t get more terrific than that!


world`s smallest garage. this little, old man - i want to say - scooterizes around town on it. i see him often; he`s cute. i wonder what he thinks of me? probably not so cute. probably this disruptive foreigner who`s bringing the horrible modern life with her, tearing down traditional japan, and creating a playground for which the world to dive enthusiastically into




and a gorgeous yard - small, deceptively simple, and soothing

japanese daikon, a common sight

around late summer and during fall, you can eat pickled daikon (japanese radish) until it gets too cold. i`m not exactly sure what too cold is, but i remember not being able to eat the daikon during the long, freezing winter months. it`s my favorite japanese pickled vegetable, with a hint of sweetness in conjunction with a vinegar and earthy taste. they`re delicious, and they`re offered frequently as an appetizer or side dish at restaurants during the peak season. many japanese people farm - particularly in niigata - and tend gardens here. most of my neighbors grow assorted fruits and vegetables, and occasionally one of my teachers will give me some `rabbit food`, as a friend of mine once called those nutritional staples many years ago. after picking the ripened daikon, you must hang it up to dry it out, or something like that. to be honest, i`m just not that sure, but hanging them follows that logic you see. anyways, you see them hanging everywhere.





here`s to happy eating!

the winter front is gliding in . . .

you know winter`s coming when you see all your japanese neighbors tying up their trees. tying up the trees??? . . . you wonder, what does this mean, you think desperately. you`re dying to know . . . yep, well here in japan in the snowy regions, everyone ties up every little bush and tree in hopes of salvaging the greenery when a more menacing force of nature comes along. snow, with the drudgery of your nightmares and the weight of a glacier, can do a thing or two to skimpy little shrubs. recently, everyone`s been trying to beat the flakes to save their yards. this might be perhaps singular to japan, i`m not sure to be honest. but, it`s a little taste of cultural japan that i thought my avid readers needed to know.

the long, reinforced approach. smart fellas there!


the new seedlings (or i guess a little older than seedlings now, what`s the word for baby tree?) get their deserved treatment




even big boys will bow under the weight


my school`s trees


even the itty bitty babies; perhaps they need the most help


and then, this beautiful yard has a little of everything japanese - the much celebrated fall leaf colors, the bound trees (you can see towards the bottom of the photograph), and the daikon (japanese radish) hanging from the balcony in the back. i find it to be fabulous


i think this tradition actually looks pretty cool, trees all tied up together with bamboo. if we did this in america, we`d probably use some sort of ugly metal. another apsect of old japan peeking through modern society`s edges.

another edition of students

i just can't keep away from photographing my students! i love them, they love me, i love photography, and as much as they try to act like it, they love having their picture taken. and i love taking it; i'm their girl. so a day recently, i took my camera to school and took these shots during classes and afterwards.

CENSORED

kekonshiki!!

before i lived in japan, i was pretty curious about what japan was like, their social structure, their culture, the rules, what they wore, what schools were like, houses, cities - everything - i would have to say, i was curious about. the whole gamut. so i thought that since i got the opportunity recently to go a wedding here, i’d blog about it. the wedding took place between a friend, a welsh and fellow alt, dave, and a japanese gal, haruna.

from what an older japanese woman told me, there aren’t many completely traditional japanese weddings anymore. at those, the bride and groom put on traditional japanese clothing, and the ceremony itself is more honorific and serious. of course, a lot of the ceremony and reception would take place on the floor, particularly the reception.

but in today’s modern times, most couples choose a japanese ceremony with a contemporary reception. weddings, like the states, are extremely expensive. the dinner reception after every wedding is extravagant with fabulous food accompanied with ever-flowing beer, sake, and such. it is also customary to provide every guest with a gift bag.

so tiff, carrie, and i dolled up for the day and rode the train up to myoko mountain where the wedding was held. there were three main parts of the wedding. the first part was before the wedding. this part was for everyone to take photographs of the bride and groom together with each other and their families; there is no tradition in japan that the bride and groom must stay separate before the ceremony. then, everyone walked next door together for the actual ceremony of which i understood the words very little due to me not being able to hear and also the difficult words of the wedding context. i understood some of it anyway due to the motions and gestures. after the wedding, everyone headed back next door for the dinner ceremony. it was great fun; it was just like a big enkai (a two hour long party with food and drink), except that i knew few people. fabulous nonetheless, it carried on for about 3 hours, full of speeches, ceremonial walks around the room by dave and haruna, and a photo slideshow made by dave.

we all rode together from haruna’s family’s ryoko (japanese style inn) to the wedding location. many japanese still wear traditional dress to special occasions


still early in the day


as soon as we got there, we signed in under the groom’s side


before the ceremony, the bride and groom make a walk around the guests and then pose with each other for open picture opportunities for all the guests






there was also a chance to sign a sign-board made by dave


no photographs were allowed in the chapel during the ceremony.

afterwards, we were taken outside to a red carpet for haruna and dave to make their first walk as a married couple. it was really pretty; everyone was all smiles while filling the air with rose petals as they walked by


i thought i’d add this one to show wedding wear and japanese fashion




we listened to a few opening toasts and speeches. i caught some ojiisans dozing (grandfather)


and off to the reception after a few short minutes! dave’s mom was rightly-so emotional throughout the day




cutting the cake


this is a common wedding cake i believe. sometimes on tv, i’ll see wedding shows, and they always show the same type of cake. it had a really soft and delicate taste


another western practice


after, haruna changed her dress to a pretty pink reception dress; they made a round through the room




carrie was asked on the spot to give a toast; it was amusing watching her switch between english and japanese. well done carrie, i would have been pretty nervous myself . . .


dave and haruna presented their parents with teddy bears engraved with their names and birth weights. each bear weighed exactly how much they did when they were born as well, an incredibly sentimental and touching gift; an emotional moment


haruna’s parents bowing, expressing thanks


dave’s mom clutching onto her new dave-like teddy bear


and after the three hour party ended, i caught a shot of haruna’s brother, a friendly guy

another culture-filled typical day in the land of the rising sun . . .

mexican fiesta!!!

a couple of sunday nights ago, carrie and tiff attended an all you can eat and drink party at this fabulously-decorated, hawaiian-themed restaurant that's nestled in with a group of other shops and restaurants in town. i didn't attend it due to money constraints, and was of course highly disappointed due to that fact .

at the party, the girls met some boys that would fit the bill perfectly for some of our friends from home. they party a lot, they're mature (some of the japanese are slow on the draw with that aspect), they can drink a hefty amount (not that that's a requirement; we just like to party for long hours on end, and we want our friends to party with us the whole time!), they're laid back, they like good music, it goes on and on.

so, tiff having a great idea, decided we needed a mexican fiesta dinner party due to the fact that these boys had never eaten mexican food! oh dear - how can that be!??! so, the next friday night, we gathered at tiff's apartment and ate and boogied down till the morning hours. . .

we had it all, cheese dip (kind of an americanized version), ground beef tacos, chicken enchilados, guacamole, and that's right, margaritas. we speedily went through two big bottles of tequila; the boys enjoyed it immensely. and i guess the fact that we started doing regular tequila shots first and then tequila body shots next - thanks carrie - only sped the process

ryo and shinya already getting red in the face because of their alcohol intake


the night started innocently enough with us gathering around the table, munching on mexican


i was pleased everyone assumed the correct taco eating pose - head tilted, cradling their taco in their hands delicately as to not break or spill any morsels of their own, individual mexican heaven


manabu needed a little work on his positioning, but it worked for him




and the dancing began!


and posing


and more posing


tiff got into her element, practicing martial arts


carrie very much enjoying her introduced tequila body shots


we got a little loud towards the the later hours, and we were worried about the neighbors. the boys practicing being quiet, in case the actual need arose


hopefully, new friendships have sprung from this fruitful, highly enjoyable evening