Blast from the Past: The Hiroshima Flower Festival

This post, I`m afraid, is over a month late.  The Hiroshima Flower Festival, an annual downtown extravaganza celebrating peace, unhealthy street-vendor food, and little girls dancing in skimpy outfits, took place at the beginning of May.  But between one thing and another, we never got around to posting about it.  I will now rectify that oversight.  And don`t you dare complain about my tardiness on this one, or I`ll stick you in the kappa-crotch bounce house (see below).

Rah-rah peace!  Rah-rah Japan!  There must have been literally hundreds of dance troops at this festival.  Some were spectacular, some were composed entirely of preschoolers jumping up and down and waving to their moms, and most were a mixture of both.  But seriously, at any one time there were at least four different dance troops performing in different locations around Peace Memorial Park.

A traditional drum group performs near the Peace Museum.  Ryan was absolutely tickled that he managed to catch this man`s ribbon in mid-twirl.  Do him a favor and act like you`re really excited about it! :P

The crowd on Heiwa-odori (Peace Boulevard) got even more horrendous than this, believe it or not.  There were times when I thought I would either pass out, throw up, or spontaneously combust if we didn`t get away from the relentless crush of human bodies (and Winnie the Pooh inflatables).

This dude rocked the house as far as I`m concerned.  He was a competitor in an enka-singing contest.  Enka is a very traditional form of Japanese music, roughly equivalent to country western in the United States.  Except only old people listen to (and sing) enka.  The crowd at this man`s performance was like a geriatric convention.

Meanwhile, the crowd at this show was all under seven.  These are characters from a children`s show produced by NHK, the Japanese equivalent of PBS.

This is one of those bouncey houses they always have at carnivals and/or rich kids` birthday parties.  It was shaped like a kappa, a Japanese mythological creature.  It also featured a very unfortunately-placed exit via the kappa`s...erm, loins.

What didn`t they have at the Flower Festival?  At one poine, we stumbled across this yurt.  It was part of an exhibition on Mongolia.  Apparently, Mongolians are trying to raise interest in their country and drum up some tourists and investors.  And they were so nice about it!

They even let me try on a traditional Mongolian outfit.  I, for one, hope they succeed in raising Mongolia Awareness.  Go Mongolia go!

A robot panda.  What`s Japan without robots?  Honestly, I`m disappointed in myself for not having posted a picture of one prior to this.

Japan`s most famous homeless man, Hiroshima Taro.  You can`t see it so well in this picture, but he`s totally covered in UFO Catcher dolls.  I guess people gave them to him or something?  It`s something of a mystery.　　　

There was also a tourist booth for Daegu, Korea; and again, I got to dress up.  This time, they put me in a hanbok.  I guess they hadn`t been planning on any American-size people visiting their booth, though, since they had to give me the biggest habok they had.  Jeez, I`m such a giantess around here. :(

Demons performing a traditional Japanese dance.  At one point, one of the kids climbed up on the stage and the demons charged at him.  They scared the poop out of him so bad he ran back through the crowd screaming for his mom.  Little bugger deserved it, if you ask me.

Wooden cranes in Peace Memorial Park, lit from within by lanterns.

Ryan likes to complain about how much his camera was freaking out when he took this picture, but I think it turned out kind of rad.  Dig that halo around the flame.

Small lanterns in Peace Memorial Park.  Each one had been decorated by a Japanese student.

This is the most contemplative I`ve ever looked in a photograph.  Heck, this is the most contemplative I`ve ever looked PERIOD.  In case you couldn`t tell, I didn`t know I was being photographed.

A close-up of some of the lanterns, whereupon were scrawled pleas for peace and harmony.  And occassionally, pictures of Pikachu and Raichu fighting.  I think some of the kids missed the point...

A float in the Flower Festival parade.  Note the woman at the very left, Miss Thailand 2010.  I guess she really had nothing better to do than fly to Hiroshima and stand on a float all day.

Some dancers in the Flower Festival parade.  I love the really small kid toward the center left.  He`s having a blast, even though he has no idea what the heck he`s supposed to be doing.  Sure, kid, just keep jumping up and down for the duration of the song.  That`ll wow `em!

These girls danced in a rather...well, wanton fashion.  And the four-year-old prostitot at left just about broke my heart.  Didn`t her mother look at her before she left the house?  What is the world coming to!?

This group had the most energy of any single group of people in the history of ever.  (Go ahead; try to diagram that sentence.  I dare you).

Korea`s Got Seoul

From the first moment I realized I would be living in Japan for a year, I knew South Korea was one of the places I would have to visit.  As many of you know, I worked at a private tutoring center in Ann Arbor for a year and a half.  The center was owned and run by a Korean family, and all of the students were either Korean-American or relatively-recent Korean immigrants.  During that time, I heard a lot about the country and managed to work up a healthy curiosity.  So when I began to arrange my vacation days, Seoul ended up on the short list of intended travel destinations.

When I asked my Japanese friends and acquaintances about Korea, I got mixed opinions.  I may have mentioned before that relations between Korea and Japan are somewhat fraught -- Japan occupied Korea for about 35 years beginning in 1910 and ruthlessly oppressed Korean culture, and there`s still a lot of lingering animosity.  In addition, development came to Korea fairly late in modern history, so I think there`s a tendency by some older Japanese to see Korea as a little dirtier and more backwater than their own country (the phrases we heard were "more Asian" or "more like China."  Pro-tip: in certain countries, among certain generations of people, saying something is "like China" is almost never a compliment).

The younger generation of Japanese is a different story, however.  They were generally enthused about Seoul, telling us that it was cheap, great for shopping, and had an abudance of delicious food.  Still, I wondered about the actual culture of Korea.  What made Korea special?  What did the country have to offer, besides shopping and stuffing your face?  Luckily, when it comes to sharing their culture with foreigners, South Koreans are some of the most enthusiastic and outgoing people I`ve ever encountered.  There`s a big push in Korea to attract more tourism and open cross-cultural exchange with other nations.  While in Seoul, we were entreated more than once to "please love Korea." 

And I did.  I LOVED Korea. :)  Now for some pictures.

My ticket to Korea, via Asiana Airlines.  Notice that "Ms. Joanna R Lesher" somehow got garbled into "LESHER.JOANNARMS."  I felt like I needed to develop really ripped biceps in order to be worthy of my new nickname.

The wastebasket at Gimpo Airport.  In case I never mentioned it before, Japan is obsessive about sorting garbage.  There`s a bin for burnables, a bin for non-burnables, a bin for cans, a bin for plastic bottles, etc.  But here at Gimpo, what did I see?  One wastebasket for every kind of garbage!  That was when I knew I wasn`t in Japan anymore.

Hanbok, the traditional costume of Korea.  Some people I`ve talked to say these look like maternity dresses, but I think they`re beautiful.  I almost bought one but decided not to at the last minute.  Now I kind of regret it. :(

Our hotel room was ENORMOUS.  And cheap.  The money we spent on this room would have gotten us a rabbit hutch with a bare matress on the floor in Tokyo.  This is the most luxurious room we`ve ever had since arriving in Asia.

Striking a pose in front of Sejong the Great, ruler of Korea in the 1400s and inventor of the Korean alphabet, Hangul.  This is a big deal because, prior to the invention of Hangul, Koreans had no writing system of their own.  They had to use Chinese characters instead.  Now the country has an almost 100% literacy rate because Hangul is the most scientific writing system in the world.  (Allegedly.  I`m not sure how you`d actually measure something like that).

Ryan in front of Sejong.

A protest in Insa-dong in downtown Seoul.  If you look closely, you can see that the poster reads "Dogs are friend!  Don`t eat dog."  I can definitely get behind those sentiments. :)

Gyeongbokgung, the Imperial Palace of Korea.  It`s one of five palaces in Seoul but is supposed to be the grandest and most imposing.

The changing of the guard at Gyeongbokgung.  Lots of drumming and marching around in formation.  Very cool to watch.

Haechi, the mythical protector of Seoul.  He has scales and wings and looks kind of doofy, but in a lovable sort of way.  I`m not sure if I`d trust him to protect my city, but I do want to snuggle him.

The throne at Gyeongbokgung.  The mural behind the throne shows a sun (representing the king), a moon (representing the queen), and five peaks (representing...I forgot).  Colorful, isn`t it?

A gold dragon on the ceiling of the palace.  This dragon is special because it has seven claws, whereas most dragons have only five.  Why the extra two claws?  For kicking more @ss of course!  No, but seriously, no one knows for sure.

Monkeys on the roof of the party hall.  These statues (plus the curved roof) are intended to redirect any malicious spirits (i.e. sky ghosts) that show up.

The back side of the party hall.  You could only reach it by boat.  Gorgeous!

Ah, and now to a more modern part of Seoul, where there is no Emperor and Mario is a candidate for the presidency.  I`m pretty sure he isn`t a naturalized Korean citizen, though...

Insa-dong, the traditional Korean craft district.  Lots of food booths, tea houses, and souvenir shops selling ultra-cheap crafts to foreigners.  And I do mean CHEAP.  The downside about visiting Insa-dong was I realized that all the gifts my Korean students had given me over the years cost the equivalent of like, two bucks and could be purchased in packs of eight.  Oh well, I still feel special!

Man panty!  Only 10,000 won (the equivalent of ten bucks).  What a steal!

Neolithic pithouses at Amsa-dong.  Only an archaeology nerd like me (and a pottery nerd like Ryan) would make this kind of a side trip.  It was so worth it, though.

Namdaemun, a giant marketplace in downtown Seoul.  The vendors there sell everything from knock-off Louis Vuitton purses to knock-off Calvin Klein underwear to knock-off Michigan State hoodies (with the wrong school colors).  We even found a sweatshirt with a picture of Totoro and the lyrics to "London Calling" printed on the back.  I still can`t fathom why we didn`t buy that shirt.

Myeong-dong, a more upscale fashion district.  This is where all the hip youngsters hang out.  We didn`t buy any clothes, though.  We just bought a bunch of traditional Korean cakes.  I think we were doing it wrong.

Who is this sexy Korean dream boat?  We may never know.

Cheonggyecheong, an awesomely charming stream near Myeong-dong (and make-out point of the century, if the number of lip-locked couples was any indication).

A virtual garden at Cheonggyecheong.  The flowers grow a little each day and move when your shadow touches them.

A display on the Seoul metro, featuring the most bone-chilling rendition of Mr. Bean I have ever seen.

On our last morning in Seoul, we met up with my former student, Tae hee.  He took us out for a traditional Korean lunch, which included spicy cabbage, beef, and so many side-dishes they barely fit on the table.  Korean eateries are kind of known for this.

Me and Tae hee, just before we parted ways and Ryan and I headed back to Japan.  Bye bye, Korea.  I love you!



Hokkaido: Japan`s Wild North

Hokkaido is Japan`s northernmost island -- a vast, chilly farm-country of five-and-a-half million souls. Compared to the densely populated southern regions, it`s fairly rugged. Wide stretches of forest, the trees bent and half-denuded by Hokkaido`s frigid climate. Hardy fisherman and rice-growers toiling in the unspoiled countryside. Bears. Really expensive melons. These are the features that make Hokkaido the most remote -- but one of the most intriguing -- locations on the archipelago.

So anywho, there`s this thing my company does called "Tokubetsu Kenshu," which literally translates as "special training." In reality, though, it might as well mean "free vacation for everybody as long as they`re willing to listen to like, two hours of really tedious corporate speeches." My schools met their sales goals this quarter, so we got to go. And really, I can`t complain, since I probably wouldn`t get to visit Hokkaido otherwise.

Most of you have already seen these pictures on Facebook, but I`ll post `em anyway. For the sake of...uh...posterity, or something.

You will quickly notice that at least three-quarters of my pictures are from Asahiyama Zoo (the northernmost zoo in Japan).  By way of explanation, allow me to observe that I am an animal freak.  There`s no escaping this fact, so let`s just roll with it, shall we?  Anywho, here are some of my co-workers inside a penguin tunnel!  From left to right, you see Miho, Omura Manager, and Saki.

This, however, is NOT one of my co-workers.  This is a penguin.

This is Hiromu.  And no, his status as the only male teacher at either of my schools does not give him the power to warp the fabric of space and time.  He`s just standing behind a vertical glass tunnel.  (Although he may have the power to warp space-time as well.  I don`t know for sure).

Sleepy, sleepy polar bears.  I mentioned above that Hokkaido has bears, but I wasn`t talking about this kind.  It`s not quite THAT far north.

Red pandas are probably one of the most adorable things on god`s green earth.  They call them "lesser pandas" in Japan, but I don`t see them as in any way inferior to giant pandas.  I mean, giant pandas can`t even seem to figure out how to make babies, so it`s debatable which of the two varieties is really "lesser."

Yes, they have racoons in zoos in Japan.  Better in a cage than making a mess in our nation`s dumpsters and mating under our nation`s houses, am I right?

THIS is a proper Hokkaido bear.  Er, as a baby.  Wook at his cute wittle faaaaaaace!

This black panther made a point of glaring pointedly at the crowd and barking his displeasure.  Like, literally barking.  I didn`t know big cats could do that.  It reminded me of my obese cat Paddington coughing up a hairball.

Fun fact: if they get the notion, lions will lift their tails and projectile-pee on you.  What majestic creatures!

The heart of Hokkaido farm country. :)

From left to right: Naomi, Omura Manager, Miho, Saki, and Yours Truly.

Um..."stuffed with bear?"  Man, sweets manufacturers in Hokkaido are hard-core!