While reading early this morning...

...this haiku came to me, first in English and then I worked out the Japanese, with a little help on the last line from my co-teacher. It is only the second I have composed in Japanese, but I am eager to try a few more. It is the first time in months that I have wanted to study Japanese...

I have been reading/studying a bit about haiku recently, and I believe this is one of, if not the best, I have written (in any language).


Against the window
Irregular raindrops beat
Echoing thunder

窓がわに
不同の雨滴
春雷の子

Madogawa ni
Fudou no uteki
Shunrai no ko

Ryumon Nuri

Yesterday I tried my hand for the first time at "Ryumon Nuri", a traditional Japanese marbled lacquerware. Oikawa-san, lacquerware master craftsman, and the father of a family who invites me over for dinner from time to time, was kind enough to show me the basics of the Ryumon Nuri process. He has been making lacquerware for over 35 years in Naruko, a town reknowned for its craftmaking.



The wooden tub you see in the photos was used by Oikawa's father, and was built when he was in junior high school. After explaining the process to me in Japanese (more than half of which I couldn't understand), we began. First Oikawa-san dripped several drops of an oil on the surface of the water, which pushed away the particles/dust, and created a impermeable layer on which to spread the lacquer/paint.



Next Oikawa dripped two swirls of red and silver lacquer on the oily surface and gave me a small stick with which to mix them together, creating a marble pattern. He insisted, both with voice and hand, that I stir slowly, so as not to disperse the lacquer too much.



Then, he gave me a "chawan" (Japanese bowl), made of wood and already painted in a glossy black lacquer. Guiding my hand with his, we dipped the bowl through marble layer, shaking side to side slowly to create a ripply effect on the bowl. Upon pulling the bowl out, his wife and granddaugter, both looking on, exclaimed "Kirei!" (pretty), while the master took one glance and said "Ma-ma da ne" (Its mediocre). Japanese folks often give undeserving compliments, so I was happy to hear the truth.



After several more tries (with rust-red bowls also) however, I improved a bit and made some bowls that, at least I was happy with. The bowls will need to dry over the course of several days, and will be painted again.



I copied the following information about the background of Naruko lacquerware, from this website (http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/crafts/0504/d0504-1.html)

Background
At the beginning of the 17th century, the lord of the fief in the area where Naruko is situated, dispatched lacquerers and maki-e crftsmen to Kyoto to develop their skills, in an attempt to raise the popularity of the local product. According to a late 18th century document various household items were being produced and by then the production of lacquer ware was the main employment for the people of Naruko.

For kijiro-nuri, a clear lacquer is used to expose the grain of the wood carcass, while in another technique the natural lacquer is rubbed into the wood a number of times, and the natural coloring of the lacquer is then retained. For ryumon-nuri a highly distinctive technique is used to produce a marbling effect. Besides these, a more traditional technique of polished lacquer is employed to bring out the characteristic limpid beauty of this refined sap. Today, a variety of household items are being made, including trays, coasters, stacking boxes and bowls, all gems of this time honored craft.

A Wednesday evening in the inaka

Great times at a hanami party last night in Tsukidate. The cherry blossoms are just starting to come out in Northern Miyagi, but we (group of 10?) had a nice spot under a grove of just-now-budding trees. After the stunning sunset, it got quite nippy, but everyone kept warm with blankets and various spirits. Several kind folks brought food for noshing (sushi and potato chips are great combo). Aaron brought along his guitar and played/sang a few tunes. Mark entertained all (as usual) with his inner-child, which is actually always on the outside. When we had gotten our fill of the cherry blossoms, a few of had some fun in the nearby playground because, jungle-gyms are not really JUST for kids. All in all a most pleasant evening.

At Flower-See Mountain

This past Sunday I went to my first "hanami" (literally "flower-see", but perhaps better translated as "blossom viewing") of this spring. Hanami is an old Japanese tradition--friends, families, and couples gather in parks and orchards, on mountain tops, along riverbanks, and on castle grounds to take in the spring blossoms, enjoy good company, and consume large quanties of Japanese treats and sake. The Japanese are slightly obsessive about sakura/cherry blossoms, perhaps because the short-lived flowers are rather stunning examples of fleeting life. Anyway, it's hard to imagine a more relaxing and pleasant way to spend a spring afternoon/evening...




Aki, Mika, Lisa and I drove down to Fukushima City and from the station caught a shuttle bus to Hanamiyama Koen (Flower-see-mountain Park), a spacious orchard containing over 60 kinds of flowering trees/plants (including cherry, plum, peach, quince, forsythia, etc). The park is actually private land, but the landowner family keeps the park open to visitors all year.



After buying a surfeit of snacks (rice balls, takoyaki, fried chicken, dango, etc.) we walked up the hill, found a quiet spot under some cherry trees for a picnic, and had a brilliant afternoon. Hope to enjoy several more just like it in the coming weeks...

Return to the kids' table

For the past year, I sat at the faculty table in the school lunchroom, bumping elbows with the principal, the nurse, the janitors, the librarian and the lunchroom ladies.

However, with the beginning of the new school year, we have a new policy. Now, at least one teacher sits at each of the student tables. I have been designated to sit with some of the 7th graders, specifically a table of about 14 pubescent 13 year-old boys. They are loud, messy, childish, and infinitely more interesting to sit with than the faculty. Just yesterday, instead of serving as the disciplinarian, I found myself playing along with the old "steal-the-milk-from-kid-who-isn't-looking" joke. The missing-milk student, realizing his loss, even briefly looked to me for help, but I just shrugged my shoulders. Luckily, the dairy-thieves were merciful and returned the milk to its owner before too long, and most of the table had a good laugh...

Final ride?

This past Saturday I had another great day of snowboarding (and snow-tubing and snow-fighting) with Aki, Lisa, and Ryuta. The spring snow was a bit slushy, but we had a fine time nonetheless. The weather has warmed considerably the past couple of weeks, and I'm not sure if I'll have the opportunity to ride again this year (though one mountain in Yamagata Prefecture apparently has "spring skiing" well into June. The next few weekends will likely be spent at cherry-blossom viewing parties (a tradition/obsession in Japan), on the golf course, and in general enjoying spring as much as possible.

Below, a few pictures from the day at Zao ski resort. Ryuta is on the right in the photo below; his name translated means "Fat Dragon Small Bear". Yes, he is just that cool (also the best rider among us...).



Aki and Lisa have a laugh near the Zao summit. The evergreens in the background are completely covered by snow most of the winter and resemble "snow monsters". However, this winter has been mild and it was much too late to see them.



Lisa, on my back, smiling, and completely unaware of the fact that later in the day she'll be the recipient of what is known in my family as a "facewash"--a handful of snow rubbed vigorously into the face, OR shoving the face directly into the snow with a mopping motion. In response to her snowball to my forehead, I opted for the latter. No doubt she will have her revenge...

Lesson in the library

Last Thursday I felt like a teacher for the first time in weeks. The school year ended the previous Friday, and the 9th graders graduated 2 weeks before that. The students are now technically on Spring Break, though some still come to school for club sports, to get extra help, and hang out. For nearly the whole month of March, I have had very few lessons to teach or plan for. My requests for something to do were repeatedly denied by my co-teacher, who insisted there was nothing I could help out with. Most teachers were quite busy writing evaluations for each student and compiling end-of-year reports, while I remained at my desk, trying to busy myself with email, graduate program research, and March Madness coverage on the internet. In short, I've been really, really bored with my job as of late.

Thursday afternoon, after cleaning/organizing my desk for the 3rd time in two weeks, I decided to go for a quick stroll in the hallway to strech my legs. Passing the library, I heard a string of giggles and poked my head in to say hello. Five soon-to-be 9th graders, were gathered around two computers--some studying, some playing Solitaire, and all chatting boisterously. Seeing me, they shouted my name, and beamed big smiles. Now, understand, these girls are not my best English students. Their efforts in class are, with rare exception, mediocre, and they are usually shy to speak even when they understand. Two of them repeatedly cut up during the lessons and it is usually quite difficult to keep their attention. Outside of class, our communication is usually limited to "hellos" and "good mornings". So imagine my surprise, when they suddenly began to warm to me. Outside of the classroom, isolated from the Japanese teachers, and free from the pressure of tests and textbooks, the girls became quite inquisitive. At first, most of their questions were about my girlfriend--not just her age, where from,etc. but also "Michael, you..girlfriend...where...confession....love?"

However, their attention soon turned to questions about America, and my hometown. Shino grabbed the world atlas off the shelf and thus began our geography lesson (mostly in Japanese). I showed them North Carolina on the map, and we talked about the weather and seasons there. They began shouting place names that they knew and I pointed them out on the map (New York, San Francisco, Disneyland and Disneyworld). Misato wanted to know where the State of Austria was, and was embarassed when I turned to the Europe map. Suddenly, Ayumi shouted "Ken-tah-ki !!!" (what the Japanese call KFC) when she saw Kentucky on the map. She hadn't realized it was a state, or even that KFC was an American chain. After, we talked about distances between things. They were amazed at how big America looked--Natuski exclaimed, "I thought Miyagi was big! (the prefecture where we live), I bet 10 Japans could fit in America!". They were also surprised to see how many expressways exist in America--when I told them they were usually free (in Japan, the expressways are quite expensive toll roads), they said: "Wow! America is the BEST!"

Then Natsuki remembered that I had mentioned living in Panama and wanted to know where it was. I began to talk about the Panama Canal, but only Misato knew what a canal was (even though I used the Japanese word). Together, we gave an excellent and comical explanation to the other girls using Japanese, English, and gestures (using my arms for the locks AND the ships).

Later I retrieved my laptop from my desk and showed them photos from home, of my family, and of the different countries I've visited. However, they were most fascinated by the places I've been to in Japan, and I once again remembered how lucky I am and what an incredible experience I have had here. The irony of me teaching something about Japan was not lost on them. As we were looking at my photos from the summit of Fuji-san, I noted the "unkai" (literally, cloud-sea) below. Several students were confused by the word, and then most impressed when I explained the term by its kanji characters...

It was a treat to relate to the students in a pressure-free environment as it is often difficult to make connections with students in the classroom.

Translation

With a wee bit of help, I managed to translate the Katanuma walkabout haiku, the first haiku I've composed in Japanese.

午後の散歩
苔むした道
雪消える


Gogo no sanpo
Kokemu shita michi
Yuki kieru

Spring vows

Some good friends of mine from the Peace Corps are getting married this Saturday. They asked me to write a few haiku for the ceremony.



Pair of souls entwined,
As a divine breeze unfolds
A single blossom

En guayabera (In guayabera)
Se casan dos amantes (Two young lovers say 'I do')
Que brille el sol! (May the sun be bright!)

Lily dazzling white,
“Will you be my lovely bride?”
Asked a morning ray


Bob and Braden: May you both enjoy a long and glorious marriage!

Walkabout Katanuma Swamp

Three afternoon steps
Between mossy gravel tracks,
Disappearing snow