An education in Japanese culture

It has now been one month since I arrived in Japan. Following my first paycheck my apartment now reflects a somewhat organised life: there’s a rice cooker, plant pot and a bin which helps me sort the 9 different types of rubbish there are here. Everyone in my apartment block definitely now knows a foreigner is living here because of how many times I’ve put rubbish out wrong and it’s been rejected. I’ve had to pick up my rubbish bag of shame from the apartment block reception many times now but I’m hoping my magical rubbish bin is going to aid me. Is this what adulthood is like then? Getting excited about rubbish bins?

I also had an eventful Monday morning being woken up at 6AM by a government issued alert that a missile had been launched by North Korea and I should get to a stable building or underground. Cue panic on my part shoving ricecakes and my toothbrush into a backpack thinking that I needed to evacuate, but once I looked outside and saw the old lady across the road still going about her day and gardening I realised I might be okay. I then got another alert that the missile passed over the North of the country and landed in the sea. It was back to business as usual and I went to work feeling very awake.

Anyway… In my spare time so far I have had the opportunity to experience more of the city, which means I’ve been able to see a few of the many festivals that are held here throughout the year. They have shown me how important community is here and that history should be reflected upon. I wanted to share my experiences of some of the events here and what I’ve learnt from them.

Nagaoka fireworks (hanabi) – August 2nd-3rd

I was flattered to learn that upon arriving in Nagaoka on my birthday, there would be an enormous fireworks display in the evening. Surprisingly so this was not put on for me but has been a tradition in the city for many years.

Their main purpose are to commemorate those who died in the fire bombings during World War II. From August 1 – August 2 1945, B29 bombers from the American Air Force began firebombing the city, destroying 80% of the city and killing 1,486 people. Today Jess and I visited the Nagaoka War Damage Exhibit Hall and learnt more about the firebombing which was a devastating event.  Below is a description of events we read at the hall, from a lady who was living in Nagaoka with her daughter at the time of the bombings. (Please note the story is upsetting)

 

I was unaware of these bombings until I saw the fireworks display which included a segment of the Chosei Bridge appearing to be up in flames and air raid sirens ringing out. It was very poignant and the fireworks were able to greet the spirits in the sky.

The display is an epic 2 hours long but also makes references to other things, such as a TV show that came from Nagaoka. There were even fireworks that made a Hello Kitty face! We got to enjoy them from the roof of my apartment building thanks to our kind landlord, who also gave us beer and sushi. It was very apparent that everyone we had met was keen to share their culture with us and I felt truly welcomed.

Joetsu’s Kenshin Festival – August 26 – August 27

Myself, Oli and Jess headed on an 1h30 train journey to Joetsu for their festival celebrating the story of Uesugi Kenshin, a powerful political leader and warrior. There was a story reenactment and food and game stalls. The gamble to try a fish on a stick paid off as it was actually really good!

We also got the temple with a statue of Kenshin and a very steep walk up to the top where there was a view of the entire city. I have to comment on the impressive stamina of old people here – I always seem so much sweatier than them on these hikes…

Local neighbourhood festivals – all the time

There always seems to be events going on at the weekends here. We recently attended a small festival near Jess’ house which may have been organised by one of the local schools – this included a small bout of karaoke, including 2 young siblings who sang the Doraemon theme tune together and melted my heart. There was a comedy sketch including a man in a golden morph suit covering his dignity with a dart board (see below) – I asked Madoka, a woman we got speaking to there about what was going on and she had no idea either.

We attended a music festival called SunsetTownK at one of the local parks on a sunny Sunday and realised I share the same music tastes as a lot of people here. There was a rock band, a dance troupe who used chart music and a live brass band who played Earth, Wind and Fire’s September. I also watched some men carrying a small model of one of the local temples past my house the other day. From what I know, the temple is carried around the neighbourhood and people make donations to the temple.

The main shared theme of these festivals is the importance of bringing people together and collectively celebrating/commemorating their history and culture. It was interesting thinking about whether this was evident in British culture – perhaps it’s because there have been a lot of unfavourable things happening in the country recently, but it seems that British people have a knack for coming together in the face of adversity e.g. Manchester bombings, Brexit (is Brexit a cause of adversity? Discuss – 6 marks). I would like to hear your opinions so if you have one, please leave a comment!

Overall I’m having such a good time at the moment. There have been countless people who have helped me out or have been keen to speak with me and learn about where I am from. I haven’t actually technically began teaching yet as I am shadowing other ALTs until 11th September, though I have team taught some kindergarten and elementary lessons. I’ve been getting a bit nervous about when the dreaded ‘culture shock’ may settle in, but so far so good.

‘Til next time