Okay, actually, I'd love to talk about this.. but Bob has the pictures and videos! Never fear, we're going again tonight so we will fully cover all possible angles of the beauty that is Matsumoto castle at night =D
Please read the posts however you like! However, if you're a stickler for chronological order you should go to Carpe Diem first.
To really get the full feeling for the blog you should start down a little bit. Sorry for such long posts!
So mountains:
For the past few weeks we've had days off on Monday so the long weekend has bred wanderlust. Thankfully our Vice Principal is awesome and decided that since we both like hiking (and we certainly know how crazy Bob is about mountains and the climbing or mountains) that he would take the two of us out hiking. Now, I'm not ashamed to say that I'm pretty good at climbing. I may not have as much stamina as the next little person but I don't mind climbing. Per se.
See, these mountains are basically the steroided version of regular mountains in America. You know when you're going along the mountain roads in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and you feel like you're going to die because the paths are just so narrow?
So there's what's awaiting you on the other side of the path, one misstep away.
I can't even attempt to tell you how scary it was for me (or how beautiful) but I'll try.
I've been getting better with my fear of heights (when did I get that anyway? ::shrug::) but it certainly helps that there's just such a beautiful mountain to get over it on. The trip up was a pretty steady climb of almost straight up which pretty much looked like this:
And that kind of foggy atmosphere in the bottom two pictures? THOSE ARE CLOUDS. That's right, we climbed so high on this mountain that we were in the clouds. FRIGGIN'SWEET.
Want further proof? It's all in the pictures:
Now that last part was the final climb up to the top of the mountain where we were greeted by a little shrine (and some seeded grapes from Ohara-sensei). The thing I love about these shrines is that while being sacred they're also kind of a part of your everyday life so you can sit right up next to them and not have that same wonder and awe and standoffishness of other religious emblems and statues.
And of course that's our wet selves at the top of the mountain because it actually started raining on us a little bit.
In fact, because the weather started to change on us a little bit we decided to head off our travels and head down the mountain early.
Where we've been (the King's Nose) and where we're going (back down of course - does that ever have a name besides base of the mountain?).
On the way down, besides marvelous views and me crying from the sheer beauty of everything we found something very curious. First a beautiful view and then a curious thing.
It's some sort of memorial, but what's curious isn't the memorial itself but the hat that was cosied on a post near the memorial. Ohara-sensei turned to us and simply said "It's waiting." And THAT is enough to crack anyone up to see a oldish Japanese man very calmly state that the hat is waiting for its owner to come back and then burst full wrinkled into a full-faced smile. Ohara is awesome.
Some videos to entice your interest. This first one is a video of the surroundings on the almost halfway up the top of the mountain.
Next we have a rather interesting video (and not because it almost seemed to be about Bob's feet before I figured out not everyone is attracted to his legs like I am) but because of the music in the background. It's important when you're on the mountain to have some sort of noise, like music or bells to make sure the bears aren't surprised by your sudden appearance (and vice versa). Most of the people wore bells which just reminded me of sheep being herded on the mountain but we were graced with a language teaching program which happened to be teaching phrases from a Chinese opera. Awesome!
The next thing I'd like to share is a video of something curious. We didn't see many animals (the radio made sure of that) but we did see what looked curiously like deer.
It's actually called a Japanese Serow and looks a bit like this if you can get up close:
This one that we saw on the mountain
happened to have a baby with it. At first
you weren't really sure what you were
looking at because it wasn't moving at all
and was just kind of staring.
Once we got close though they sprang into
action and left us in the dust.
That's pretty much all for me. We actually went up two mountains but the pictures and videos from this blog entry are all about Utsukushiigahara Yama(美ヶ原山) which translates roughly into The Fields of Beauty Mountain. Not next time (I have to continue the Carpe Diem series!) but relatively soon I'd like to write an entry about this past weekend when we went mountain climbing for four hours (Utsukushiigahara only took us three hours lol) up Eboshi Dake and Yuunomaru Yama: two very famous mountains in Nagano and especially famous for me because they might have personally caused the decrease in my thigh diameter.
On to the final entry~!
First let me just say for those of you who may be wondering (coughcoughFATHERcoughcough) that I am in fact going to start a Flickr site that will display my work for the curious eye - so keep an eye out as I will hope to add it soon (so many pictures to go through..). In case you want to go through the trouble of just searching for me, my flickr name is whenshelaughs. Bob's is Krelianbob and as always his pictures are beautiful =p
In this post I'd like to give three examples of how to carpe diem in your daily life:
1. Talk to a crazed out Soka Gakkai member (in his messed up crazed Japanese)
2. Climb mountains with your Vice Principal and your significant other
3. Head out to look at the castle at night and watch a concert by the moonlight (and ask those old ladies about fake mochi).
So, the first one. Now, this actually happened some weeks ago so the danger to my physical being has significantly passed and I can look back at the utter ridiculousness of it all and laugh heartily. This is actually part of a larger story arc in which I was leaving my visit school early so I could join Ikebana club so I was waiting at the train station for my train to come and whisk me away. I must have misread the schedule cause it was taking the train a lot longer than I thought it would to get there. Anyway, I was just sitting on a bench waiting patiently when I man came up to me and started saying things like "Is it okay, May I?" in Japanese. I just thought he wanted me to move my bag to let him sit down too so I was like "Sure, whatever." LO AND BEHOLD, he starts speaking to me in rapid fire Japanese and, even though my Japanese is pretty good, I can't understand crap at 90 miles an hour. So eventually we exchange details such as we're not going to the same place and that I come from America and that he is crazy.
It's all pretty hard to take in normally and his Japanese was super fast so eventually I convinced him to write down what he was saying so I could look it up in my electronic dictionary. After writing a bit in his questionable Japanese I recognize the second sentence: he's a member of Soka Gakkai. Now, I'm not usually one to discriminate but I'll be flat out and say that there are certain groups of people that I just naturally try to avoid: Druggies and other escapist types, the inherently rude, Jehovah's Witness junkies, and Soka Gakkai members. To me there's no question that the majority of these people are just plain unsavory and/or crazy. In case you're like, "Alright Ashley I get the first ones but what's so bad about Soka Gakkai?" take a gander:
http://www.sgi-usa.org/
looks innocent right? Wait for it:
"
In spite of their declared mission for peace, culture and education, the SGI and Soka Gakkai are also a focus of criticism and controversy. Soka Gakkai, the Japanese organization, has a reputation for involvement in Japan's political arena. Though officially the two are separate, it is closely affiliated with the New Clean Government Party (also known as the New Komeito Party), a major political party in Japan. Though SGI and New Komeito both publicly deny any relationship, and declare that they are separate organizations[7], accusations that Soka Gakkai in effect controls New Komeito persist.[8]
Soka Gakkai and Soka Gakkai International are perceived by some critics to be a cult or a cult-like group. Their concerns are that Soka Gakkai places an emphasis on recruitment, that it demonizes perceived opponents, and that it uses phobia indoctrination and peer pressure. French and Belgian anti-cult movements and parliamentary commissions have also accused SGI of engaging in cult-like practices, but there are groups critical of these governments citing they are religiously suppressive.[9] Some critics also assert that SGI emphasizes dependence on the organization for spiritual advancement.
Another point of contention concerns SGI's application of the mentor–disciple concept. According to SGI, the mentor-and-disciple relationship is a very important aspect of living a full life, for every human being; detractors see SGI’s version of the mentor–disciple relationship as a cult of personality for its intense focus on SGI President Ikeda. SGI defenders argue[citation needed] that in most cultures, and for most human beings, the idea of looking to those who have come before us, and finding a person who one can feel a kinship with, that one may look to as an example for how to live s life, for guidance, encouragement and support, is a common part of human development, and that their establishing a lasting relationship with such an individual is an important part of life.
SGI members attribute this view to the mentor–disciple relationship of Nichiren Buddhism, which they describe as the central pillar upon which the practice and the organization have developed: Shakyamuni was the mentor to Nichiren; Nichiren, the mentor to his disciples; and they, mentors to future practitioners. Makiguchi took Nichiren as a mentor in his life, while Toda took Makiguchi as his. Ikeda continued the tradition with Toda as his mentor, and now members throughout the world have chosen Ikeda, along with Toda, Makiguchi, Nichiren, and Shakyamuni, to be their mentors.
To critics of Ikeda and SGI, this relationship is viewed as symptomatic of a cult of personality. Critics also question the authority and authenticity of Ikeda's writings. The use of the familial term sensei (“teacher,” “master”) to refer to Ikeda is looked upon with suspicion and considered to be symbolic and further evidence of a cult of personality. Many SGI members view Ikeda and his life as a great example of how to use the practice in their own lives. He is viewed as an inspiration and an example of the power of one person to have a substantial positive effect on our world. For many members, Ikeda, as well as Shakyamuni, Nichiren, Makiguchi, Toda, and a host of other like minded philosophers, and thinkers around the world, are taken as models for how one may build their own lives around ideas of peace, culture, and education, and within all levels of their lives—family, work, friends, and society at large.
Critics of SGI and Ikeda are suspicious of the way he is considered by members to be a living embodiment of the power of the practice of SGI Buddhism. They assert that members are pressured to view Ikeda as their mentor in life. They are also suspicious and distrustful of the idea of mentor-disciple relationships, and question the motivation behind SGI’s application of the concept.
There is controversy about the degree of religious tolerance practiced by Soka Gakkai members. Official materials state all other religions, including other Buddhist denominations, are viewed as valuable in as much as they are able to support the happiness, empowerment, and development of all people. SGI claims that religious tolerance and a deep respect for culture are strongly emphasized in the organization.[10] However, there has been an acrimonious rift between SGI and Nichiren Shoshu."
MORAL OF THE STORY? As far as my studies are concerned (and yes I did legitimately study new religions of Japan such as Soka Gakkai) they're primarily known for tricking and pressuring members into giving large sums of money: such as several thousand dollars for a funeral plot in Hokkaido...... THE JAPANESE DON'T BURY THEIR DEAD and if they did they don't pay thousands of dollars just for the plot of dirt miles and miles away from their families or purchasing works of art for the organization. Money given to the group is seen as a means of creating good luck with business and personal matters.
.Ah yes, the good old "Conception Day" - kind of like Girlfriend's Day (Valentine's) or Father's Day or even.. dare I say it Labor Day.
Apparently, the conception rate in Russia and neighboring areas is so poor that they had to make an actual national holiday to convince people to do the nookie and not only do the nookie but succeed.
How would you feel if you happened to be conceived on Conception Day? And before you argue that it's hard to tell when exactly children are conceived (Monday or Tuesday? Can't be too specific or the scandalous details come out) but if my Creative Writing professor can claim that his son David was conceived under the dining room table (no shame!) than anyone can do it.
Personally? I think I'd feel a little... planned. I like being the baby no one saw coming =D
Anyway.
Let me enlighten you as to my current doings.
School has been back and forth rough. Sometimes I feel like the dog and sometimes i just feel like a kicked dog. Most of you have already heard me say this and are cheekily motioning playing a violin but I will never again assume that when people say that teaching is an emotional roller coaster that they're just jaded about the job.
So like today, I had to write up a lesson plan for next week so one of my teachers and I could discuss it before I performed in front of dozens of people. But after our classes were over together today she asked me if I wouldn't mind doing a lesson plan for the next lesson instead of doing activities for the current one. Thankfully, My hard work will not go to waste as another teacher became interested in my activity that I had planned and decided that I would be doing that for her classes next week.
Please, Anyone. Tell me what is interesting about household chores so I can make a game or something ;_ ;
In other news, today is my welcome party (I've already been working a month lol) and I'll be going out with the teachers tonight to drink and eat and be merry. Bob had sports day today which I hope he'll write an entry about so y'all can sort of understand the lives we lead. Apparently he got himself pretty knocked up in the teacher softball game so.. Keep going Bob-kun! I believe! I BELIEVE.
Otter Genera and species: Amblonyx cinerea Collective Term: A prank of otters
Description Otters are petite, engaging creatures overflowing with positive energy. Intelligent and bright, they are also popular and eminently lovable and displaying the highly developed social skills that typify the small carnivores. So, otters mix easily with a wide range of animal personalities.
Lazy? Let's just say easily distracted. For life has so many diversions for the otter, that whether it's playing a computer game, reading a book, or doing a crossword puzzle, it's impossible to predict how it will fill it's day. But when an otter gets focused on a problem, it's keen intelligence rises to the challenge and it will not give up until the nut is cracked. Otters feel entitled to the good things in life and a general sense of well being gives them the confidence to not have to save for the future. A lover who wants to impress an otter should know that otters love to eat out and have a predictable penchant for sushi.
Although intelligent and witty, otters have a tendency to suffer from self-doubt, and fear of failure can prevent them from living up to their true potential. Still, they are a great problem solvers, with the ability to spend endless hours on abstract or practical challenges. As workers, they are dedicated and capable and always eager for a chance to prove themselves. Their determination makes them valuable employees and although they often feel that their contributions are undervalued, they would rather accept lower pay than risk confrontations in their workplace. Although they are fine motivators, they avoid taking leadership roles, performing better in group situations with their social skills coming in handy when counseling coworkers through their problems. Their dexterous hands are useful in a wide range of careers, and they're ideally suited for work in engineering, advertising, and design.
As lovers, otters are tenacious and have remarkably vital libidos. Unafraid of expressing their needs, they have little tolerance for selfish people and are attracted those creative enough to fulfill their sexual appetites. Among the aquatic animals, the lusty dolphin provides endless fun while the terrestrial fox proves to be a challenging and sexy companion. In a relationship, the otter will willingly stray into dangerous waters, betting that its instincts will see it though. But, for the most part it prefers the familiar shallows of a predictable association with the semi-aquatic beaver or sea lion.
There is no question that the otter is going to have children. Lots of them. And this otherwise carefree individual will surprise you with its strict and disciplined approach to child raising.
Otters are certainly not shy. Their highly advanced communication skills explain why friends flock to it for advice and why ex-lovers find it so hard to let it go. But sometimes it seems that relating to an otter is a one-way street; for otters hate criticism. It's not that they don't believe there's room for improvement -- it's just that they tend to confuse criticism with rejection. Friends must step lightly lest they wound the otter's self-image, for this is the surest way to dissuade the otter from further communication.
