The Parents Come to Japan!

My parents came to Japan at the beginning of April. We meet up in Kyoto and spent a few lovely days there before I brought them to Ehime. I'm going to try and do this scrapbook fashion, with loads of pictures and a little description for each.

4/2: Arrival in Japan and meeting up in Kyoto! Exhausted, but delighted to see each other. We ate conveyor belt sushi and then went back to our lovely townhouse, pictured below.




4/3: We did the Philosopher's Walk, a scenic stroll with a lot of temples and shrines along the way. We started at Nanzenji and worked our way over to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion. It was pretty chill in the morning but very crowded by the afternoon, being a sunny day during cherry blossom season in Kyoto. Our brief detour to Heian Jingu, a bright red shrine with a huge shrine gate, was worth it for the fantastic garden with loads of cherry trees and beautiful ponds.








4/4: We spent the morning doing a taxi tour which brought us to Ryoanji, Kinkakuji, and Nijo Castle. Our taxi driver came and walked around each place with us, providing tons of useful information which I did my best to translate. We relaxed in the afternoon and met up with Irena at night for a shabu-shabu dinner!







4/5: We walked from our townhouse up the back way to Kiyomizu-dera, where we enjoyed the temple and its lovely view. We made our way leisurely along the old-fashioned streets with their many delectable shops and ended up at Yasaka Shrine. At night, we watched Maiko Odori, a dance performance by apprentice geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto. Mutz especially enjoyed it!









4/6: We visited Fushimi Inari, one of my favorite shrines in Japan. It's a fox shrine just outside Kyoto with tons of torii, red shrine gates, on a scenic mountain path. Then we packed up and headed to Shikoku, crossing the Seto Bridge around sunset.





4/7: My parents came to school with me! It was still spring break, but the teachers were there, of course, and most of the sports and clubs still meet. Although the poor teachers were tied up in a very long teachers meeting, we walked around the school and watched basketball, tennis, kendo & judo. Most of the students were shy, but some said hi and a few words to my parents. We had lunch with my supervisor and Reiko, met Nate at the city hall, and then had a much-needed relaxing afternoon before a light nabe dinner at Nate & Amy's, where they also met Jonathan and Tomoko.

4/8: I joined my parents for breakfast at their hotel before going to work, but they headed off with Tomoko to Matsuyama and saw the castle and the main shopping area.

4/9: Again, just breakfast for me and then work! Reiko and Tomoko took my parents to Marugame in Kagawa Prefecture for the day. At night, Reiko and her husband threw a small party for my parents at Mikubo, a delicious seafood restaurant in Kawanoe.

4/10: We drove to Matsuyama and spent the day and night in the Dogo area, where the famous Dogo Onsen (hot spring) is located. The hotel we stayed at had a few really nice private baths for couples, family, or the onsen-wary, which we all enjoyed.




4/11: The parents left from Matsuyama Airport, which was very sad. However, we had a fantastic time together during their trip!

Entrance Ceremony

As you already know, Japan's pretty big on the ceremonies. Not always fancy or very long, but ceremonies are plentiful indeed. Why, just the day before the entrance ceremony for the new first years, there was the introduction of new teachers ceremony and the new semester ceremony for second and third years. These were two separate ceremonies held right after one another, and occupying a grand total of 45 minutes. Could they be combined with each other and perhaps with the entrance ceremony, you ask? Of course not!

The entrance ceremony was a lot like the graduation ceremony. Parents, mostly mothers in suits with a few kimono-clad ladies and several men in the mix, came, took off their shoes, and put on school slippers before entering the gym and sitting down. The older students filed in first, and once everyone was in place, the first years entered to the sound of applause. I stood by the door of the gym, welcoming parents and smiling at students, especially nervous-looking first years. Then I filed in with the last few teachers, and we sat to the side of the students.

The ceremony began with the national anthem and then progressed to a variety of speeches: the principal, head of the PTA, representative of the BOE, etc., all spoke. Representatives from the elementary and high schools were also present and spoke a few words each, as at the graduation ceremony. One of the third year students got up and gave a speech on behalf of all of the upperclassmen, called existing students 存在性, sonzaisei, in Japanese, welcoming the new students 新入生, shinnyusei. Then we all sang the school song, and the first years filed out, followed by the older students. Parents of the new students stuck around and were introduced to various school officials, but I left at that point (some other teachers did, too!).

I have to say that my favorite part of the whole ceremony came before it even started. There was a dress rehearsal that morning for the second and third years, and it focused primarily on bowing properly and singing the school song. The students were repeatedly commanded to stand up, bow, and sit down, and after each set of three actions, the teachers in charge would make comments like, "Some of the second year girls were a bit slow to get up that time, let's do it again." Other reprimands included, "Third years, you're not bowing deep enough!" "Too slow again!?!" "Remember, the first years will look up to you!" The administrator in charge must have said "Kiritsu!" "Rei!" and "Chakuseki!" at least twenty times each.

Now, this may sound ridiculous to you, and I admit I think it's a little much, but I have to say, when it gets to the actual ceremony and about 500 students stand up in complete unison, it looks really cool. Equally fascinating to watch was the one third year student who made the speech, who walked to and from the stage in military fashion, executing four gorgeous bows: to the visiting representatives, the teachers, the Japanese flag on the stage, and finally to the audience. He achieved the same grace and flawless perpendicular turns on the way back, and again, it seems excessive, but it looks very good. Don't worry: he had to practice it, too.

Practicing the school song was equally rigorous but more amusing, as the music teacher kept stopping the students and making fun of their mistakes. He teased the second year girls for staring avidly at the lyrics, which are conveniently posted on a huge sign in the gym. He imitated everyone taking a gigantic and clearly audible breath at the beginning of the song before admonishing us not to do so. He made us practice the ending a few times, as it's a little different from the rest of the song, and his instruction paid off at the ceremony. I have to say I kind of began to wish we too had school songs and could sing them with pride at ceremonies.

I promise that my next post will NOT be about a ceremony!