The Seika Town Festival! せいか祭り！

Looking back through my predecessors’ stuff, it seems like the Seika festival is doomed to rain every year, or at least somewhat crummy weather. However this year bucked the trend, as visitors were treated to a beautiful fall day. Nearly 35,000 people came out to celebrate the event, which was filled with good food, lots of music performances, and fun games for kids.

前任者たちが残したファイルを見ていて、せいか祭りは毎年雨や悪い天気になる悪い運命があるそうでした。でも、今年のせいか祭りは傾向を抵抗し、参加者は凄くいい天気に恵まれました。３4,０００人の参加者がせいか祭りに来て、美味しい食べ物、音楽の演奏、楽しいゲームもありました。

Seika Global Network ran a booth again this year, where kids had got the chance to play a fun little quiz game with the questions ranging from geography, to animals, food, and even some about Christmas. The kids would pull a question from the mystery box, and if they could answer it correctly, they got a heart shaped balloon! Of course we gave them plenty of tries to get it right, and the parents may have helped out a little, but it was still great to see the kids learn something new about other countries. Of course there were quite a few funny answers, as one little boy said with absolute certainty that Santa rides a goat, and could not be persuaded otherwise.

せいかグローバルネットは今年もブースを出して、子供達に楽しいクイズゲームをさせました。クイズの質問では地理、動物、食べ物、クリスマスまで、色々な話題に及びました。子供はボックスから質問の一つを取り出して、それを答えたらハート型の風船をもらいました。もちろん何回答えさせたが､あと親にも手伝ってもらったが、子ども達が外国についてなんか習ったと思います。面白い答えもいっぱいあって、一人の小さな男の子は確実に「サンタさんは八木を乗るよ！」と答えて、他の答えに説得されませんでした。

On hand to help at the booth were volunteers from Seika Global Network, several Chinese students studying abroad in Seika and the surrounding area, and a few volunteers from a local High School who really helped out. I also got the chance to make some holiday cookies to hand out to special kids who answered the questions all by themselves. Although I woke up at 5 the morning of in order to finish them, they actually turned out to be a good idea since the balloons were so popular that we ran out early and had to start giving out the cookies instead! 

せいかグローバルネットのブースでせいかグローバルネットのボランティアと精華町周りに留学している中国人と近所にある高校の学生に手伝ってもらいました。そして、私は祭りの為にクッキーと作って､一人で答えられた子供にあげました。そして、風船が凄く人気で早くなくなったので、子供にクッキーをあげることになって、全部のクッキーを終わる為に当日５五時に起きたけど、助かりました。

Going out to events like this, I’m reminded how many kids Seika seems to have. The Keihanna Commemorative Park was filled with families who had come out to enjoy the day together, and there were more kids than you could shake a stick at. It was also great to run into kids from the schools I had visited, who remembered me and kept coming back to play and talk about all kind of things. I like to think they came to see me and not just to get a balloon, but it was still nice either way. With all the kids around, I really feel like Seika still has a lot of room to grow. I’ve heard stories about how much the town has changed since the first CIR came here over 16 years ago (he apparently had to do a host stay, since there were no apartments available.) Already in the four months I’ve been here, a small apartment complex was built next door, and a handful of shops open up around town, in particular a ramen shop, which I visit far too much. I have no idea how much the town will grow in the rest of my time here, but it’s going to be fun finding out.

こういうイベントに行くと、精華町は本当に子供が多いと気付きます。けいはんな記念公園で子ども達が大人より多く見えました。そして、私は訪問に行った学校の生徒達とまた会った、覚えてくれたから嬉しいです。その子ども達が風船のためじゃなくて、私と会うためにせいかグローバルネットのブースに来たと考えたいけど、どっちでもいいです。子供たちに囲まれると、精華町は本当に若い町で、まだ成長出来ると感じます。第一目の国際交流員は１６年前に来たときから、精華町はもう完全に変わったと聞きました。私は来た時からの四ヶ月に、隣に小さいマンションが建って、少数の店も開店しました。私は働く二年間で精華町がどう変わるかちょっと分かりませんが、楽しみしています。

第３回精華マラソン The Third Seika Marathon

On October 7th, runners from all around Seika came to the Mukunoki Center to participate in the 3rd annual Seika Marathon. Not having anything else to do on a Sunday morning, I thought it would be fun to participate.

１１月７日(日）に、精華町内のランナーは、第３回精華マラソンに参加するためにむくのきセンターに集まりました。参加したら楽しいだろうと思っていました。

The event had a 2km jog, and 3km, 5km, and 10km races. People from all age groups took part, with elementary school kids running in the 3k and 5k races, while some of the people in the 10k were clearly over 60 years old. I had signed up to do the 10km race, so even though I got there at around 8:30, I had a good long wait. It was really fun seeing everybody else go though, especially watching all the races start, and the little kids just straight out sprinting. Although the 2km jog was mostly for fun, the 3km and 5km were clearly serious business, and some of the times posted were really impressive. (I think 17 minutes was the winner for the 5km).

当イベントは２キロ、３キロ､５キロと１０キロのレースがありました。あらゆる年齢層の方が参加し、小学生は３キロと５キロを走り､６０歳以上の方も１０キロを走りました。私は１０キロに参加するので、８時半に着き、結構時間がありました。他のレースを見るのが楽しかったです。特にスタートです。子ども達がスタートでの全力ダッシュはかわいかったです。２キロは楽しみの為ようだったが､３キロと５キロのレースは真剣勝負で、ランナーの速さは本当に凄かったです。（５キロの優勝者のタイムは１７分ぐらいと思います）

The start of the 10k/ １０ｋのスタート

Finally, the time for the 10km race had come, and all the racers were getting lined up to start. Now, I am not a runner. I’m about as fast as molasses in January, and I couldn’t even finish a 2km jog when I was a kid. So all I was aiming for finishing, ideally in under an hour. I got an ok start, but I slowed down really quickly, and watched nearly every single person pass me. A real nice thing was the support that all the other runners gave each other, and you could always hear cries of “Fight!” whenever they passed each other. After 10 long kilometers, I finally got back to the starting point, where some kids from a local school cheered me on. Sprinting to the finish line, I was able to finish in 59 minutes and 44 seconds. I didn’t care that I was the second to last guy; it just felt really good to finish.

ついに、１０キロのレースの時が来ました。ランナー達は並んで､準備をしていました。実は、私はあまり走るのが得意ではありません。大変遅くて､子どもの時２キロも走れませんでした。今回は１時簡以内に走り終えたらそれでいいと思っていました。スタートは好調でしたが、すぐペースを落とし、皆に追い付かれました。ただし､参加者がお互いに応援し合い、よく「ファイト！」を聞こえました。長い１０キロの後で､ついにスタートに戻って、精華町の生徒に応援してもらいました。ラストスパートをかけ、５９分４４秒で終われました。最後から２番目でしたが、１時間をきったのは最高です。

The finish. Notice how my face is the color of a bruised tomato

Obviously all the winners got prizes, but every participant got a Seika Marathon towel and a free udon lunch. (Apparently in Japan you get a towel instead of a shirt for events) The race was really well attended with a couple hundred participants and all their supporters. Running is clearly very big in Japan, and many people were already talking about what race to do next. Although I hurt like heck afterwards, the race was really fun, and I’m looking forward to running again next year. Time to start training.

優勝者は賞､それ以外の参加者全員はオリジナルタオルとうどん券をもらいました。参加ランナーは何百人と多く、応援者もたくさんいました。ランニングは日本でとても人気ようで、次のレースについて話している人もいました。１０キロの後で私はひどく痛みましたが、本当に楽しかったので、来年の精華マラソンを楽しみしています。トレーニングを始めましょう！

The Best Train in Seika 精華町の一番いい汽車

One of my favorite things about Japan is the whole train system. We don’t really have a good train system back in America, so I really like the ease and cheapness of the Japanese train systems. Of course, trains themselves are also pretty cool, so when I heard that I would get to go visit a man who had his own steam train, I was pretty excited.

日本の好きなこと一つは鉄道網です。アメリカの鉄道網はあんまりよくないので、日本の鉄道網の楽さと安さなどが好きです。そして、列車もかっこいいです。そのため自分の汽車を持っている人を訪ねることができた時、とてもワクワクしました。

Apparently the owner had for many years been inviting local daycares to come and let the kids ride, and I was going to help out in crowd control/entertaining the kids. Although I had heard of this model train, it was really cool to see it for myself. At a little over three feet long and powered by steam, it’s an adorable little thing, but had a surprising amount of kick to it. We set the kids up to ride, and they started squealing with delight. The whole thing clearly made their day, although they were most enamored with the tunnel we had set up for them.

汽車の持ち主は毎年、保育所を呼びかけて子ども達を招待して乗らせています。今回僕は子どもの世話をしたり楽しませたりしました。この前任者にこの汽車について聞いて事がありましたが、本当に凄かったです。１メートル強の長さで、とても小さかったですが、意外と強かったです。僕たちは子ども達を乗せると､子ども達はキャーキャ笑い出して､とても喜んでいるようでしたが､子ども達が一番気になったことは僕たちが建てたトンネルでした。

I also got a chance to actually talk with some of the kids, which was really fun. They were all fairly young, and my favorite question of the day when one girl asked if I was Korean. I’m about as Caucasian as it gets, but this wasn’t the first time this kind of thing had happened (kids have asked me before why I have a foreign sounding name, implying that they think I’m Japanese.) It occurred to me that maybe some of these kids had never met a foreigner before, and so didn’t have any idea what one would look like. I don’t know if that’s the case, but it certainly is interesting to see how really young Japanese kids react when meeting a non-Japanese person for the first time. But before I could respond, saying that no, I was American, and giving some long winded lecture on national identity, another girl blurted in, “You have an eigo (English language) face!” So there you go. After that, they told me they were learning English words for fruit, so we had a great time playing the “What’s that fruit?” game.

そして､子ども達と話す機会もあり、凄く楽しかったです。そして、一人の女の子に「韓国人ですか」と聞かれました。僕は完全に白人ですが、こういうことを聞かれる事は何回もありました。（子ども達は前に、｢何で外国っぽい名前ですか？」と聞き､僕が日本人だと思ったようでした。）この子ども達は外国人に会ったことがなかったかもしれないので、外国人のイメージもないと思いました。そういうことかどうか分からないですが､日本の子ども達の、初めての外国人との出会いを見るのは面白いですね。しかし､僕が答える前に、他の子は「お兄さん、英語の顔しているよ！｣と言いました。そうですね。後､皆が果物の英語の名前を習っていたときいて､「あの果物何？」というゲームをしました。

The day ended before I would of liked it, but it was really great to see all those kids so happy.

アッという間に終わりましたが､子ども達の笑顔は最高でした。

Plus I got to do this.

そして、こういうこともできました。

So a great day all-in-all.

いい日でした。

精華子ども祭り The Seika Children's Festival

　On October 16th, Seika held the 8th annual Seika Children’s Festival, and I have to say, it was possibly the most fun I’ve had all year. From 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, kids from all over Seika got the chance to play games, make arts and crafts, and listen to concerts.
１０月１６日（土）、精華町のむくのきセンターで「第８回精華町子ども祭り」が行われました。正直にいって、今までで一番楽しかったです。午前９時から午後３時まで、町内の子ども達がゲームをしたり、図画工作をしたり､歌や演奏を聞くことができました。

The event opened early in the morning with a few words from the mayor and other officials, followed by concerts from a local school band, and the town Boys and Girls Chorus. After the performances kids had the chance to wander around the Mukunoki Center auditorium, playing with all kinds of fun things. They could make flower bookmarks, do some yoga, make paper helicopters, learn some sign language, and all other kind of fun things!
本イベントは朝早くに始まり、木村町長をはじめ関係者らが挨拶し、続いて精華町内の学校の吹奏楽部による演奏や少年少女合唱団による合唱でを開けました。その後、子ども達は会場内をウロウロし、色々な面白いことも出来ました。子ども達は押し花を作ったり、ヨガをしたり、竹とんぼを作ったり、手話を習ったり、本当に様々な楽しい体が験できました！

For my part, I helped out at the international exchange booth, leading a ring toss game, talking to the kids about my home back in Wisconsin, and just generally having a great time. The children also got to cut out and make little rabbits with messages on them that the Seika Global Network is going to send to a school in Norman, Oklahoma, Seika’s sister city. I have to say that, being a big kid at heart myself, the entire day was more fun than a barrel of spider monkeys. Some of the kids were nervous talking to me at first, probably on account of my fearsome beard, but once they opened up they were all smiles and looked like they were having a great time. When my Dad came a while back, he brought me about 40 pounds of Halloween candy, so I decided that it would be a good prize for kids who played ring toss. Based on the fact that those 40 pounds of candy are now all gone, I’ll go ahead and say that the event was a great success.

私は、国際交流のブースで､輪投げゲームを教えたり、地元のウィスコンシン州について話したりしていました。子ども達は紙のウサギにメッセージを書いて､これらはせいかグローバルネットが姉妹都市のノーマン市へ送られます。実際は私が心の底では子どもだから、一日は最高でした。子ども達の中には僕と話していた時に、始めにちょっと恐がっていた人もいたが、心を開かせると、子ども達を止めることは出来ませんでした。この前､父親がハロウィーンキャンディーを２０キロぐらい持ってきてくれたので､輪投げをやった子どもにあげようと思いました。その２０キロは完全になくなったので､せいかグローバルネットのところはちょっと人気だったかもしれません。

Not surprisingly, I got a lot of questions from the kids about why I could speak Japanese. I tried to explain that anybody can learn a foreign language if they try, and that I’d been studying Japanese for 6 years, longer than some of them had been alive! Lots of Japanese kids, and some adults as well, have the misconception that foreign people can’t learn to speak Japanese. Hopefully by talking to these kids in Japanese some of them learned that anyone, Japanese or not, can learn the language.

驚くことではないが、子ども達になぜ日本語を話せるかと聞かれました。子ども達に勉強したら誰でも外国語を話せることを説明し、僕の場合はもう６年間ぐらい勉強していて、子ども達の何人かには､その子ども達が生まれた前に日本語を勉強しはじめたことも伝えました。日本人の子どもは、そして大人も、外国人が日本語を全然話せないとよく誤解しています。ずっと子ども達と日本語で話したので、その子ども達はだれでも日本語を話せることを覚えたらうれしいです。

And on a cultural note, one thing that always surprises me about Japan is how independent the kids are. During the day, I had plenty of kids come up to talk to me and play the ring toss game without their parents around. This happens in everyday situations too, as you’ll often see kids in the street or in shops wandering around by themselves. Although you’ll occasionally see kids by themselves in America, Japanese kids seem to be given a lot more freedom in roaming around and exploring.

文化的なことに気づいたこと、日本の子ども達がすごく独立心が強いことで、いつもびっくりしています。本イベント一日で、多くの子どもは一人で私に話し掛けて､輪投げをしにきました。こういうことはよく道や店で子どもだけの姿を見かけるなど、毎日のようによく見ています。アメリカでたまに両親といない子どもを見るが､日本人の子ども達のほうが独立心みたいです。

I think the event was a great success, and the kids I met and talked to just made my day, even if they made fun of my beard. Hopefully some of the kids remember me when I go to visit their schools in the coming months.

イベントは大成功だったと思うけど、来月に行く学校訪問で、私のことを覚えていてくれる子どもがいたらいいですね。

精華町のイベント １８日～３１日 / Seika Schedule, Oct. 18th~31st

Sorry this is a little late, but here’s the list for events for the second half of October in Seika,
以下は精華町で１０月後半に行うイベントです～


The War God and Friends
Keihanna  Event
WHEN: October 17th(Sun), 24th(Sun), 10:00 - 17:00
WHERE: Suikeien Tsukinoniwa
WHAT: Complete with sculputres, paintings, and photographs, this art show promises to be an exciting look at many different interpretations of the War Gods.

第１回鬼神と仲間たち
けいはんな記念公園（精華町）
日時：１０月１７日(日)－２４日(日）、午前１０時ー午後５時
場所：水景園　ギャラリー月の庭
内容：陶芸、絵画、写真など多ジャンルの作品が集まったエネルギッシュなグループ展です。


Starry Night Cafe
Keihanna  Event
WHEN: October 23rd(Sat), 18:00 - 20:00
WHERE: Suikeien Entrance
WHAT: Come enjoy some lovely stargazing. Jupiter will be at it’s brightest, and you can see the Hartley 2 comet, which only comes every 6 years.

星空カフェ～木星とハートレイ第２彗星をみてみよう！～
けいはんな記念公園（精華町）
日時：１０月２３日(土)、午後６時ー８時
場所：水景園受付前
内容：木星がひときわ明るく輝き、６．５年の周期でめぐるハートレイ彗星が地球の近くを通ります。秋の天体観測を楽しみましょう。


Autumn Wind Concert- On Flute and Piano
Keihanna  Event
WHEN: October 24th(Sun), 14:00 - 15:00
WHERE: Suikeien
WHAT: Listen to the beautiful harmony of a flute and piano duet in the lovely fall scenery of a Japanese garden!

秋風コンサート～フルートとピアノの調べ～
けいはんな記念公園（精華町）
日時：１０月２４日(日)、午後２時ー３時
場所：水景園
内容：秋の日本庭園で、フルートとピアノの美しいハーモニーをお楽しみください！


Exhibition of the Winning Entries from the 26th Green Kyoto Photo Contest
Keihanna  Event
WHEN: October 26th(Tues) - 29th(Fri)
WHERE: Suikeien Tsukinoniwa Gallery
WHAT: Enjoy photographs of the lush and verdant Kyoto scenery.

第２６回京都まちとみどり写真コンクール入選作品展
けいはんな記念公園（精華町）
日時：１０月２６日(火)－２９日(金）、午前９時ー午後５時
場所：水景園　ギャラリー月の庭
内容：緑豊かな美しい京都の町をお楽しみください。


Making your own Wilderness Fort!
Keihanna  Event
WHEN: October 31st(Sun), 13:00 - 16:00
WHERE: Suikeien
WHAT: Part of the popular “Nature Explorer” series; for 500 Yen, you can use supplies from the woods cardboard, and sheets to make your own fort! Please call for information.　Keihanna Plaza Information: 93-1200.

あつまれ！芽ぶきの森のこびとたち　森のかくれがづくり
けいはんな記念公園（精華町）
日時：１０月３１日(日)、午後１時ー午後４時
場所：水景園
内容：人気の自然体験シリーズ。森の素材や、ダンボール、シーツを使って、世界に一つだけの隠れ家を作ろう。電話で下記のところへ。
参加費：５００円
申込方法：９３－１２００


Boys and Girls Chorus Pre-event
Keihanna  Event
WHEN: October 31st(Sun), doors open at 13:00, concert begins 13:30,
WHERE: Keihanna Plaza Main hall　
WHAT: As part of next year’s 26th National Culture festival, the Kyoto prefecture Boys and Girls Chorus groups are scheduled to perform in November of next year. As preparation for that event, the Kyoto Boys and Girls Choruses are holding a concert on October 31st at the Keihanna Plaza. Performing will be the Boys and Girls Chorus and wind instrument accompaniment, as well as the Seika Town middle school band.

Entrance is free, but a ticket is required. You may pick up tickets at the Lifelong education division on the third floor of the Seika Town office, the Mukunoki Center, the Kashinokien Hall, and the Seika town Citizen’s service corner. Ticket supplies are limited and will handed out on a first-come first-serve basis.

少年少女合唱フェスティバル開催
けいはんな記念公園（精華町）
日時：１０月３１日(日)、午後１時開場、午後１時３０分開演
場所：けいはんなプラザ・メインホール
内容：「第２６回国民文化祭・京都２０１１」の1年前イベントとして、京都府内の少年少女合唱団の出演による「少年少女合唱フェスティバルプレイベント」を１０月３１日、けいはんなプラザで開催します。今回のプレイベントでは府内各合唱団の合唱発表や、合唱団と町内３中学校の吹奏楽部との合同演奏などが行われます。入場は無料ですが、入場整理券が必要です。入場整理券は、町役場３階・生涯学習課、むくのきセンター、かしのき苑、精華町住民サービスコーナーで取り扱います。


What’s Kai up to?

I honestly have no idea yet, but the Starry Night Café looks fun and relaxing, so I may head over there.


カイは何をしていますか？

まだ全然分からないが､星空カフェ～は面白そうで、行くかもしれません。

Japanese Moon-Viewing and the Autumnal Equinox/お月見と秋分の日

Though this is up a little late, I still figured it would be fun to write about the “moon-viewing” event held here in Seika on September 23rd. Never having been to moon watching event before, I knew little about the practice, other than the fact that everyone eats “dango,” sweet rice ball treats. My sweet tooth demanded my participation.
もう大分古い話ですが、けいはんな記念公園の「観月の夕べ」に参加しました。お月見などに行ったことがなかったので、何が起こるか分かりませんでしたが､皆が団子を食べる事は分かっていました。だから､別腹を鎮めようとおもいました。

Though the main event was moon watching (obviously) there were performances by three different traditional Japanese music groups. We got there (My dad came to Japan to visit and I went with him,) at around 7, and though we sadly missed the Taiko performance, the other two groups were wonderful, with haunting flute melodies and a great combination of traditional Japanese instruments and a more modern beat. There was also the moon art exhibit, an ongoing art competition based on the theme of the moon, where people could vote for their favorite piece.

イベントの主な部分はお月見だったが､三つの伝統的な音楽グループによる演奏もありました。私と来日中の父は７時ごろに着いて、残念ながら最初の太鼓グループの演奏を見ることが出来ませんでした、他の二グループは本当に凄かったです。講演以外には、月のアート展もあって､一番好きな作品を投票できました。

It was jam packed with people, and everyone seemed to be having a very relaxing time sitting, snacking on treats, observing the moon through the telescope and just enjoying the sights and sounds.

とても賑やかで皆がリラックスしたり、お菓子食べたり､望遠鏡で月を見たりして、雰囲気を楽しんでいるようでした。

The moon kept going in and out of clouds which made for a very dramatic scene, and as stereotypical as it sounds, standing next to bamboo and watching the moon through the clouds, I couldn’t help but thinking how very Japanese and zen it all seemed. Then I ate about 15 dango and completely ruined the moment. Oh well.

月は雲の後ろに隠れたり出たり、本当に、「日本」の感じがしました。団子１５個ぐらい食べてしまって、その素的な雰囲気を壊しました。

A meeting with the mayor of Seika / 木村町長とのミーティング

My dad came to visit a last week, and we had quite a few adventures wandering around and going to see the sights in Kyoto and Nara. I also had the chance to introduce my father to the Mayor of Seika, Mr. Kimura. I was about as nervous as a cat in room full of rocking chairs, but as you can see from the pictures, it seemed to go off pretty well.

先週、私の父が見にきて､京都と奈良で色々なアドベンチャーがありましたよ。そして､父を木村町長に紹介できました。通訳するのはとても緊張しましたが､写真の通り、楽しかったです。