いごもり祭 / The Igomori Festival

Before coming to Seika, I had the chance to peruse around the internet to see what the town would be like. Although most of the stuff wasn’t surprising, I kept running across pictures of a festival where what looked like a giant flaming log was being carried around. The festival was called “Igomori Matsuri,” and is apparently one of Seika’s more famous happenings. The festival looked like a lot of fun, and has been something I’ve looked forward to since coming to Seika.　And on January 18th, I finally got the chance to go.

来町前に、精華町はどういうところかを分かるようによくインターネットで検索しました｡多くのことは想像していた通りだったけど、氏子に運ばれている炎の丸太みたいな大松明の祭りの写真を何回も見ました｡いごもり祭と言われて､精華町の有名な出来事のようでした。祭りはとても楽しそうだったから、来町から一番期待していること一つでした。そして、1月18日（火）にいよいよ行けました｡

The festival is held yearly at Hosono Shrine in Seika, and consists of taking a huge torch made from bamboo trees and bean stalks, and then lighting the thing on fire and carrying it around the city streets. Though they’ve never weighed the torch, people at the festival told me it was about 80 kilos. And though it’s passed off between the parishioners now, apparently in the good ol’ days the torch was carried by only one man at a time. According to legend, the tradition was started to appease the vengeful spirit of Emperor Kaika’s brother Takehani Yasuhiko, who was killed for treason over 2000 years ago.

いごもり祭は毎年精華町の祝園神社で行われます。竹の木と豆の木でできている大松明に火をつけって、白装束の男の氏子に担がれ町内を練り歩きます。大松明を量ったことがないけど、ベテラン参加者によると80キロもあります。さらに､現在は何人かの氏子に交代で担がれているけど、昔は一人で担がれたそうです。伝説によると、2000年前に朝廷に背いた崇神天皇の弟武埴安彦（たけはにやすひこ）はこの辺りに討伐されて、鬼神になりました。武埴安彦の鬼神を鎮めるように、いごもり祭が始まったと言われています。

The festival had yet to start when I got there, but food stalls were set up, and people seemed to be having fun just milling about and talking. I started talking with some local kids, and basically became their buddy for the night. I told them jokes, taught some English and repeatedly explained that no, gorillas, lions, and giraffes don’t roam wild in America.

着いたら祭りはまだ始まっていなかったけど、屋台などが設置されたし、皆さんが楽しそうでぶらぶらしていました。地元の小学校生達と話し始めて、冗談を言ったり、英語を教えたり、アメリカでは野生のゴリラ、ライオン、キリンがいないと説明したり、すぐ仲良くなりました。

Soon the festival got under way, and the men tasked with carrying the torch started a fire inside Hosono shrine. Now, I knew there would some flame and such, but I was not prepared for the fifteen-foot high inferno that burst out, with flames licking the roof of the wooden temple. It seemed unsafe at the time, but somehow I made it back alive. After letting the flames die down, the torch was carried out and started on it’s journey around Seika. The torch is followed by a compartment containing the god of the shrine, and it took them about an hour to complete the course. By the time they finally got back, the torchbearers looked beat, but really happy to have taken part.

そしていごもり祭が始まって､氏子は祝園神社内で火を起こしました。火はちょっと大きいと分かっていたけど、神社の天井に届く高さ4メートルの炎には覚悟できていませんでした。その時はちょっと危なそうでしたけど､ちゃんと生きて帰ってきました。不火になったら、大松明は氏子に担がれ町内を練り歩き出しました｡大松明の後に神様が入っている箱が続いて、一時間後戻ってきました。氏子達は本当に疲れたみたいだったけど、参加できてうれしそうでした。

It was nice to see people of all ages at the event. These kinds of festivals are fun, not only because I got to see a huge burning torch this time, but also because you get to meet people from all age brackets and lifestyles. I spoke with everyone from elementary school kids to octogenarians, and learned a lot about the Igomori festival, and Seika’s history. Like town fairs in the States, Japanese festivals are a great place to meet people who, though you all live in the same town, might never run into otherwise. Admittedly though, American fairs usually don’t have giant burning torches, so this was a fun treat to see.

祭りを見れただけではなく、あらゆる年齢の人々と会えたから、いごもり祭が凄く好きになりました。小学校4年生から80歳代の方とも話して、いごもり祭と精華町の歴史について教えてもらいました。もう来年の祭りを楽しみしています。アメリカの祭りと同じで、日本の祭りで同じ所に住んでも普通に会わない人と会えるから面白いです。確かにアメリカの祭りはあまり炎の大松明がないから、いごもり祭を見れてよかったです。

Coming of age Day in Seika \ 成人の日

Although many countries and cultures have a coming of age tradition, the ways in which each celebrate are very different. Jewish children celebrate Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah, young Americans have their 21st birthday and all the revelry that goes with that, and in Japan there is Coming of Age Day. On January tenth, Coming of Age Ceremonies were held in every city, town and village in Japan, and people who turned twenty in past year gathered to celebrate the start of their new, adult lives.

成人の文化を持つ国や民族は多いですが､それぞれの文化の祝い方は大きく違います。ユダヤ教徒の子どもがバル・ミツワーとバト・ミツバー（子どもが大人の責任を持てる年齢に達したことを記念して行われる成人式。男の子が13歳になるとバル・ミツワーを､12歳になる女の子はバト・ミツバー）を祝って､アメリカ人は２１歳のパーティなどしますが、日本では成人の日があります。今年度二十歳になった若者が各市町村で行われる成人式に集まり、新しい門出を祝いました。



I was lucky enough to get to go to part of Seika’s Coming of Age ceremony, which started with a performance from the Seika Girls and Boys Chorus. There were at least a hundred kids in the chorus, and though I thought that a chorus that big and that young couldn't be too easy on the ears, the kids could really sing, and all the 20 year olds seemed impressed too. Then Mayor Kimura and Seika Town Assembly President Sugiura each gave a speech welcoming the new adults, expressing hope that all those in attendance take the time to thank their parents and everyone else who helped them grow and learn. Group pictures were taken, and all of the participants went upstairs for free food and games, whereupon, not wanting to be the elephant in the room, I gracefully bowed out.
私は運が良くて精華町の成人式に行けることになりました。成人式は少年少女合唱団の歌から始まりました。合唱に百人の子どもぐらいがいて､メンバーは多くて、若者ばかりなので、うまく歌えないと思いましたが､合唱の子どもたちは本当に凄くできて､新成人も感動したようでした。次に、木村町長と精華町議会の杉浦議長がスピーチをし､新成人が両親やお世話になった人にちゃんと感謝を伝えられるように期待を表しました。グループの写真が撮影後、新成人が交流会で軽食を食べたり、ゲームをしたりしましたが、私はその時に帰りました。

One of the most notable elements of Coming of Age Day is the dress that new adult women wear. Although young men normally dress in suits for the ceremony, the young women wear incredibly colorful furisode (a type of kimono with long sleeves), and often spend hours on their hair and make-up. Even if you don’t get to go to the actual ceremony, you’re still very likely to see young women wearing their furisode around town, and it’s always a surprise to walk onto a train and see a gaggle of young women decked out in elaborate gowns and gigantic hair. Although you see women in Kimono and Yukata at festivals and the like, the level of effort put into the Coming of Age Ceremony dresses is staggering, and expensive, with some young women spending thousands of dollars preparing the dress and make up.

成人の日といえば、新成人の女の人が着ている着物です。男の人は普通にスーツを着ますが、女の人は色彩豊かな振袖を着て､さらに髪などに何時間も費やします。成人式に行けなくても、振袖を着ている女の人を街で見る可能性は高く、電車などで振袖の格好をしている女の人達を見ると驚きます。

Santa for a Day / 一日のサンタクロース

This happened a little while back, but because it was the highlight of my year, I want to share it. In late December, I got to dress up as Santa Claus and visit a day-care in Seika, and it was fantastic.

これがちょっと前の話ですが、一年の一番楽しかったイベントでしたから、皆に教えたかったです。１２月下旬、私はサンタクロースの衣装を着て、精華町の保育所に訪問しました。本当に素的でした。

Admittedly, the day started out with me visiting kids under one year old, who upon seeing me promptly started crying. Though I felt bad about that, the teachers assured me that they cry when they see anyone new, so it’s kind of a given that a large bearded man wearing only red would freak them out a little bit. The older kids, on the other hand, were practically screaming with excitement when I (Santa) walked in the room. I sang them a few songs, answered their questions, and gave them presents that the teachers had helped prepare. I also got to pass out cards from kids in Norman, Oklahoma, Seika’s sister city. The kids were great, and it felt good to be able to make their day.

まず１歳下の児童と会いに行きましたが、児童達は私を見ると泣き出しました。気分が悪かったが、先生によるとその児童は知らない人を見たら泣き出します。体が大きくて赤い服で白ひげを生やした男を見ると、ちょっと恐がるのは当たり前ですね。しかし､サンタさん(私)が入った時に、年長児は興奮にワクワクしていました。子どもにクリスマス歌を歌って、質問を答えて、先生が準備してくれたプレゼントを渡しました。そして、精華町の姉妹都市オクラホマ州ノーマン市の生徒達からの手紙も渡しました。子どもたちは本当に凄くて､喜ばせるのはとても嬉しかったです。

When I got to work in January, there was a pile of cards from the kids at the nursery school on my desk. Sure, they were all addressed to Santa, but I was still touched.

１月に仕事に戻ったら、保育所の児童からの手紙は机のうえに置いてありました。もちろんサンタクロース宛でしたが、本当に感激しました。

9th Japanese Message Contest 第９回外国人によるとメッセージコンテスト

On December 19th, Seika Town held the 9th Annual Japanese Message Contest. Although there were not as many presenters as last year, 9 representatives from China, Costa Rica, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Romania came to give speeches about life in Japan. There were speeches on everything from the Japanese transportation system, to mountain climbing, the service industry, and even Dracula!　

「第９回外国人による日本語のメッセージコンテスト」が、１２月１９日(日）に開催されました。昨年のコンテストに比べて今回は出場者がすくなかったが、中国、コスタリカ、ウクライナ、ルーマニア、チェコの代表９人が日本に暮らして感じたことについて発表しました。日本の交通システム、山のぼり、サービス産業､ドラキュラまでのスピーチもありました。

Before the speeches, a recipient of the Seika Town Overseas Experience Grant gave a presentation about his experience studying abroad in the USA. As an American, I’m always interested to hear what surprises people about life in the States. For this student, he was surprised to see customers chatting with clerks at stores, since clerks in Japan are always very formal with customers. I definitely understand this sentiment, as I often try to make conversation with clerks here, often to be met only with confused silence.

メッセージコンテストの出場者の発表の前に､「精華町海外体験補助金」の受給者による米国での留学の体験について聞きました。アメリカ人として、外国人がアメリカの生活に驚くことを知りたいです。この学生にとって、日本の店員はいつもお客さんと丁寧にしているので､アメリカで店員とお客さんのおしゃべりを見てびっくりしました。確かにこの感じ分かりますが､日本でよく店員さんと話し掛けるが、たいてい会話に入りません。

After this it was time for the main event. I have to say I was really impressed by how well everyone did. Though I’ve studied Japanese for a long time, there is a definite difference between knowing Japanese and being able to give a presentation in it. The presenters all had different levels of Japanese skill, but everyone did really, really well, and you could tell they practiced a lot. The audience seemed really interested and during the breaks there were a lot of questions and discussion going on between the presenters and the audience members.

これの後、当日の本番が始まりました。本当に皆の発表に感心しました。私はもう何年間日本語を勉強しましたが､日本語で話せるのと日本語と発表出来るのは完全違います。発表者はそれぞれの日本語の能力がありましたが、皆は凄く良くできて､よく練習していたと分かりました。視聴者は、外国人から見た日本の社会や文化の意見を聞いて楽しんでいるようで、休憩の時に発表者と視聴者の間でいいディスカションがありました。

After the speeches, we were treated to a performance of “The Magic Box” by the members of the Seika West Middle School International Exchange Club. The students performed the play, about a magical box that grants three wishes, entirely in English, with explanations in Japanese and English. Remembering my middle school days, I think I would have had a heart attack just standing in front of a crowd, much less performing in a foreign language, so it was nice to see kids with so much gusto and confidence.

視聴者も出場者も、精華西中学校国際交流部による「オズの魔法使い」の英語劇を楽しみました。英語のセリフをじっくり暗記した熱心な努力に感動しました。国際交流部は精華町や日本の学校生活などを紹介したものも展示しました。これを精華町の姉妹都市である米国オクラホマ州ノーマン市にある中学校で展示していただく予定があります。

At last, via votes from audience members and the panel of judges, Shu Meiji from China was announced as the winner for her speech 「わたしの１６才」(My 16th Year), discussing the issues she faces living in Japan all by herself at 16. Despite her young age, Shu has fantastic Japanese, and it makes me jealous to think how fluent she will be by the time she is my age.

視聴者の投票と審査員の審査により、最優秀賞は、日本に住んでいる１６才の若い人の生活について発表した、中国出身の周明慈さんの「わたしの１６才」に決定されました。若いくせに、周さんは日本語で凄く上手で、絶対将来で凄いことが出来ると思います。

The event was a lot of fun, and it was really good to hear what other foreign residents of Japan like myself think. Oftentimes I forget that there are over 3 million of us living in Japan, and that we can get a lot out of talking to and learning from each other. I hope you readers can participate next year too!

このイベントを通し、楽しい雰囲気の中、コミュニケーションをし、異文化交流をすることができました。来年はぜひあなたも参加されてはいかがでしょうか。

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。