The Fishermen's Dance: Soran! Soran!

It's one of the busiest time of the school year. Teachers and students are preparing for the upcoming Sports Festival at the end of the this month. Last school periods are cancelled to give way to practice. The usual fifty- minute classes are shortened to 45 minutes. Even the club activities became comparatively lighter and less rigorous so students can practice. Everything just seems hectic.

The main reason for everyone's busyness is for practicing the Japanese traditional dance called Soran. Wikipedia provides some interesting facts about this dance:

• The dance is based on the song "Soran bushi." This is the work song of Japanese fishermen. 
• The dance depicts ocean waves, fishermen dragging nets, pulling ropes and lifting their catch.
• The words that the dancers utter, "DOKKOISHO!" and "SORAN" are meant to encourage the fishermen in their work. 

photo credit: http://www.colombo-plan.org/asianyouthcongress/?p=449

This traditional dance is part of the Physical Education curriculum in Japan. 

The dance steps are actually simple. There are some waving of arms and bending of knees together with some pulling motions. The dancers don't actually move much from their spot except on the last part for the last formation. What makes the practice hard was the fact that about 90-100 students have to dance in unison.

photo credit:http://english.scout.or.kr/News.do?action=view&brdno=1227&sitecode=02&brdctsno=4447

The school that I work for is quite big with 6-7 classes for each grade level. The students will be divided to 7 groups represented by colors. Each group will have a class for first year, second year and third year. This will total to about a hundred students in each group. 

The students' dance will become the highlight of the Sports Festival. It is a competition of who can perform the same dance best. Because of this, I can see that even the most uncooperative students participate. What's also good is how the the third year students step up to lead the smaller groups of first and second years. Even those who are not leader-material have this time to be leaders.

During practice, I can see the tiredness and little annoyances on the students' faces. The beauty is even if complaints are written on their faces, they'd still do whatever is expected of them. Even the most unruly student suppress their frustration and just do what the whole group is doing That's Japanese 'obedience'  and 'submission' for you. 

I believe that the best part of this whole dance is how it brings the students together. Last year, after the Sports Festival, students seem to be friendlier across levels. They have become closer with the whole ordeal of practicing under the heat of the sun. They became more open in a way.

For the following days to come, I know I'll see tired faces, hear unceasing shouts of "Soran" and maybe meet some sun-smelling students. But I know, the school will also be cloaked in excitement and have an atmosphere of light camaraderie.

Summer Camping at Akiha

It was Marine Day last July 15th so there were no classes and work. My friends, Helen and Joel,  and I made the most of it by camping for 2 days at Akiha Campsite.

mountains and river along the road

Akiha is in the northern part of Hamamatsu in the Tenryu-Haruno area. It's way up in the mountain but can be accessed by public transportation. The place is surrounded by lush green mountains which I think would be lovely in autumn.

From Shin-Hamamatsu Station, Joel and I took the red train going to Nishikajima. Helen joined us at the Sukenobo Station. We got off at the Nishikajima Station which is the last station so it's impossible to miss it. Then, we boarded a bus going to Akiha just outside of Nishikajima Station. Make sure to ask the driver if it's going to Akiha campsite because there were several buses there. After more than 40 minutes, the bus dropped us off directly at the campsite.

The campsite is a large rocky area with the Keta River meandering on the side. Tents can be rented along with barbecue grills, fishing gears and small kayaking boats. There were also basic accommodations for families with small kids Toilets and wash areas are available.

the campsite in the early morning

Joel crossing the other side

(More on Places in Japan, here.)

We dipped in the water to ease the heat of the noonday sun. Some people were fishing and sitting on the edge of river. There were a bunch of kids swimming on the safer part of the river. The river's current is quite fast so actual swimming is not really recommended.

Keta River on a cloudy afternoon

After an hour or two, we hiked to the nearest shrine. It was a few minutes away from the bus stop. There was a more famous shrine- the Akiha shrine, up in the mountains but it would take us two hours of walking to get there. If you got a car, Helen highly recommended to drop by and visit.

Then, the campsite owner offered to take us to the public bath and onsen just a few minutes away from the site. The fee was really cheap- 100 Yen. It seemed to be a relatively new bathhouse but small with only 5 shower stalls. We had to wait for Joel because he said there were lots of kids in the male's bath. The water temperature was perfect though. The bath is only open until 5 pm.

Along the way, the owner also showed us the largest tengu in Japan. It was given 20 years ago after a tengu festival in Kyoto. It was impressive.

In the late afternoon, we had  a barbecue. I suggest you bring your own coals if you can. The coals in the site took more than an hour to heat up. The owner had to help us ignite and heat it.

Barbecue with friends

(More on Hamamatsu here)

It wasn't really quiet during the night as I have expected. Birds were humming and tweeting in a non-disturbing way. A few passing cars was a welcome sound since we were the only ones who camped for the night. The night sky was clear and perfect for star gazing.

The following day, the owner took the effort to bring us breakfast and drive us to the bus stop. He was overwhelmingly kind.

This was my first time to camp in Hamamatsu and I'm glad that I went out there and see another side of this place.

Facial Snail: Snails as Beauty Treatment

Beauty products in Japan never cease to amaze me. From wide range of whitening products to fake eyelashes. From various sunscreens to just about any kind of product to beautify almost all body parts. And now, snails are also hoping to make its way to the health and beauty section. Not sure if I'm for it or not. It's interesting, though. 

Reference: http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/snails-face-beauty-treatment-offers-slime-power

Snails face: Beauty treatment offers slime power

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Snails crawl on the face of a woman, as part of a new beauty treatment at a beauty salon in Tokyo, on July 13, 2013AFP

TOKYO —

Having live snails crawling on your face sounds like the thing of nightmares, but in Japan one company is hoping people will be prepared to pay for it.

Women who want to slough off dead skin, clear their pores or roll back the years can submit themselves to five minutes of molluscs.

“Slime from snails helps remove old cells, heal the skin after sun burn and moisturise it,” said Manami Takamura, a spokeswoman for Tokyo-based beauty salon Ci:z.Labo, as she placed three gastropods on a woman’s face.

“In this way, you can have 100% pure snail essence directly on the skin.”

Snail slime is believed to have an anti-aging effect on human skin, and some cosmetics are already sold with essence of escargot.

But Ci:z.Labo beauty salon is going one step further in what it says is the first live snail treatment in Japan.

As part of the salon’s “Celebrity Escargot Course” customers will get five minutes of snail therapy, along with massage and other facial treatments.

The snails alone cost 10,500 yen. Sayaka Ito said she had found the treatment so relaxing that she had almost fallen asleep.

“You can feel the snails moving on your face. At first, it is surprising, but it’s actually rather nice,” she said. “My skin really does feel smooth and moist.”