The Daibutsu, Ikebana, Iaido, and Bon Dance Woes

I'm sorry for the long delay again.  Also sorry, dear viewers, that I can't share any of my pictures with you at this moment.  Do you know why?  No, it's not because of personal problems, or because they were too dark, or because my camera is broken.  No, it's because Blogger is a piece of unmitigated garbage and refuses to upload my pictures.  So Thank you, Blogger.  Because of you, my family and friends will not get to see my trips to exotic locales overseas.  I hate this stupid thing so much!


Now that that's out of my system, I'll try and be more upbeat.  We've just had midterms here at Kansai Gaidai and they were killer, stress inducing nightmares.  The Japanese language midterms, anyway.  That's the reason for my long delay.  I've been up all night, every night, studying my butt off to try and do well on them.  I probably did okay, but...Christ, the midterms in Japan are way, way worse than those in America.


Anyway, I went to Nara last Sunday.  Nara is much like Kyoto.  Very rustic and idyllic.  Where I visited it was almost like taking a trip back in time.  I traveled with friends and we saw monks accepting alms, people in Kimono's, Japanese girls and boys in their school uniforms, all the sort of imagery people associate with Japan.  It was most pleasant and very relaxing there.

On our trip to see the great Daibutsu of Nara, which is a gigantic bronze buddha statue, we fed the deer in Nara park.  These little fellows seemed very smart, as they were able to wait at cross walks and even bow.  Most were pretty rambunctious though, chasing after some of my friends, snubbing others who offered them food, and even stealing food from others.  We even saw a dear steal a man's homework, right out of his notebook, and eat it!  Hilarious.

There were so many school girls and boys in their navy blue skirts and black uniforms respectively at the site of Todaiji, where the Daibutsu is housed.  That surprised me a bit at first, but when I went inside...wow, there really is no way to describe how huge the "Big Buddha of Nara" really is.  It's...unreal.  It sits on a golden throne with bodhisattvas carved all over it and flanked on either side by smaller Buddhas and what looked like warrior gods.  We also did a special touristy thing at the big Buddha.  There is a hole, said to be as big as the Daibutsu's nostril, where if you can pass through it, you will have good luck, or something.  It's a tight squeeze, but we all managed to make it.  I went second out of my five friends and ironically, had the least amount of trouble.  The girls, who were all very thing might I add, had a lot of trouble and panicked a little.  The crowd was very encouraging and clapped for them though, which made the whole experience very fun.  We topped off the evening with donuts and takoyaki before returning to our respective homes.  We were tired, but satisfied.


I returned to Ikebana this week as well.  Plans are being made to present something for the cultural fair in November, but this week we just made a pleasant little flower arrangement that resembled a pine forest.  I would show you but...you know...


I also did more practice for Bon Dance.  It's really coming together and today we got to wear our ceremonial kimonos.  Mine was a dark blue one, covered in golden fans, with a tint of light blue around the edges.  Very elegant...but I can't show it to you yet.  The dance is hard work, even though it only lasts for four minutes.  There is so much to remember.


I had planned to go a festival tonight, but the rain has discouraged me.  It was set to be a long and rather tiresome affair anyway, so I don't feel to bad.  I would have liked to go to at least one Japanese festival, but most of them are in the spring...so maybe next time.


Most of my nights in the last few weeks have been taken up preparing for a presentation in my language class on Iaido, which is a martial art that is noncombative.  It involves rapidly unsheathing a sword, moving it about, then resheathing it.  The subject is fascinating and I wish I could take it.  I even checked out books on Iaijutsu and Iaido for the presentation...but the hardest part is that it all has to be spoken in Japanese.  My speaking partner Keiko has been a life saver in this, because she has helped me translate my speech.  Now I just need to memorize and practice it.


I had a dream last night that I had finally gone home, dear viewers.  But it was much earlier than I expected and I was shocked to learn how sick and heartbroken I was to leave.  Though I do miss home and the freedom of living on my own, I feel I would also miss this kind of life, even though I feel more tired and have to deal with a lot more people everyday.  A word to the wise for potential travelers.  Fall too much in love with a place and you may make yourself ill when the time comes to leave.


That's all for now.  Some personal issues weigh heavily on my mind(don't they always...) but life here is pretty good.  I've made several new friends since the Nara trip and am trying to get through the year.  I feel all traveled out, but I would still like to go to Fushimi Inari, an authentic and ancient Shinto Shrine, and an Onsen.  Stay tuned for that.


I'll also try and upload my pictures of this trip later, but we'll have to see if Blogger is done throwing it's tantrum and will let me do my work.


Hopefully I can share more of trip with you next time, dear viewers.  Till then, be well.