One of the things that Kanemoto-Sensei is having them do is enter a furisode competition (a furisode is a very elaborate, long sleeved Kimono), where they have 7 minutes to dress them
selves in a Kimono and then are judged on presentation. And I can tell you, just from wearing a Yukata, the Kimono's more simplified, cotton, 
summer cousin, it isn't easy! So they started out with learning how to wear Yukatas before moving onto Kimonos. We met at the school store, where they were Aya was putting the finishing touches on everyone's hair (cute hair is a must for Yukatas apparently.) They're also really big into bows and flowers in their hair. I all ready had a flower pin so I kind of just whipped my hair into a messy bun and put the flowers in it and we were ready to go.
We went to a building on campus that I've walked by every day, but never actually knew what it was (and kind of still don't). We went to the third floor where they had this really massive classroom where a lady whom we all called "Sensei" (Teacher) helped us put on the Yukatas...or rather...the four foreigners that were there (An from Vietnam and two other Chinese students and myself.) Aya, Yumi, Akane and Asuza were able to do it by themselves.Yukatas are clearly designed for flat chested people and I am...well...not. As a result, the Yukata
Sensei had to bind my chest several times around before she even put on my Yukata (I was the only one that needed this), and even after she had tied it, underneath the obi (the belt) she had two tight velcrow type belts to push them in even further (and everyone else only needed one). After I put it on, I understood why (it would look really funny just having your chest just jutting out really far over the obi and would make you look like you don't have a collar bone/shoulders since it rides pretty high up the torso.) It just greatly amused me that I needed all that.After everyone had theirs on, of course we had the obligatory photo shoot and oohed and ahhed over everyone's Yukata and how cute they looked in them and how their color contrast between the Yukata and the Obi worked well together. My Zemi also decided that it was the perfect time to go "take a walk" (I wore the geta I got from Miyajima too! Geta are the wooden platform flip flops traditionally worn with Yukata/Kimono).
Of course, right when we went our our walk around campus, fifth period was just letting out, and our group decided that walking right down the main drag of campus was a cool idea, so there were students everywhere. Now, its summer, so I've been seeing a few yukata wearing girls around campus here and there...but its rare, so of course everyone stares and wonders what the heck they are up to...now put a Gaikokujin (foreigner) in that Yukata, and what do you think happens?Just when people were starting to get used to me on campus and I could count school as the only place in the whole country where people wouldn't really
stare...this happens. Don't get me wrong, I felt really cute in my Yukata, but was just really unnerving watching people literally part like the Red Sea to let us through and stare at me in the process. Asuza laughed at me and told me that everyone was staring at them too since they were also wearing Yukata. My response was "Er...yeah...sure...but not nearly as much as they're staring at me I think."We actually ran into Yasu on the way to Kanemoto-sensei's office and he literally did a double take when he saw me and the only thing that could come out of his mouth was "What are you doing?! Is there some kind of festival?!" Apparently everyone knows all the teachers on campus or something (wish I could say that about Penn State), because when I told him it was for Kanemoto's Zemi, he immediately understood. O-o
When we finally got to Kanemoto's office, we also ran into Joyce-sensei, the Canadian teacher who Tony and I have been helping with classes and coming to her weekly English conversation lunches, so we took some pictures with her too since apparently Asuza is in her English class before heading back to the building where we got dressed for Kanemoto Sensei's class. Apparently every other week she teaches a class to foreign and Japanese adult learners and this week two students, a French graduate student and an Australian student who has lived in Japan, Australia, Canada, Europe and America were giving presentations. I had to slip out early to go do homework, but it was interesting to see so many people from so many diverse backgrounds together in one room.Wednesday was Tanabata or the Star Festival! I was excited because I've read so much about this love story turned festival and even did a project on it in my Meetings of Culture Class!...Sadly, there were no festivals in Mito to actually celebrate, but I did get to make my Tanabata wish by writing it on a long piece of paper and hanging it on a bamboo tree. They were all over the place...the Karaoke place, the school store, the supermarket and even the club space.
Tanabata is the story of Orihime (the weaving princess) and her husband, Hikoboshi, the cow heard. They were married a long long time ago by her father, the god of the sky, and they fell so deeply in love that they neglected all there duties. No clothes were woven and Hikoboshi's cows wandered all over heaven. Orihime's father wasn't happened, so he sepperated them, forcing them to live on either sides of the milky way. Orihime was so distraught that all she ever did was cry, and being as her dad wasn't a completely evil person, of course he felt bad and told her that she could meet Hikoboshi...just one night a year - July Seventh, which is where the name Tanabata comes from. (it means the seventh night). Orihime was overjoyed, but when the first Tanabata came around, she and Hikoboshi still could not meet, because there was no bridge to help her get over the Milky Way. Orihime cried again, so the magpies came and built her a bridge over the Milky Way from their wings so that she could reach her beloved Hikoboshi. Every year the meet on the seventh of July, unless, of course, the evening of the seventh of July is a cloudy night. If it is a cloudy night, the Magpies cannot come (I still really don't understand why clouds = magpies can't fly). The major downside of this holiday is that it takes place during the rainy season in Japan. And rainy season traditionally means clouds...so in the last 21` years (that includes this year) they have only been able to meet four times due to cloudy skies during the rainy season.
At E.S.S. we played a trivia game about Tanabata, which I was sure that I was going to ace given that I'd recently done a report on it...but then they pulled out random questions like "How far apart are Orihime and Hikoboshi?" (since they are actual Stars...Vega and Altair...the answer by the way? 140 trillion miles. Kinda puts a damper on the relationship eh?) and how many times in the last 20 years were they able to meet (hence why I know the answer to that.) So we didn't end up winning...but its all good :D Since it was Tanabata and some of the graduated seniors and current seniors came back to visit, this was of course, cause for celebration, so we headed to Pachicko for a Nomikai/dinner and it was very very fun :)
The rest of the week was rather uneventful, and just had me getting my final classes, projects, papers and tests in order and arranging a few trips with friends after finals are over...so I am excited while at the same time not excited about that (because it will mean my time in Japan is nearly over)...so lets not think about that for now shall we? :)
Today, in return for Tony making pizza for them once upon a time ago, some of our Korean friends in the Kaikan/E.S.S., Yoojean and Jiyon made us real Korean food! It was so exciting,
especially because I had never actually had Korean food before, despite all the Korean population that State College is home too. I was really surprised when I showed up for lunch and Yoojean was decked out in full Korean traditional garb. She was so cute!!! I just wanted to hug her and make a miniature doll out of her!I don't remember what the meal was called, but it was super delicious and actually spicy. That is the one thing that gets me about Japanese food, it doesn't really have taste compared to American food (or at least what I'm used to...heck, my house has a cabinet or two dedicated to just spices).The only real flavor they do is salty, and I'm not a real fan of salty. Their spicy
is quite lame in comparison to ours, so it was a shock to finally eat actual spicy food for the first time in 3 months. It was so delicious!!!We ate for quite some time, and Rinda (also in attendance), despite not liking spicy food at all as far as I can tell (he thinks the smell of tobasco sauce is disgusting), actually really liked it and ate the most out of all of, resulting in him nursing a serious food coma for awhile. I think I gave up eating 20 minutes before he did! It didn't look like a lot, but Korean food, I have since found, is so filling. O_O
After eating, Tony and I taught them how to play spoons, which, they got a huge kick out of, despite Jiyon loosing miserably. :) Rinda then taught us how to play "Daifugo", "Pigs Tail"(which are card games) and some other Japanese hand game that I never heard the name for, but is still quite fun. I'll explain at another date...but right now I gotta jet since a bunch of friends are all meeting at the Beer Garden being hosted at the school cafeteria for Tony's birthday! Talk about the rest of the weekend later! Buh bye!
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