After my awesome "おひとり様" day on Saturday, I thought I'd be going for a repeat on Sunday.
But instead I ended up having an equally good time meeting up with other Towada ALTs to catch the final parade of Aki Matsuri and then going for a drive and a sushi dinner in Hachinohe with a friend afterward.
Impressively enough, the master of the sushi place in Hachinohe remembered my friend and I from when we first ate there way back in March! (I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it's across from the police box near the アルパジョン (Arpagon) bakery.)
I suspect that he remembered us because both this time and the last time I was doing my usual thing and taking photos of all the food before eating. =P I got the impression that he's seen very few (if any) other customers take pictures of their food, so that probably made us memorable. I'm also assuming that was why we got a small plate of fruit for dessert as "service"!
So with my taiko debut on Friday night, my awesome day of solitude on Saturday, and a fun day with friends on Sunday, it was an extremely excellent Aki Matsuri weekend.
Speaking of my taiko debut, here's a photo a friend took during the performance:
(I made a number of mistakes but it was so much fun I didn't feel embarrassed about them the way I usually would. Instead, the mistakes strengthened my resolve to practice harder so I can do better next time! ^_^ )
This weekend also promises to be a good one with the 中体連新人戦 (chuutairen shinjinsen - newcomers' sports tournament) on Saturday and the Kirida Aki Matsuri on Sunday. And Monday is a holiday, too!
[Side note: This post is completely unrelated to the 2-volume manga おひとり様物語 Ohitori-sama Monogatari by Tanikawa, Fumiko--a collection of short stories featuring women who are "by themselves" in some form or another. I simply borrowed the title! =P I really like the manga, though, so if you get a chance, definitely check it out!]
Particularly since coming to Japan, there have been days when I've regretted being the solitary, introverted type who can't handle long and/or extended periods of socializing with people (unless they're really really close friends). I've pretty much accepted that I'll never feel at ease at large JET events/ALT gatherings, but I've definitely struggled with feeling like an outsider among the more local community of nearby JETs.
Over the past three years there have been a number of painful moments where I've realized that I've been excluded from an outing/event organized/attended by seemingly all the other ALTs from my area. I know that I kind of set myself up for it since I tend to decline a lot of invitations (because being with large groups is draining for me) and obviously people get tired of constantly having their invitations refused and naturally start to give up on inviting me... But it still stings.
But anyway, this post is NOT about that.
Today was not one of the lonely, regretful days. Today was a day where I could revel in being おひとり様 (ohitori-sama, a.k.a. by myself).
I slept in a little (until 9:30am), then did laundry and puttered around the house until about 1pm. From 1pm-3pm, I enjoyed a leisurely lunch/study time at one of my favourite Towada restaurants, イッシン (Isshin).
It was rainy and slightly cool today, so the クリームシチュー (cream stew) really hit the spot! I followed it up with my favourite アーモンドココア almond cocoa.
Cream Stew (comes w/ salad & choice of bread/rice)
Almond Cocoa
Usually when I eat by myself I eat pretty quickly, but today I ate at a very leisurely pace since I was studying kanji and Japanese vocabulary for the N3 JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) at the same time. I don't know if my study was (or has been) particularly effective, but I definitely enjoyed doing it today! ^_^ (I think I may head back to イッシン for a dinner/study session tomorrow too!)
After イッシン I headed to Jusco for groceries. I was so full, though, I couldn't even begin to think about what I'd want to cook for the week, so I ended up just buying milk, yogurt, and some chocolate chip cookies.
^_^;;
Back at home I took care of some emails and otherwise bummed around until about 6:30pm when I decided to head out to see the Aki Matsuri 夜間運行 (yakan unkou, loosely translated, evening parade). I actually considered not going since it was raining and it really doesn't change that much from year to year, but やっぱり even in crummy weather it's something I can't miss.
Thankfully it was only a light rain as opposed to the torrential sounding rain I woke up to in the morning, so it really wasn't too bad walking out and sitting on the curb (I brought a tarp for that purpose) throughout the parade.
Plenty of spectators, even in the rain
Even when I saw all the other Towada ALTs go by with the Chuo Group mikoshi, I simply thought "I'm happy that they look like they're having a good time; but I'm definitely happier sitting here watching them!"
=P
Doing the mikoshi carry once was more than enough for me. Even if I enjoyed (pardon the crude language) being dry humped by mostly drunk guys for an hour, I still wouldn't join again due to the religious conflict. True, the Towada mikoshi carries are mostly 形だけ (katachi dake = shape/form only), but it's still supposed to be a god's shrine that they're carrying. In my first year I didn't really think too much about the religious implications and just took it as an experience in "Japanese culture", but now that I know better, it's not something I feel like I should participate in.
After the 夜間運行, I slowly made my way back home, stopping to try out interesting street food. This year it seems like there was a lot of new Ｂ級グルメ (B-Grade Gourmet) food stalls, like 揚げもんじゃ (age monja, a.k.a. deep fried monjayaki) and ラーメンバーガー (ramen burgers--although I had one yesterday, not today). Not that I'm complaining, of course--I LOVE trying out new/weird/interesting foods! =P
So today's dinner was 揚げもんじゃ, シャーピン (shaapin--my favourite festival food (as of last year)), and トルコアイス (Turko Ice (Cream)).
揚げもんじゃ
crispy outside, gooey monjayaki inside
The BEST シャーピン stall!
トルコアイス - It's stretchy!
Safe even upside down!
I was pretty impressed by the showmanship/salesmanship of the トルコアイス guy!
All in all, it was an extremely satisfying day on my own! ^_^ I look forward to a similar one tomorrow, with the mikoshi/parade/Ofukanai JHS Komaodori, etc. in the afternoon (starting at 2pm) and--unless something comes up--another meal/study time at イッシン! (If I have the space, I may even go for a parfait tomorrow!)
Towada's biggest event is finally upon us! This Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the 十和田市秋まつり (Towada-shi Aki Matsuri, a.k.a. Fall Festival)!!
Selected Events:
Friday, September 9:
14:00~ Parade along 三本木大通り （旧国道4号線） (Sanbongi Odori - Old. Rte. 4)
18:00~ Mikoshi (Portable Shrine Carrying); Nagashi Odori (various dances: Yosakoi, Hip-Hop, etc.) along 官庁街通り (Kanchogai Dori)
Saturday, September 10:
19:00~20:30 Evening parade (floats, mikoshi, etc.) along 官庁街通り (Kanchogai Dori)
*There are also various performances during the afternoon
Sunday, September 11:
14:00~ Mikoshi, parade, Ofukanai JHS Komaodori (horse dance), etc. along 三本木大通り （旧国道4号線） (Sanbongi Odori - Old. Rte. 4)
I started practicing with the 十和田水神雷太鼓 (Towada Suijin Kaminari Daiko) Taiko group last October. Almost a year later and I've finally gotten the OK to perform in public with them this Friday at the 十和田市秋祭 (Towada-shi Aki Matsuri a.k.a. Fall Festival)!
Even though I'm super excited, personally I still don't feel like I'm quite up to snuff for performing yet. Actually, this technically isn't my first time performing with the group; I went to watch a performance in April (on Showa Day) but there weren't enough "real" members of the group, so they asked me to join in.
At the time, I only had a couple of weeks of practice under my belt after an approximately 4-month long break from practicing (because I went to Canada for Christmas vacation, then Osaka in January, was crazy busy with graduation video/gift preparations and then had friends over for spring vacation). Needless to say I performed pretty badly. It also didn't help that the drum available for me to play on was at the front, so there wasn't anyone in front of me to take a lead from... I got a DVD recording of the performance, and it was quite painful (but also amusing) to see how terrible I was. Thankfully I was cut out of the shot for most of the video. =P
Anyway, since that experience I've been much more diligent about practicing so even though I expect I'll still make a bunch of mistakes, I'm a lot more confident about performing this time around. In fact, I'm really looking forward to it! (I even recently bought a Wii taiko drum/batchi set--just the drum and sticks, no game--so I could practice in my apartment at any time without unduly disturbing the neighbours. I'm such a nerd! =P)
This is probably the first time I've ever been able to honestly say that I'm looking forward to a performance. I actually really dislike performing in front of people, but when I went to see the group's performance in July at the 十和田湖湖水祭 (Lake Towada Kosui Matsuri) I thought performing looked like so much fun I really wanted to be able to perform with them.
I never expected I'd be able to do so a mere two months later, though. Actually, I suspect part of the reason I got the OK to join the performance is probably because it's a Friday and many people are probably working and unable to make it in time, so they need more members... ^_~ Regardless of the reason, I'm glad I can finally make my debut!
Canadian and former JET Programme ALT* who taught English in elementary and junior high schools in Towada from 2007-2012. A certified junior and senior high school English and history teacher in her home province in Canada. (*Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, Assistant Language Teacher*)
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