Awa Odori!

Awa Odori is a dance festival that is held in Tokushima City each August, and is really something as over 1,000,000 people descend upon a town of 250,000 - people crowd the streets, playing this particular awa tune using the shamisen (japanese banjo), taiko drum, and flute and some small gong/cymbal - the dance is really fun - we performed in three separate places to huge crowds who smiled and clapped along - our JET program teachers all danced along with some other local Gaijin (foreigner) types and some Japanese friends also...

One of the important factors of this festival is that it is focused on peace in our world.   An older Taiko guy let me play his drum, and a floutist (he had excellent English - taking lessons from another JET) taught me a bit of the flute - I have also played a little shamisen and Koto at my school, Mishima Chogako (jr high), and they let me use the Gym to practice trumpet...also, funny aside, if I walk in sweaty, I am immediately served an iced coffee and yesterday I taught in an air-conditioned room - YEAH BABY!  And I thought I was a lowly teacher! Turns out, I'm the Mayor!  This has inspired me to do some extra work to earn this treatment!

This is the traditional Yukata, which doesn't mean "Robe one kicks butt in" But rather "Summer Garment" - The fans serve as dance bling as well as coping with 90+ degrees and dancing!  Yes, the hotel room there has paper walls and a tatami mat floor - very common here..

We stayed at a temple during our orientation - there are 88 temples here on the island of Shikoku and many "pilgrims" do the loop, taking up to two months if they are on foot... 

The JET program participants here take calligraphy, flower arranging, and a host of martial arts. For example, though it hasn't started yet, one of my adult conversation class pupils has invited me to go with him to Judo - he's a cop who is a fourth degree master (sounds a little scary when he says "Please come PLAY JUDO with me" - sounds a little like "Hey, are your affairs in order? Just curious..."  We'll see how it goes...lots of time to blog if I have a broken leg!  Always look on the bright side, if I can move my neck to find it...