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Published: February 3rd 2008
Rage of the Oni
Right in the face!Fun-Filled Weekend
This weekend was filled with unexpected events. My Friday begins as always with me heading to class. Our teacher (sensei) informed us that this weekend's (shumatsu) culture class excursion will correspond with Sunday's holiday. According to Japan's old lunar calendar, the start of the new year took place on Setsubun. There is also the tradition that the people born during that year would have to eat the same number of beans as their age to bring health for the entire year. People also dress in oni (ogre) costumes while the others would throw beans at them. Oni doesn't only refer to the monster, but symbolizes all other bad things such as illness, bad luck, etc. Our teacher then handed us some beans for us to try; for dry beans they were quite delicious(oishii). At that moment, our classroom door broke open, followed by two onis armed with clubs! They began their reign of terror and relentlessly beat all the students with their clubs. It finally occurred to us that we had beans, which was akin to garlic for vampires. Soon afterwards, the onis didn't stand a chance and returned defeated to the depths of hell.
To celebrate our
victory our class went out to dinner at a restaurant nearby. Here in Japan, alcohol is not treated as a vice. Business men often drink together before discussing important matters. It is viewed as a social lubricant, and it brings people together. So thats precisely what we did. I ordered some hot sake, while my teachers and other students ordered a few tall ones. It was certainly strange to drink with my teachers, but I quickly got used to it and we all had a wonderful time.
After that, I was invited to have some break dancing lessons with one of my classmate's Japanese friends, who went to a English school nearby. So I spent my evening learning how to do windmills and poprocking. I truly never expected to do such a thing in Japan. It was pretty awesome. There were also a few other Japanese girls that were doing choreographed dances to some funky beats.
That night I came home and talked a bit with my housemate. We were really aching to play some form of fighting game. We talked about SuperSmash Brothers Brawl which had come out the day before in Japan, and how 80% of
Dinner Time
my classmates making difficult choices the all the copies shipped already sold in one day. He mentioned there being a used-game store nearby and that he had a Japanese PS2, and that we should go pick up Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or something. Right as we walked into the store, as if by fate, there lay one copy of Smash Brothers in plain sight. Also they even had Wii's in stock, which were still moderately hard to find. After some discussion, it seemed obvious that the planets had aligned and we were chosen for this golden opportunity. And so it was...that Friday night, Derreck purchased a Wii and a copy of Smash Brothers Brawl...
Come Sunday(notice how I didn't mention Saturday), I was suppose to meet up with my culture class at Shinjuku Train Station for the Setsubun Festival. As I stepped outside, my eyes lit up as I realized it was a beautiful snowy day. It was sort of surreal, it didn't seem cold enough for snow. I paced myself on my way to the station so that I could enjoy the scenery. The Setsubun festival itself was't too exciting. We just met up at some temple. They made a few announcements, and
Dancing Neighbors
Wish I remembered to take a picture of us breakdancing... then a bunch of people in traditional wear threw beans at the crowd. It was still snowing, so it prevented people from enjoying themselves a little. If you were able to catch the beans, it was said that your year would be full of happiness. Then the crowd headed inside the temple where they handed everyone treats such as choclates, snacks, oranges, and such. It kinda felt like halloween.
After that I headed home, I really wanted to do some shopping, but one can only take so much cold and snow. But thats OK, I knew I had something delightful waiting for me at home 😊
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malena
non-member comment
u are lucky
las ultimas fotos estan bellas, te ves divino oxooxxox