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Page 7 of Casey Lary Travel Blog Posts

Asia » Japan » Hiroshima September 23rd 2005

The same weekend of the Undokai I went to the inaka to watch a traditional dance called Kagura. The next day Lisa and I went on an excursion to a small town called Iwakuni. Kagura is a traditional local dance/performance. The performers wear elaborate kimonos and different masks. Each performance tells a story and is accompanied by traditional music. It was all in Japanese yet the stories are pretty straightforward through the dancing so it was easy for us to follow. I am not exactly sure where the dancing all originated. Since it is so localized there is not much stuff about it on the internet. There was a huge Kagura exhibition in a town called Chiyoda. There were 10 of us and we rented 2 tatami areas to sit in. They do not have ... read more

Undokai

Asia » Japan » Hiroshima September 17th 2005

Opening Ceremony

Casey Lary

It does not matter what grade or what school you attend, every Japanese school as an Undokai, which means sports day. From kindergarten to high school, every school has one. It would be more accurately called 'relay day' because the students do not really play sports, they play games and have races. The students had been practicing for sports day for at least a month so I was very excited to see what all the practice went to. I was soooo excited for my sportsl day. I even got to participate in one game...jump rope....with the rest of the teachers. We were not very good. The students killed us! Let me give a rundown of the Undokai and maybe it will all make sense: I. Opening Ceremony The school is broken down into 2 teams, ... read more

Island Hopping in the Inland Sea

Asia » Japan » Hiroshima August 22nd 2005

Miyajima Fireworks

Casey Lary

The weekend after our Hiroshima Jeff and I did a little "Island Hopping" around the Seto Inland Sea, just off of Hiroshima. Orientation was actually very important, as we met all the other JETs and learned about life in Japan (basically learned all the stuff I needed to and missed bc I went sightseeing in Tokyo. We learned how to take care of the tatami mats, avoid cockroaches, and why the heck there is a huge raised yellow line in the middle of the sidewalk (its for the blind people!! All along I thought it separated the bike path and walking path!!). Of course we had some time to drink and get to know each other...alcohol seems to help loosen up everyone and we got to know each other a lot quicker. After the orientation I ... read more

Atomic Bomb 60th Annivesary.

Asia » Japan » Hiroshima August 6th 2005

60th Anniversary

Casey Lary

August 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima City. Right before I left for Japan there was a cover article in TIME magazine on the upcoming 60th anniversary the following week. I feel very fortunate that I got to be there for the event and witness it first hand. In the morning there was a serious ceremony where the government got up and spoke and there were survivors from the a-bomb dropping as well. Due to the time of the serious ceremony and not to forget to mention the whole thing in Japanese, I opted out of going to it. In addition, it was pretty damn hot and humid. The humidity I experienced later that day was enough. During the afternoon my English club met up wtih me. Kabe Senior High School made ... read more

Leaving on a JET Plane

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Shinjuku July 30th 2005

Sayonara Family

Casey Lary

Konnichiwa!!! FINALLY!!! I have started my blog like I promised!!! Now instead of me writing the same thing 100 times or sending out a mass email (because I know everyone loves those impersonal things), I have this blog where I can update everyone on what is going on in Japan. I have been here officially for a month. It seems like forever and yet not so long at the same time. I start teaching this week. All of August the students are on break, yet I still have to go to school and sit there...doing nothing. I have also had many orientations on living in Japan (ie how to avoid cockroaches and tatami bugs) and I got to connect with many of th 130 JETs in Hiroshima Ken. There have also been some interesting differences in ... read more

Comment Follow (3)Message

Casey Lary

Hello everyone and welcome to my travel blog! Travel is my passion in life and I try to do it as much as I possibly can. I was once asked why I enjoy traveling. I quickly replied traveling is where your dreams are made, where dreams become reality, and where one explores and witnesses what life is all about. This blog started as a way to record my travels while teaching in Japan, and well, I kinda started liking to do it so will continue along my travels. Read on to see what adventures have unfolded thus far mainly in Asia, from amazing and interesting foods, friends, couchsurfing, lo... full info