Nicole's Adventures in Japan

This Morning I got up early to go out to Tado, a small city about hour out of Nagoya by train. It takes three trains, the one from Ozone near my house, which I never pronounce correctly. That takes me to Nagoya Station where I have caught the Shinkansan. Then I transfer from there to another train that takes me to Kawanna where I catch yet another train to Tado. Tado is not to be confused with Toda, which is another stop and presumably another small city on the train line from Nagoya to Kawanna.
The city was small and the surrounding countryside was beautiful. I can’t wait to go back and explore when there aren’t thousand of people around. It was a bout a mile hike from the train station to all the horse festivities and the temple. Along the one way road all day there were people trekking to and from the Festival, there were many small booths most of them selling food. Crepes, ice cream, Japanese rice and noodle dishes, fried chicken, donuts, cotton candy, ice slushies, and I am sure I am forgetting something. Needless to say there was lots of food to choose from. I had a crepe, and fried Chicken. Both were very tasty. Oh I know what I forgot there were French Fried Potato’s. Except I think that French Fried Potato’s are really an American Food.
Well I took my time wandering past all the food vendors, there were other vendors, some selling fish, even one selling the cutest little turtles about the size of a quarter. I really contemplated getting one, but thought it would be un fair for me to have an animal relying on me when I go on Holiday for the summer or what do I do with it at the end of the year when I go home. So at the last I did not get one. There were a few who had games similar to ring toss and knocking over milk jugs, to win prizes. Eventually I got to the end of the vendors.
There is this long road way where they have created a path for the horses to run along on either side is a wooden barrier which is probably 5 feet tall, and 5 feet across so that boxes for families or groups can have prime seats for the event. It is hard to describe exactly hopefully the pictures will help.
About 11:30 am they started have some of the horses do some practice runs down the path. After they would run and bring the horse out into this are at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the temple. The first couple of horses were okay no problems, the third horse that came up could just not be controlled and almost and may have run into a few people. The horse got skittish and its handlers couldn’t control it.

About this time they were starting to rope off so people couldn’t get in the way of the horses and I along with other people got kicked out of my spot so I went in search of food. That is when I got the chicken and walked about half mile back towards town to a vendor selling ice cold Coke. I know I normally drink Pepsi, but actually over here non of it tastes exactly like it is suppose to and in the heat the coke was perfect. Then I wandered around tried to find some shade, by then many others had the same thought. About 12:30 I wandered back up to the event area, and where they had pushed us from was now roped off and imagine that had new people standing behind it. That’s actually okay because I am not sure I could have stood there the whole time. Non of the standing area had great vies but we could catch glimpses of the riders and the path they ran down and then into the ditch.
It was about 1pm that they started running down and trying to climb the hill to get out of the ditch. The custom is for the horse and man to run up and jump out. However it is a very steep path and often the rider and or the horse falls. I stayed to watch 3 horses and men jump. Non of the horses made it over, but each time the horse was lead away to go up the stairs towards the shrine while the rider was either carried or climbed up over the ditch.

After the third jumper I was very hot and tired. It was the hottest day we had and there wasn’t much shade to be found. So I headed home, actually by the time I made to Ozone station I realized I had my first sunburn of the season. Honest mom I put sun lotion on before I left and I still got red. Not to bad my arms are a little pink and my nose. I promise I will go out and buy a hat. The Jusco in Aeon down the street had some cute ones.

Here is the blip published in the Nagoya Calendar:
This 700 year old festival, designated as the Mie Prefecture’s cultural assets, draws large crowds each year and much unwanted attention from animal rights groups. The focus of the festival is the age-umi-shinji ceremony. Young men clad in military style costumes race up a slippery slope on horse-back and try and clear a 2meterhigh, 2.5 meter wide wall. Many riders and horses get badly injured when they fall to the ground, roll down the slope or smash straight into the wall. The main part of the festival is called the agezaka.

Wednesday night I experienced my first Japanese baseball game. The Nagoya Dragons were playing at the Nagoya Dome, which is a short walk from my apartment. I can always tell when I am headed home in the afternoon from work if there is going to be a game, because there are more people on the road. The close to my apartment there are lots of small empty lots, that are used for parking on game days. It will only cost you 2500 yen ($25 US). I was actually surprised tonight it was only 2000 yen so I wonder who, The Dragons were playing. Speaking of parking lots near my house tonight I can tell that the game is over there are lots of voices outside my apartment building just now. Some may have enjoyed a bit too much fun at the game, or may be the Dragons actually won the game.

I think I have mentioned before how weird it is that so much of the Japanese culture has English attached to it, including Baseball. The player’s shirts have Dragon spelled out in English, and their names are also in English. The songs they have to introduce the players as they come up to bat are all American. One of them is the player’s batting theme is Top Gun. On the Dragons team there is one African American player and every time that he came up to bat they played the first little bit of a rap song. One of the players was a Monk I think and so every time he came up to bat the crowd did weird Ohm…. Like they were meditating. Every batter had a different intro, so you knew who was coming up to bat. Oh please don’t ask me names because I do not remember any maybe next time.

The game was fun and we almost came back to win at the end. We had two men on base and if only the batter had hit a home run instead of a fly ball we could have one the game. The opposing team switched pitchers like 5 or 6 times it was crazy. One of the pitchers only through one pitch before they took him out of the game, I am not sure what the reasoning was. Maybe they won because of all the pitchers who knows, any way it was fun and for only 1500yen I will have to go again. The seats reminded me of going to Blazer games with Kristy we were in the top section but first row, not bad for the price.

I went with Justin and his brother who has been visiting for a bout a week. Justin is the crazy looking person in the picture I have posted, if he found out I posted it he might not be very happy we will see. (oh yeah I work with Justin at Kinjo)
I don’t have a lot to compare it to since I have never been to a major league game in the states, and I think I have only been to 1 minor league game in Portland. I believe Kristy may have dragged me too a few high school games.
I know the basic rules and of the game, so no worries there. However now that I have seen a game here I think I need to see a major league game in the states, maybe my Uncle will take me to a Dodgers game when I get home?
Oh yeah a side note. I am now legally working in Japan I got the little sticker in my Passport that will allow me to work for the next year. Next Wednesday after Golden Week, I will work on getting my alien registration card and a bank account. Then I can get things like internet and a library card, and a video rental card. Mostly it is the internet that I am interested in so maybe soon I can stop carrying my laptop back and forth!!!!

written 5/1/08