This is my Electone STAGEA in my house. Cool huh? 

Yasya

Ok, for those of you who read this and don't know me (are there such people out there?) I play the Yamaha Electone called STAGEA. An electronic organ. Now before you go saying dumb stuff like "Oh, you play pipe organ - how very cathedral of you." I want to point out that it is NOT a traditional organ. I play jazz, funk, rock, dance...yes, I also play classical and symphonic stuff too. Check out the picture to see what it looks like.

The reason for that long rant of an introduction? I am going to an Electone concert on Saturday in Maebashi, and I can NOT wait. Tomioka Yasya is doing a STAGEA Raibu concert. I have his Rock Album scores and play from it all the time - especially the Van Halen Medley. So I will take my book with me and see if I can't get it signed.

Really looking forward to it. There aren't many Electone concerts in Australia, so while I'm in Japan, I'm going to make the most of it!

Hanawa Mikoshi

Yep, it's definitely the season for Matsuris here in Japan. On Sunday 25th July, I carried Mikoshi yet again, but this time here in Azuma, my village. We all met at the Shrine next to the Village Office at 12:30 and put on our team t-shirts and bandanas. After a few shots of sake, we lifted the Mikoshi and carried it under the gate and out of the Shrine. Sounds relatively easy, huh? See, you carry Mikoshi on your shoulders. When I walk under the gate at this Shrine, it only clears my head by about 50cm. So, we had to lower the Mikoshi to make it out - very hard work.

My village is situated in the mountains, and the roads go up and down and around like a rollercoaster. I knew that the 3 hours of carrying this portable shrine was not going to be easy.

Carrying it through the streets and chanting with fellow strugglers, people came out in hordes to cheer us on - and to throw freezing water over us. Buckets and buckets of the stuff. Our team shirts were white, and they instantly became see-through. I wasn't warned that we would be showered with water the entire time, and therefore thought nothing when I put on white shorts that morning. After about 10 minutes of carrying the Mikoshi and having water thrown on me, the people in my village knew exactly what coloured underwear I was wearing. And there is video footage in case people forget.

Every now and then we stopped and ate watermelon, fried food and biscuits that the local shop keepers brought out for us. We also managed to down a few beers and a few cups of sake along the way.

I had an awesome time, and I carried the Mikoshi the entire time. My shoulders and back hurt for about 3 days afterwards, but it was worth it!

Mikoshi in Tutty-B

Since coming to Japan, I have tried to engulf myself in all things Japanese – the food, the culture, the lifestyle. Oh, and of course the work. So whenever an opportunity arises that allows me to get involved, I always try to say yes. That is how I ended up in the Tatebayashi Matsuri on 17th July.

Fellow Canberran, Nicky Willcox, is the CIR in Tatebayashi – one of the 11 cities in Gunma, and fondly known to us as Tutty-B. Being the bubbly character she is, Nicky has managed to make many local friends, and has been kind enough to introduce me to some of them. So, when asked by her friends if I wanted to help carry a portable Shrine through the streets of Tutty-B, I said “Of course!” Not really knowing what I was getting myself into, I drove the 2 hours from my little mountain village down to Tutty-B, anticipation making me smile the entire way.

I made it to our favourite hang – a small restaurant that the local JETs have adopted called “Grow Up” – in the mid-afternoon and was greeted by men wearing very little, who were filled with energy and a drop or two of beer. After a bit of preparation, and a few more drops of the good stuff, we headed off to the Matsuri.

Dressed in a happi and with a bandana wrapped around my head, I mixed and sweated with the barely-dressed locals and a few other ALTs, as we danced and stumbled our way down the street carrying the Mikoshi. Despite the fact it already weighed something resembling the weight of four cars, some members of our group – called Sakura-kai – decided it would only be advantageous to our dancing rhythm if they stood on the Shrine and yelled “Saa! Saa! Saa! Saa!”

In all, we and the Mikoshi bumped, danced and side-stepped our way down the street and back for about 2 hours, but I think I managed to carry it for no longer than 20 minutes. For the remainder of the time, my shoulders already sore and bruised, I assumed position behind the group and clapped in rhythm and encouragement. Nicky was kind enough to follow us most of the way carrying bottles of water for us.

It was an awesome night; one I will remember for a long time. After we finished, a few of us indulged ourselves in a cup full of crushed ice covered with our selected flavour – a welcome treat that would hydrate us as well as cool us down.

So now, the Tutty-B Matsuri is over for another year, which raises the question - Will I carry Mikoshi again next year?

Of course!

Who is Grant?

This is me eating some mochi at Kiryu markets. Was good, if I remember correctly...