Festival with the Kosakas

In April, we went to the town, Nada, to join a mochi-throwing festival with Joe's old host family, the Kousaka's. Basically, men climb a temporary structure that is positioned next to the local shrine and throw mochi (a Japanese tradition sweet). If you catch one, you are granted a year of luck! Well, since Joe was the tallest person in the crowd, we are going to have a verrrrry lucky year! Actually, he felt so bad for the surrounding people, that he kept on giving away the mochi he caught. Does that mean he's going to be EXTRA lucky? We shall see...

Hanami

Spring in Himeji, Japan is definitely cooler than Phoenix, but it is gorgeous! The cherry blossoms only lasted about two weeks, but they were breathtaking. At the beginning of April we joined our Japanese friends in North Himeji for a Hanami picnic. Hanami is the celebration of spring and cherry blossoms in Japan. People from all of the world come to view it, as it is beautiful and doesn't last very long. Here are the photos from our Hanami this spring!

Nara

At the end of March, Joe and I took a day trip to Nara...which is Japan's original capital.

The weather was beautiful! The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the deer were really friendly. We fed them crackers sold in the Nara ...Joe even mouth fed one. YUCK!
We saw so many historic and beautiful sights, including the world's largest wooden structure and the world's biggest Buddha. It was a wonderful day!

Joe in front of the world's largest wooden structure!

Doesn't this deer look fake? Well...it isn't!

3-nensei Graduation

On Friday, March 8th the san-nensei (3rd grade) JHS students had their graduation. The school and grade system is a bit different here in Himeji than in the U.S. Junior High is very difficult and there are three grades, instead of two. The third grade (equivalent to a high school freshman) students must take a very difficult test at the end of their 3rd term to see what high school they are placed in.

When the tests are over, the school holds a very formal and serious graduation ceremony. In many ways it is similar to our high school graduation...we process in and out of the ceremony, people sing and give speeches. But, in many ways it is different. There are no receiving of diplomas and there is basically no clapping, but a LOT of bowing. At the end of the ceremony the entire school, along with family members line up on the school's field to see the students off. Here are the pictures of Katie's students...

SUMO!!!

Well, it's been a while since our last blog! Things get pretty busy here in Japan, and before we know it we are way behind on our blogging. The most recent and interesting adventure that we have experienced is Sumo Wrestling. WOWEE, is that a trip. Joe and I got on a train to Osaka with our friends Sara, Taube, and Julian and bought bento boxes (Japanese sushi lunch boxes), beer, and chuhi and off we went. While it looks like there's nothing to it, there is actually a lot of tradition and symbolism that goes into this ancient Japanese sport. For instance, the wrestlers lift one leg and slap their foot down which indicates driving out evil spirits. Very interesting. Well, as much as we learned, we still couldn't help from giggling a bit when we saw the BIG Japanese men in their colorful "thong diapers." After a few drinks, we all began placing 10 yen bets (equal to 10 cents) on the wrestlers to shake up the evening! Here are the pictures...