Day 143 - Saturday, August 9, 2008 - Niimi, Okayama, Japan Hometown Festival!!!
Day 143 - Niimi, Okayama, Japan Hometown Festival!!!
I woke up at about 1 am today and did nothing really. But at 5 pm, my landlord came to pick me up for us to go to the Niimi Summer Festival... They have this summer festival thing all over Japan in the different cities and towns. So my landlord took me to his house and introduced me to his daughters, his wife and his mother. His grandchildren were staring at me none stop, with that fearful look in their eyes. His mother then fitted me into a yukata, which is this Japanese-style dressing thing. After his mother fitted me with the yukata, my landlord then dropped me to the area where
the festival was going to be held. In this festival, different groups from all over Niimi come together in
their 
diff
erent outfits.... It was wonderful to look
at. Every area has a different set of colours and pattern. In the festival thing which started at 6 pm, they had to close off that entire area so that we can start ma
rching around. This event has like over 2000 participants I'm sure. My problem now is that every single person was staring at me. My white friends were being stared at too but 
at l
east there are about 10 of them. THERE IS JUST One (1) , single, dege dege black man. I tell you, stares galore in addition to shocked Japanese expressions and a bundle of people going "Woooooh" when I pass them... :( This is sooo annoying... However, I knew quite a few of the people there and even saw a couple of my students and co-workers from some of the schools I teach at.
All we did though was march around and sing 5 songs and do some Japanese dancing for hours!!! It was very interesting. Every year its the same 5 songs they sing and do the same dances. It was funnnnn though :-)
After the event, all of the ALTS then linked up at a little Karaoke bar and we ate and chatted. We then went to another bar again and ate and chatted. We all headed to our separate homes at about 3:30 am in the morning.
I woke up at about 1 am today and did nothing really. But at 5 pm, my landlord came to pick me up for us to go to the Niimi Summer Festival... They have this summer festival thing all over Japan in the different cities and towns. So my landlord took me to his house and introduced me to his daughters, his wife and his mother. His grandchildren were staring at me none stop, with that fearful look in their eyes. His mother then fitted me into a yukata, which is this Japanese-style dressing thing. After his mother fitted me with the yukata, my landlord then dropped me to the area where
the festival was going to be held. In this festival, different groups from all over Niimi come together in
their 
diff
erent outfits.... It was wonderful to look
at. Every area has a different set of colours and pattern. In the festival thing which started at 6 pm, they had to close off that entire area so that we can start ma
rching around. This event has like over 2000 participants I'm sure. My problem now is that every single person was staring at me. My white friends were being stared at too but 
at l
east there are about 10 of them. THERE IS JUST One (1) , single, dege dege black man. I tell you, stares galore in addition to shocked Japanese expressions and a bundle of people going "Woooooh" when I pass them... :( This is sooo annoying... However, I knew quite a few of the people there and even saw a couple of my students and co-workers from some of the schools I teach at.All we did though was march around and sing 5 songs and do some Japanese dancing for hours!!! It was very interesting. Every year its the same 5 songs they sing and do the same dances. It was funnnnn though :-)
After the event, all of the ALTS then linked up at a little Karaoke bar and we ate and chatted. We then went to another bar again and ate and chatted. We all headed to our separate homes at about 3:30 am in the morning.
Comments
Hopefully she doesn't have those BAD japanese teeth thing
Dave...Elephant man big down there man. The people dem look like everybody a do Scooby Doo.
1, 2, 3, Scoobaaayyy!!