KODO

Now, I had written a big, waffle-filled blog entry about how good the taiko group Kodo are, but then I realised that it went on so long that even I got bored reading it. Much better to whack in a few pictures and a video (having killed the radio star, it may see the end of the blogger, too). So, what you see below is the edited highlights, le crème de la crème, if you will…
I have had many great experiences while in Japan and there are many wonderful annual events and festivals here. However, the one thing that I really look forward to each year is the Earth Celebration Festival on Sado Island (about three hours by ferry from my home town of Joetsu). The festival takes place over three days every August and people travel from all over the world to enjoy the combination of art and music. Drumming is the dominant feature of the festival and I have many happy memories of sitting drunkenly on a warm beach, unsure if the drumming is in my head or if it’s coming from the people sitting around the camp fire. Cloudy was here for the festival last year and had a great time – he’s got the scars to prove it! The organisers of the festival are the Japanese drumming group, Kodo, whose training centre is on Sado Island.
This year is the 20th anniversary of the festival, so all the stops are being pulled out. There are stalls, workshops and live performances around the port town of Ogi, but there are performances each evening from Kodo and their invited guests. Last year it was a dance group from New York; the year before it was a bagpiper from Spain – which was awesome, believe it or not – you had to be there, man! The evening show on the Sunday night is one of the most atmospheric experiences I have had. The stage is set in a forest clearing on a hill behind a shrine. The humidity and sounds of the forest really add to the experience. And then the drumming starts…
Kodo performed in Joetsu last Wednesday and I had to go and see them. This is the fifth time I have seen them, but I once again I was left wanting more. The video clip should give you a small insight into what they do. It’s truly breathtaking stuff.
Speed. Timing. Power. Endurance. These four words sum-up what Kodo are about, but they are much more besides. Kodo use many different drums and drumming styles. For me, the most exciting is Miyake-style. Miyake is one of the seven volcanic islands south of Tokyo and there is an annual festival there based around this drumming style (taiko drumming is often used as a gift to the gods in prayer for a safe year and a bountiful harvest).
This style involves three two-sided drums set low to the ground. Two drummers play each drum, one at either side. Due to the height of the drums, the performers must maintain a strenuous crouching position with the drum set off to their right-hand side. As they play they transfer their weight from one foot to the other by straightening and bending either knees. This movement affords them maximum power in each stroke. The drummers take it in turns to beat a basic rhythm while the other breaks into powerful, martial-art-esque drumming pattern. Each stroke begins at the bottom of the feet and then explodes through the end of the drumstick (bachi). Following each stroke, the bachi is drawn back either in front of the body or up behind the head to enable the fullest strike possible. From these positions, with a subtle transferring of weight, the drummers unleash unstoppable blows one after another. Then, at the signal of the lead drummer at the back of the group, all six men go to town.
The timing is impeccable and form is crucial to that. This synchronised routine is amazing to watch. This is not men thrashing aimlessly at a drum to make a lot of noise, every blow is choreographed and the look of pain in their faces is genuine as their muscles start to burn. The effect that these six men create makes you wish you had six pairs of eyes to take everything in.
The most awe-inspiring performance is made on the o-daiko – “the big drum” (sorry to demystify the language for you). It is big. The drum was carved from a single tree, weighs over 800lbs and is four feet in diameter. Sat atop a cart, two men play the drum – one beats out a basic rhythm, while the main drummer improvises. The drum is raised such that the drummers stand in a semi-crouched position and play the drum above their heads. The thunderous sound generated from this massive drum is astonishing. The low, powerful sound shakes you to the core. During his performance, the drummer’s bare back transforms into a knot of muscle and sinew.
He passes through phases of intense drumming followed by softer movements where he sets a mood of suspense and recovers his strength for the next onslaught. Once this performance is finished he jumps down off the cart and begins another 10-minute piece with five other members – this time in a half-sit-up position with his feet hooked around a smaller taiko drums. I have nicknamed him “The Beast.” The endurance he shows is unbelievable. My arms got tired applauding for their encore, so whacking above you head at a huge drum with a pair of rolling pins for 15 minutes is extraordinary.
It is a musical performance, but the visual element is crucial. Listening to a CD, one might imagine a solitary drummer tapping away, improvising as he goes. The reality is that you have two, four, eight or more people working together with split-second timing to make the sounds you are hearing. Whereas one might expect a live performance from their favourite artist to be less than perfect and different to the post-production CD version, with Kodo you get far more from a live performance than you could ever get from a CD.
All Kodo apprentices train at the groups Sado Island centre day in, day out, for two years before they can perform for the public. I’d love to join Kodo, but you have to have fluent Japanese and a semblance of musical talent. I don’t know which is further from my grasp!
Sorry, I was going to edit this, but I didn’t – you got le crème, le crème de la crème and all the all the leftover bits that nobody wants. If you’ve read this far, you need to get out more.

Let's eating!

I’m getting old. We have a new school lunch lady at my Junior High and she has introduced a feedback system where students and staff can tell her what they think of the food. Today’s lunch was rice, “spring rain salad” (which has some lettuce, cucumber, ham and clear noodle-like things in it), a tofu-based plate of stodge (it’s lovely stuff, but stodge is the best descriptor I could think of) and a carton of milk. When asked what might make this meal better, I said “maybe a little bowl of soup on the side…”. The students said “a pudding would be nice!” It never even crossed my mind. There was a time when it would have been an almost reflexive response. “How can you make this jam sandwich better?” “Add some chocolate cake?” “This black pudding is a bit dry, what shall we do?” “Put a little cream on top?”
Things have been a bit fishy of late. Out of my last six school visits, I have had fish five times (I've been hopping between three different school lunch schedules). The photo is of my lunch at Hari Elementary. It’s shishamo, rice, wakame seaweed salad, a potato and konyaku soup and a carton of milk. All the kids get the same and nobody can bring a packed lunch. Shishamo is where the line is drawn for many foreigners. They are about 15cm in length and resemble a willow leaf, apparently, hence their Japanese name means "willow leaf fish." They are grilled or deep fried whole, often while full of eggs (ko-mochi-shishamo). It used to freak me out a little when I arrived, but I’ve gotten used to it – eating the skin, head, tail, eggs, brain and bones of something is a good monthly challenge for me.

Where is the love?

The love – hate relationship in Japan is a constant confusion. In the cities, foreigners are 10 a penny (roughly ¥2.4). You can walk down the street and people don’t bat an eyelid. It’s not quite the same out in the countryside. Being stared at is just something you have to learn to accept after a while. The fact is you look very out of place, so people will wonder who you are and why you are in their little town. I’ve experienced very little hostility in Japan – bizarrely, the most hostility I have experienced in Japan has been from the nurse at one of my elementary schools, but that’s for another blog entry! However, being stared at by most people you pass does make you feel a little uneasy and self-conscious. Also, the wonderful phrase “gaijin da!” is a delight – literally “it’s an outsider!” However, if a group of Japanese people walked down the high street in Stornoway, they would attract a few glances, too, so one shouldn’t be surprised by the situation one faces…should one?
Old people stare because they are old and the don’t care if you know they are staring at you (or maybe they are unaware they are doing it (or maybe they haven’t been told that the war is over)), kids stare out of curiosity, and middle-aged people don’t stare so much as shoot fleeting glances. While you can’t call this behaviour hate, it is enough to make you feel a little unwelcome if you happen to be having a bad day already.
The love in the love – hate relationship comes from the students (and the all-singing, all dancing petrol pump guys, but I get the feeling they treat everyone the same – but they do make me feel special).
I’m not a full teacher and I’m not a student, so I fall somewhere between – kind of like an uncle who comes to your class once in a while (but not in a creepy way). I have no say with regards to discipline in class (that is responsibility of the Japanese teacher), but fortunately discipline is not an issue at my school. So, my job is to try and banter with the students and encourage them as much as I can in whichever way I can – obviously, this is my interpretation of my job description!
The third grade graduated from my JHS yesterday and I was chuffed to find a big card on my desk with messages from about 30 students. They all seemed to enjoy my classes and find them interesting, but the quality of the writing makes me wonder how much was actually learned! Still, the gesture was very sweet and it was nice to know that they had fun in class. At the graduation enkai (drinking party – crap translation, try banquet, dinner, etc) many of the teachers cried. Only then was it clear how strong the bond between teachers and students is in a country where keeping your emotions hidden is encouraged. Apparently the recent graduates were a bit off the rails when they came to Itakura JHS three years ago, so seeing them mature into responsible and capable students was a great reward for the teachers. I should point out that the enkai is only for the teachers, not the students. Anyway, back on track…
The more embarrassing form of love in the love – hate relationship is when people try and pair you off with one of their friends, pretty much because you are foreign and, by default, a gentleman – not the worst stereotype to be tarred with (there is another stereotype about foreign males which isn’t bad either…).
Just this morning the vice principal at one of schools asked me what I thought about moving into her family home and dating one of her daughters – one is 18 and the other 21. How does one respond to that? “Sounds good, but have you got a picture of the girls and do you have Sky Sports?” I’ve found that if you haven’t got the language to swerve an embarrassing situation like that, laughing it off works wonders.

“I’m from Uzbekistan!”

The role of those on the JET Programme is two-fold. The first is to teach English; the other is to facilitate internationalisation. I don’t hold a teaching license and I rarely spell internationalisation the same on consecutive occasions. My knowledge of English grammar is questionable. I can tell you what sounds right and what sounds wrong, but I probably won’t be able to tell you why one is better than the other. I learnt grammar in a very passive way. I grew up in a sea of English and the grammar just seeped into me through my pores. I don’t know an intransitive verb from my elbow, but give me an example of one and I’ll give you a list of examples of where you can and can’t use it.
My credentials as an instructor of international issues are even more tedious – basically, I’m not Japanese. Therefore, I am an expert on history, culture, flags, languages, current affairs, travel and world sport. However, this part of my job is soon to increase as my area within Joetsu has been chosen as one of eight areas in Niigata prefecture to receive funding for a three-year internationalisation project. How exactly this funding will be used and what initiatives will be introduced has yet to be decided, but the wheels are in motion.
Hari Elementary School has been the first to put the money to use. A carpeted room (an international touch in itself) has been set aside as the sekai no heya – The World Room. It has been rammed full of all sorts of bits and bobs from various countries: clogs, hats, masks, maps, flags, photos, books, globes, clocks, etc. all in a merry jumble. I was at the school for the room’s grand opening recently.
Now, you might think that Japan is a super high-tech country with neon lights and whizzing trains and such. This is certainly true in places - you can buy a Big Mac with your mobile phone and then scan the packaging (again, with your mobile) to get the nutritional information. However, technology is markedly absent in the school and also, strangely, on TV. In school we still use chalkboards, wooden tables and chairs, and overhead projectors are seen as something to be suspicious of. I am still amazed by news and entertainment shows that rely on homemade props to illustrate things that would be much better served by a little digital display or a neat graphic. Having said this, Hari EMS has gone from the dark ages to the 21st century in one foul swoop. All of a sudden we have “smart boards” – a projector whiteboard hooked up to a computer so that by touching the board you can select different option on whichever software you are using.
Moreover, Google Earth has made it into school. During the grand opening I showed the school my house in Lewis using a huge 58” colour TV that appeared out of nowhere. I then took them on a whistle stop tour of the world using the 3D function on Google Earth. We were soon whizzing past the pyramids and the Eiffel Tour. By doing things like this I feel like the students minds are broadening. Japan feels very cut off from the world at times, and the rest of the world can often feel like something that happens on TV or in your geography textbook. Also, Japan doesn’t have the greatest relationship with those countries it is surrounded by.
Today’s lesson with 2nd grade focused on the phrase: “where are you from?” We had the lesson in the world room and students were asked to pick a flag each from the selection stuck on the wall. They then had to answer the question with the name of the country they had chosen: “I’m from dokodoko-land.” Obviously, the students picked the strangest looking flags they could find, so the 6-year-olds learnt some interesting country names: Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, The Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea, the Seychelles, Eritrea, Iraq, and Andorra. Trust me, it was an auditory delight!