ishigaki, part two~

Okay, so picking up where I left off: Saturday, or day 5! Almost all the interpreting volunteers had the day off, so a few of us started out by visiting Taketomi Island, which is only about 10 minutes away by boat. This was also the first day with sunny weather, which was amazing! We spent a lot of time marveling at how much difference the sun made. :)

Since the island isn't very big, we decided to rent bikes, which I think is pretty common. Our first destination was Kaiji Beach, which is known for its star sand! It looks like stars or suns, and to be fair it isn't actually sand, but rather the shells of tiny crustaceans - but it still looks really cool. Naturally the first thing we all did was scoop up some sand to try and find some star bits, with varying degrees of success. Definitely super cool. Then we went to Kondoi Beach, which was gorgeous with surprisingly warm water (though only one of us was smart enough to bring a swimsuit) and then we had the famed soki soba for lunch, which is basically noodles with ribs and spectacularly tasty. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around, eating dragonfruit popsicles and seeing sights like Nagomi Tower, which looks over the whole tiny traditional village.

Star sand!

Water buffalo here too!

Nagomi Tower - climbing up was an adventure!

When we got back, plans were made for us to go see the fireflies at Banna Park, which is one of the sights the mayor recommended to us at our courtesy visit. At first we tried to rent a car but instead the owners of the rental place got a taxi for us at a good deal, with the driver even agreeing to guide us all the way to exactly where the fireflies were (and a good thing too, because we probably wouldn't have found it otherwise). Anyway, it was amazing! There were tons and tons of fireflies everywhere, twinkling like Christmas lights! I've never seen so many fireflies at once before, or flashing so often, either. I didn't even try to take pictures because I knew it wouldn't turn out, but just take my word for it - it was breathtaking. Then we went back and joined some more JET volunteers for food and drinks at an izakaya with performances of Okinawan music!

The next day was the big day: the Sunday of the triathlons! I didn't get there for the start of the Ishigaki Island triathlon, but I did get to see the first person who finished, and also cheer on all the rest. It was super cute to see people run across the finish line with their families or teammates (for those doing it as a relay), especially when they included babies! I did get to see the start of the women's World Cup race, though this was also when it started to rain so I have no pictures whatsoever. I did see the end of both the men and women's races though, and it was pretty cool to realize that these were world-class athletes, in a qualifying race for the Olympics! Super impressive. Then in the evening, there was the award party, which was a chance for the citizens and athletes and volunteers to hang out while eating food from stalls like the ones they have at festivals. Good times.

The first amateur finisher!

Monday morning was spent assisting some athletes with check-out at the hotel and making sure they all got on the right shuttle to the airport (which they did). Then my host parents took us to a few places around the island, starting with the marine research center where my host dad used to work, where they had lots and lots of sea turtles! We got to see them in their tanks (including one that was separated from the rest because it was on a diet and another one that apparently had the opposite problem) and I even held a little one! Then we went to the Hirakubo Lighthouse, at the northernmost point of the island, which had the most spectacular view. I couldn't get over how gorgeous the ocean was, with its many different shades of blue, and eating chinsuko (a famous Okinawan treat) ice cream there was pretty much perfect.

Apparently when they are resting they put their fins on their backs!

Northernmost point of Ishigaki Island!

The last evening consisted of dinner and karaoke with some other JETs, my host sister and her friend, and more, which was a great way to wrap up the end of the trip. The next day was pretty much just spent going home, but not before my host parents let us each pick a bowl they had made to take home with us! I definitely think staying with a host family was one of the best parts of what was a really awesome trip. I met new people, saw new places, and experienced so many new things. Hopefully I'll be back to Ishigaki someday!

ishigaki triathlons, part one!

So two weeks ago, I boarded my first (Japanese) domestic flight and headed off to Ishigaki, Okinawa! I went there as a volunteer interpreter for the not one, but two triathlons that were happening there that weekend: the Ishigaki Island Triathlon and the Ishigaki ITU Triathlon World Cup. It was my first time going to Okinawa (though hopefully not my last) and my second time volunteering at a triathlon (which I only remembered after I got there, haha. Oops) and basically a super fun time. :D (I'm also splitting the post into two parts because I think otherwise it will be ridiculously long.)

The first day was mostly spent traveling and then meeting my host family and fellow JET volunteer who was also staying with them. It turns out my host sister lived in Georgia for 9 years, which is a crazy coincidence because she was also in a place super close to my house, my host parents do ceramics, just like my mom, and my fellow JET house buddy was somebody I met at our mid-year conference! What a small world.

Ishigaki's brand new airport!

The next day we had our volunteer training with the resident Ishigaki CIR and a courtesy visit to the mayor! It was kind of cool to be on the guest side rather than the interpreting end, though it was also very short. Then all the (visiting) interpreting volunteers went out for yakiniku (of the famed Ishigaki beef) - we were all JETs from basically all over Japan, so it was great to meet everybody and get to know them a little better. The afternoon was just spent wandering around Ishigaki City, where we discovered the Shinei Park World Peace Bell and learned that Taiwan is only 270km away, among other things. I thought it was amazing how different it felt to be in Okinawa though - you could definitely tell that we were on an island (even though the weather was not ideal). And then I went to the airport to welcome some triathletes from South Africa!

The World Peace Bell

I had all of Wednesday free, so a couple of volunteers and I went to the nearby Iriomote Island! It's the only Yaeyama Islands I'd heard of besides Ishigaki before coming, because it's the home of the Iriomote cat, which is a wild cat (not much bigger than a housecat) that's only found there. Apparently there are less than a hundred of them left and some people live there their whole lives without seeing one, though our bus guide had seen them 5 times! Anyway, our day in Iriomote consisted of a short cruise around the mangroves and a short ride across to Yubu Island via water buffalo (ours was named Yumi-chan), where we had lunch and saw things like a butterfly house. And then we went back to Ishigaki for a welcome party with all the interpreting volunteers, including Ishigaki residents!

An Iriomote cat!

A very cool tree

Yumi-chan!

The next morning was free for me too, so I took the opportunity to have my first scuba diving experience! The weather wasn't the greatest (cloudy and not quite warm) and the water was a little cold even with a wetsuit, but it was definitely worth it. After stopping to snorkel a little, it was time to try scuba diving! I'd never done it before so I was a little nervous (especially since I'd always thought you needed to go through proper training before scuba diving), but they explained everything clearly and I didn't run into any problems (other than occasionally tipping over from the weight of the tank being imbalanced), which was awesome. We saw a bunch of fish and also a group of cuttlefish (I think), which was really cool.

Trying hard to breathe properly

Then I went back to Ishigaki City Hall to prep for my next volunteer job: interpreting at the World Cup welcome party! The three of us were originally supposed to use the time to translate prepared speeches, but we found out that one of them didn't have a written copy, and because one of the other volunteers wasn't a native English speaker and the other had never interpreted before, I agreed to do it on-the-fly (which is always terrifying). But it actually went pretty well (he kept it short and sweet), so I got to enjoy just being at the welcome party. I didn't actually talk to any of the athletes, but I watched some performances of traditional dances/music by local high schoolers and ate some yummy food!

And that's all I'll recount for now - stay tuned for part two (hopefully shortly)! :)

pre-okinawa

So as I mentioned last post, I'll be headed off to Ishigaki, Okinawa for a week starting on Tuesday (aka in two days)! I'm super excited and totally unprepared, but before leaving I figured I should post a quick update!

This week at work has been pretty uneventful, besides the whole adjusting-to-a-new-office thing. On Tuesday I went to see the movie Cloud Atlas with Cory, which was way better than I expected (probably because I had no expectations whatsoever) - they did some crazy cool stuff with makeup and effects, especially as an independent film. On Wednesday I went swing dancing again for the first time in like two months, which was super fun as usual.

 On Friday we had our welcome/farewell party for all the people leaving and coming into the section, which was a really good time, although one of the new people had to leave early to go to another party, which was a shame. It was really good to see everybody who switched out - hopefully we'll still see each other from time to time!

Then on Saturday I was supposed to go down to Kamogawa to see my friend Ella, but there was a forecast for a really big storm in the afternoon and I was worried about getting back so I just stayed home. Which I ended up regretting a little, but I spent the whole day in my pajamas and Skyping with my dad and some friends, so it wasn't a total loss! :)

This morning I went into my kimono classroom for a kimono hair and makeup trial and ended up buying a kimono! Or rather, the fabric to make one, since really kimonos are supposed to be custom-made. I wasn't planning on it, but I had put in a deposit before going to the kimono festival last weekend and I was able to use that for this fabric, and I figured it was probably worth getting my own kimono made instead of just getting a used one (which was my original plan). Still, I'm pretty happy with it and looking forward to getting it back in two months! Like I said, it isn't really a kimono yet (also I still have to buy an obi and other accessories to go with it), but here's what it looked like earlier today:

And then tonight I went out to dinner with another friend, whose friend was singing Okinawan music at an Okinawan restaurant! She was super talented, and I even got one of her CDs, which I'm looking forward to listening to. I didn't know anybody else there, but I had a good time getting to know them while tasting Okinawan food (in preparation for my trip, maybe). Perhaps it's a premonition of good times to come during my trip! :)

So after a day of work tomorrow, off I go on my first airplane trip within Japan! Definitely not packed yet and probably haven't thought about it as much as I should, but I am very excited for warm weather and beaches and meeting some other JETs! :D

finishing the fiscal year

As expected, the last half of March has been a whirlwind! The new fiscal year starts in April in Japan, so on top of the visit from the Houston delegation, we also had to prepare to move our office (we're going from the community center to actual city hall, for better or for worse) and also get ready for some personnel changes - three people are being transferred out (which happens periodically in Japanese companies/organizations), which was surprising and very sad. :( I'm sure I will enjoy getting to know our new people though! A new office and new people and a new fiscal year all in a new month - April definitely won't be boring, at least! After showing up yesterday to help finish moving, today was my first day in the new office! Since I hate change I think it will take some adjusting, but really, I think it will all feel normal very soon. The new office does have really huge windows, some of which overlook the park nearby, which I like.

So naturally the biggest event in the last half of March was the visit from the delegation from Houston! It involved me setting and breaking records for the latest I've stayed at the office, spending a full day working by myself in the office on a weekend, and enough overtime hours that I don't have to use any vacation days for my upcoming trip to Ishigaki, but actually I really enjoyed myself while they were here. :D More details here!

Other fun things I've been up to:
- A few random days/afternoons off to use up some built-up overtime, mostly just spent wandering around and shopping
- A day spent with my friend Ella in Tokyo! The sakura (cherry blossoms) have been in bloom for the past few weeks (starting to disappear now, sadly), so we went to Ueno Park to take a look! We just walked around instead of properly sitting and eating (and drinking) in true Japanese hanami (flower-viewing) style, but really it was very pretty, even on a cloudy day.

- A farewell party for the Economic Planning Section! Actually it was probably a little strange for me to be there, since I had never actually spoken to most of them and didn't know the person whose farewell party it was (and may actually not see many of them again any time soon due to personnel changes), but I did enjoy getting to know them a little and even won a bottle of wine from name bingo.
- The same salsa dance party I went to at the end of February (it's a monthly thing), which was just as fun. I hardly danced at all during March because I was so busy, so it was great to get back into it.
- Swing dancing under the cherry blossoms! This time it was a proper hanami in Yoyogi Park, complete with dancing! Again it was cloudy and actually a little bit chilly out, but the combination of dancing, drinking, and practically non-stop eating helped keep me warm. :)
- Ichiru Festa: a big kimono event run by my kimono school - apparently students from all over the country came to participate! Basically there were kimonos, obis, and their accessories from all over the country on sale for really cheap, plus a few hands-on activities. I tried painting a han-eri, which is something you put over your collar, and though I didn't end up buying anything, I did 'try on' a lot of different fabric, which was lots of fun. We also had a yummy bento lunch at a nearby hotel, even though the participation fee for the whole event was only 500 yen!

And that was the end of March in a nutshell! The big thing coming up for me this month is my trip to Ishigaki, where I'll be volunteer interpreting for the triathlon there. I'll be leaving in a week, for a week, and I'm sure once I get back I'll have lots to post about. Stay tuned! :)