Takasaki Residents' Festival

I've got a keen eye and ear for finding out about festivals and events. In fact, I pretty actively search for things to do around this lil town of ours and convince others to come with me. The problem with not being able to speak or read Japanese is that sometimes, the information in English is not exactly thorough or complete. Such was the case on May 18th, when we planned on heading to the Takasaki Residents' Festival. Long story short, the directions to the location of the festival were unclear/non-existent and failed to mention that it would take a 30 min bus ride (after waiting over 2 hours for one of the three daily buses for that route to come) and 45 minutes of walking, uphill to the festival. Annoying for anyone but ridiculous for our friend Ali, who was on crutches at the time. She was a total trooper though.

On top of that, the thing we were most excited about were the hot air balloons and the opportunity to ride in one for super cheap. This picture below shows the only hot air balloon we saw that day. It was deflated by the time we got there.

But, we did eventually make it to the park and were ready to enjoy whatever they had left.

Like Hula dancers.

And delicious food like shaved ice and kebabs.

And mini automotives with big and little people riding on them.

And Gunma's pony mascot, Yuuma-chan. Fun for little kids...

and big kids!

There was also a crazy lookin' little "marching" band walking around the grounds playing the same song over, and over, and over again. They were fun... for like the first 10 minutes.

Annnddddd, they're back!

There was also a flea market at this festival, which was weird, but I LOVED it! I managed to get a few ridiculous items I'm saving up for jussssssssst the right time to wear. I'm also waiting for the stench on some of the things to go away.By far the coolest item at the market was this little robot. It keeps canned drinks cold and then delivers and hands it to you. It was pretty pricey though, and definitely wouldn't survive a commute on my bike. It was tempting though, very tempting.

Water bottle rockets being set off.

I've decided that clowns are AS creepy, if not more so, in Japan. Sure, she's smiling, and has hearts on her and blows up balloons for kids, but "Pink" here had a devious twinkle in her eyes that I for one did not trust.

The festival was located within the Family Park grounds, so there was also these water fountains and those jumping bubbles in the background.

Before you can go on the jumping bubbles though, please remember not to bring your school bags onto it, do acrobatics, or kick somebody with poo on the bottom of your shoe.

The jumping bubbles!!! Seriously SO fun. I don't know what it is about jumping on bouncy things, but it makes me so giddy!

It makes Laurel want to chase and stomp on small children.

Just kiddin' - it makes her super smiley as well.

Half the fun was being surrounded by a gajillion and one kids screaming "Hellllloooo!!!"

Annnnd, we're done.

Do you like marathon?

...is a question I've been asked on more than one occasion here. In my self-introduction speech, I have a bit where I talk about the sports I like. I always act out the sport or show the kids an object from the sport and have them guess what sport I like. Every time I started sprinting around the classroom, kids would shout out "MARATHON!!!" I was always like, "Well, no, I've never actually run a marathon... I just enjoy running" until I realized marathon apparently synonomous with running. But I was asked it so often that it kind of furnished this deep burning desire to actually run a marathon. SO, when the opportunity arose for me to actually run in an organized marathon (albeit a half marathon), I was more than game.

I had met the Takahashi's for the first time over a Korean family style dinner and by the end of the meal and nomihodai (all you can drink for 2 hours), I had agreed to run in a costume marathon. That's right - COSTUME marathon. I was beyond ecstatic.

I didn't know if I could actually follow through with the commitment and went on borderline obsessed research and planning mode. I'd have to work training into a pretty packed schedule of "doing other things". I knew I'd have to make the proper exercise, nutrition, and mental adjustments/sacrifices and honestly didn't know if I could hack it. I love running, but had never gone further than 5 miles. I also pretty much had something planned every weekend and didn't know if I could fit the "long run" days of training into it (especially after a late night out when I presumed I wouldn't be feeling too hot the next day).

BUT, long stories short, I made the adjustments and rocked out. I enjoyed most of the runs I did and discovered new places in Japan to run. It was never physically all that tough; the hardest part was getting bored on the long runs where I was on the same path I'd been before.

The Samurai Marathon (Annaka Answi Toashi) has been an annual tradition for what is believed to be hundreds of years. In fact, it's considered to be the first marathon to be held in Japan. Apparently the local king ordered his samurai to run from his castle to the gates of a garden 20 kilometers away. It used to be that people would wear only Samurai uniforms, but has recently turned into a full out costume marathon (which about 80% of the participants took to heart). It's like a 20km State Street (with less beer and more running)! This is the promo poster for the marathon.

So, I met Takahashi #1 and Takahashi #2 on that fine winter night in Maebashi and we all became pretty close friends after that. Takahashi #1 organized the pre-marathon festivities like a pro. It is tradition for him and his high school friends (some going back to elementary school) to run this marathon together every year. We had a group of about 25 people for the BBQ, so organizing and making a BBQ and overnight in the bungalows out near Annaka in itself was a feat. KAMPAI!!!

We had a delicious feast of miso soup, rice, yakisoba, sushi, grilled meat, grilled vegetables, and a first for me, grilled "fish children". They got me to eat one, eventually. I LOVE salmon eggs, but these fish bellies chock full o babies were not the most delicious.

The next morning we woke up real early to clean up the site and get over to the race. The weather was absolutely disgusting (cold and rainy), but that wasn't stopping us runners! Awww, look at our cute little supporters with their umbrellas and hungover faces! Adorable! They were such great supporters - I bet they were even thinking about the marathon while they were out to breakfast;)
We finally made it to the starting lot. Here's a runner upholding the samurai costume tradition. And yes, he ran with that stick the ENTIRE way.


"We are horse!"

Kamara shows us some lovin' too!

Tomomi decided to run the race at like 10pm the night before. I love her! My Mrs. Incredible costume was pretty ruined with the bright blue rain jacket I had to sport over it, and Tomomi was bummed about her last minute 'costume' arrangement, but we were smiling anyway:)
The She-men cheerleaders... love it!
On your marks, get set, GO! (or you know, the equivalent in Japanese, with fireworks going off simultaneously).

Tomomi is clearly the most dedicated runner in the race (dedicated to her husband and baby that is).

This guy was supposed to be a ghost, apparently. As Takahashi#1 said, "It's too much. Too much".

Oh no! Shinkansen down!

Where there are Japanese, there is a love for Disney.

As you can see, it was pretty slow moving for like the first few kilometers. I didn't really have a time goal though, I just wanted to finish. So, it was fun seeing all the costumes as we all gradually split up.

At the end of the race they announce the winners for the costumes. I'm not sure exactly what it's based on, but I guess this guy won. It's a model of a Japanese comic, The Butt Muncher. Yes, he's some sort of bug, that munches butts. It's funny, but I definitely saw cooler costumes.

Despite the rain, the run was incredible. It was absolutely gorgeous, and had a really diverse terrain. I had to idea what to expect and had no real gauge on distance, which is when I run best. If I know where I'm going and landmarks and how long it takes, my brain goes on repeat and is not stimulated in the least. So all the costumes and scenery totally made this my favorite run ever. The rainy weather gave the mountains a really mystical vibe that was so sweet.

And the support was unbelievable - there honestly wasn't a stretch of the 20 km run where there wasn't anybody standing on the side cheering.

Check it out - this guy is running barefoot!

And of course, I had to do the cheesy "I completed the 1/2 marathon" pose at the end.

My goal was to finish the race with a smile on my face, which I did... but I also kind of had a goal to finish under two hours, which I also did. I also assumed the guys in our group would kick my @ss, and figured we'd meet up in the end. To my surprise, I kept up with the two fastest guys (who we dubbed Brandon and Ryan: everyone got a new English name!) in our group, and even got a burst of adrenaline at the end which left them in the dust. I finished 17th out of the approximately 300 women that were competing, which is better than I could have ever expected. And, it gives me a goal for next year!

"Brandon" and I with our completion certificates and miso cucumbers.

The Top Three: "Brandon", me, and "Ryan", after being interviewed by a newspaper reporter.

The girls, on the way to the onsen, after being all tuckered out from a 20km run (me and Tomomi) or eating breakfast (Kristine, Laurel, Brooke).

The original crew + Tomomi post onsen-ing.

I had a really great time and am so grateful Takahashi #1 (Hiro) arranged this all and invited us in the first place. It was a total blast, and proved to me that I could actually run a 1/2 marathon. Makes me wonder if a full marathon can happen sometime in the future for me???

Jenny Does Japan 10: Sayonara, Sister:(

On May 6th, 2008 Jenny left me. But not before I could show her one last good night out in my hometown of Maebashi. For dinner, I got the whole crew together at one our favorite izakayas.

Terry and Jenny as the first course comes out.

Course number three: chicken gizzards - dig in!

Happy Cinco De Mayo, everyone!

The only group shot we could muster up after nomihodai:

(From the left, clockwise)Alex, Ali, Terry, Laurel, Tomomi, me, Masami (hiding), Hiro (Takahashi #1), Takahashi #2

Following dinner, we took a 'lil stroll along the river and those still standing came to karaoke with us. Maybe I really have turned Japanese and have too much of an appreciation and love for karaoke culture, but I was almost offended that Jenny didn't dig it. She wouldn't even sing one song! Granted, karaoke is quite a different event here than in the US. At home karaoke is done in front of a huge crowd of mostly strangers... which in my book, is way more intimidating. You sign up for a song like hours in advance, wait for your turn in the spotlight, and then return to boredom. In Japan, you rent out a room with a group of friends and order drinks during the duration of your stay. You get to sing lots of songs and sing along with each other. You even get a maraca at some places, or a tambourine if you're really lucky! Despite my enthusiasm, Jenny wasn't feeling it and straight out refused to sing even one song. Lame sister, lame. But, to each his own I guess. Nope, still lame.

The goodbye the next morning was pretty tough. Probably not for Jenny, because she was definitely done with Japan and ready to get home. But for me, it meant I wouldn't get to see my sister for over a year. I really appreciated the time we got to spend together. Yes, all of it. We'd never spent that much consecutive time together, and although it drove her pretty nuts I'm sure, I think she had a good time overall. I was really happy to have experienced so many new and great sights in Japan with her and learned more about Jenny and myself throughout the trip. While we were both relieved to be finished living out of a bag, I was pretty sad to be leaving family. Luckily, I knew that my Mom, Dad, and brother would be coming in less than 2 months - which probably prevented me from having a total breakdown right there and then.

I love you sister, and will cherish the memories we made together for the rest of our lives. Miss you already!