TsukuBlog

Dragon boat race competition to take place this Sunday in Kasumigaura City.

11th Dragon boat race competition in Kasumigaura
When: July 1, Sunday, from 9:00 to 15:15
Where: Kasumigaura Lake in front of Ayumisaki Park in Kasumigaura City (Map)

It looks like this is a very serious competition unlike the kind of dragon boat race where participants decorate their boats for fun. Click here to see the picture from last year’s competition.

Ayumisaki Park is a tiny park with a VERY tiny aquarium, but it still is a nice to place to spend your day. I see many sons and fathers fish while moms and other kids play in the park every time I go there. A castle-shaped local historical museum and a really good nature park for kids and families are within walking distance of Ayumisaki Park. The competition site (Ayumisaki Park) is about 30 to 40-minute drive from Tsukuba.

The community centers in Tsukuba hold courses that start in May of every year. The course calendar is only available in Japanese, but if you are thinking about learning a new craft, doing some exercise, or brushing up on your language skills, you might want to have a look at the list. Registration runs from May 1 to 15 and the classes all have limits on the number of students who can participate, so apply soon!

For many Japanese, it goes without saying that worshipping at a Buddhist temple on any given day brings one merit. Some days, however, are special. In fact, according to tradition, tomorrow, July 10, is VERY SPECIAL INDEED, as dropping in at the Asakusa Kannon will be equivalent to 46,000 regular day visits! This sounds-too-good-to-be-true offer gets even better. From early in the morning to about midnight, hundreds of small stalls will be set up selling hozuki and wind chimes, two classic symbols of July in Japan. Hozuki are delicate, almost translucent, orange pods, which are reminiscent of half-deflated origami balloons. They have traditionally been used as decorations, toys and laxatives! The hozuki market is held in Asakusa because sometime in the 18th century a certain samurai’s attendant is said to have dreamed of the plant’s curative powers which were later confirmed by the amazed local residents. The market has been held ever since, for more than 200 years.

Many older women I have spoken to in Tsukuba can remember painstakingly removing the seeds from the delicate pods as children to make toy noise makers which were blown into — something kids today probably don’t have the patience or desire to do!

The beautiful hozuki plants, the excitement in the air, and the cool tingling of countless wind-chimes makes for a perfect summer excursion — and you can get yourself PLENTY of merit to boot!

Alas, tomorrow is a weekday. But for those who can’t make it to Asakusa’s Sensoji, a final look can be had at the beautiful hozuki arrangement in the lobby of the Okura Hotel at Tsukuba Center. The lobby flowers are changed every Thursday at the Okura, so you had better get there early. I’ve been going EVERY DAY!

In contrast to the always tasteful floral inventions which can be encountered at the hotel, the managers of the Tsukuba Center Complex have put up a tacky display of poster-sized photos, cheaply framed, of VIPs who have visited the center over the past 20 years. You might imagine that these would be shots of great scientists or scholars, as many have been through Tsukuba over the years. The organizers of this particular display, however, have selected only pictures of royalty: the Showa Emperor, the current Emperor and his wife as Crown Prince and Princess, the Kings of Belgium and Sweden, the Princess of Thailand, Margaret Thatcher, etc.

Seems a bit out of touch with what Tsukuba is supposed to be about, but these unartfully hung posters can’t help help but make one stop a moment, have a look at each one and wonder where all the time goes.

(No, Tsukuba You World doesn’t pay me for doing this, in case you are wondering!)

Tsukuba You World is currently celebrating its 7th Anniversary, and you can take advantage of their special offers and events.

Cineplex Tsukuba
1) 1000yen admission day - July 8, Sunday
2) Meet Picachu and Shrek - July 7 and 8
11:25AM, 13:30PM, and 15:40PM on both days.
(Expect the chaos!)
3) Quiz rally

Spa You World
1) Special drama performances from July 1 to July 30
2) 1050yen admission day and free gifts to first 250 people - July 8

For You World’s free bus services, please read this post:
Parking at You World & Free bus service
Shrek 3 Schedule:
Schedule for Shrek3 at Cineplex Tsukuba

Repsa Mall, a strip mall along Route 354, just minutes from You World will also be holding their big summer event this weekend, so it’s not hard to imagine how horrible the traiffic on that stretch of Route 354 will be this weekend.

Putting oneself through physical and/or mental hardship as a way of achieving spiritual growth has long been connected with Buddhism in Japan. That was why, when I arrived at the National Museum in Ueno on a sweltering spring morning, I did not find it inappropriate to have to wait outside in the sun for 90 minutes to get into the current exhibition — The Treasures of Yakushi-Ji Temple. Of course, upon first catching site of the impossibly long line, a winding python made up of thousands of senior citizens, I thought about heading for less crowded quarters. But I had had my heart strongly set on seeing this exhibition before it closed on June 8th, and anyway, I had certainly been made to wait even longer, at this very museum , many times before. It had almost always been worth it.

I imagined that most of the Buddhist art enthusiasts patiently waiting in line with me had already been to Nara and visited Yakushiji. I also came to the realization that if I had gotten on the shinkansen it would not take very much longer to reach the temple itself than it would to finally reach the entrance of the museum (though it would have been a BIT more expensive).

What the large crowds had been gathering for, every day for weeks already, was a look from behind. A look at the back-sides of 3 great Buddhist images whose backs are usually covered by ornate, body length, gilded halos or aureoles (光背, kohai). For this exhibition, these figures, most famously the bronze Bodhisatvas Nikko and Gakko, were separated from their back-stand halos allowing their elegantly molded posteriors to be gazed upon by anyone with a ticket and tough enough to endure the lines.

In addition to this rare chance to peek BEHIND the scenes, the exhibition featured treasures which have never been  displayed all at once.These are usually kept in Yakushi-Ji`s treasure house and  are

exhibited as individual pieces or sets at various times around the year.

Centuries of being imbued with the samurai virtues of patience and perseverence has clearly had a huge impact.Not a complaint could be heard from the sun-exposed crowd.Each visitor seemed to be in a heat induced daze by the time they reached the air-conditioned exhibition hall .

Then things really got difficult. All the pent up energy and bridled excitement seemed to burst forth in my elderly fellow museum-goers and it took strength and cunning to jockey myself into a position in which I could see any of the works on display.

This might sound like a nightmare, or a Buddhist version of hell, but  in fact it was fascinating and highly rewarding in many ways. For me observing the visitors and overhearing their comments was what probably sticks in my mind most. Since this was an exhibition of Buddhist works, and not just ART, it seemed to me that most of the visitors were trying their best to have a spiritual experience. Their GAZE was special, like that reserved for cherry blossom viewing or funerals. A typical exclamation that I heard among the crowds viewing the 3 meter tall bronze Boddhisatvas was: They really DO make me feel calm. (yappari miru to iyashi ni naru).

In terms of the works on display themselves, I was more impressed (in terms of beauty) by the three small figures (39cm) of the Hachiman Triad. I prefered them because they are carved from wood, and I have always felt that the Japanese sculptors often showed great genius when working in that medium. When such skillfully carved wooden pieces are aged more than a thousand years, the effect is mysterious and mesmerizing.

It is also of interest to note how Shinto Gods were early adopted into Buddhism, with Hachiman (the deified emperor Ojin) having early on become a protector of the new, imported faith.These figures are some of the earliest,if not THE earliest examples of Shinto sculpture(before Buddhism took hold the Gods had not been

represented as graven images). I can go ON and ON about each piece I saw. By why should you waste your time reading when you still have a few more days to see and experience for yourself.Or check the exhibition web-site.

I left the museum and its bookstore with  heavy feet and even heavier bag, and a light head and even lighter wallet.However, I really did feel serene(exhaustion?) sitting on TX reviewing what I had just seen in the excellent catalogue of the show.

Don’t let the lines deter you(bring some good books along). I guess that in the west we also have the notion of growth through hardship: you know NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

The exhibition will be on until June 8 at the National Museum in Ueno.

Dralion by Cirque du Soleil is going to be returning for a new series of shows between January 25 and March 2, 2008. Advance tickets for certain areas will be on sale from May 31 at noon until June 13 to 6pm.

See: http://ticket.rakuten.co.jp/dm/dralion/ (in Japanese)

The annual AIST open house will be held this Saturday, July 21 from 9:30AM to 4:00PM. The open house flyer doesn’t say from when to when, but free shuttle buses will be leaving every 10 minutes from the loading zone #9 of the Tsukuba Center Bus Terminal. The buses will stop at AIST and NIES, which will also be doing the open house that day (see Shaney’s post titled “NIES Summer Open House 2007” ).

These are “just a few” of the events scheduled:

• Lectures
• Guided Tours (pre-registration required)
• “Science Talk”-discussion sessions with scientists (pre-registration required)
• Demonstration of a moving dinosaur robot from 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm
• Scientific Experiments Shows (Wonders of Chemistry and Wonders of “Colors of Light”) - both from 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm
• Hands-on Activities
  - Make your own “はんこ”(hanko or personal seal)
  - Make your own liquid or 3-D kaleidoscope
  - Let’s make a volcano in the kitchen
  - Environment Quiz Tourney from 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm
• Demonstrations
  - The bus that runs on bio-diesel fuel (the bus will not move)
  - Humanoid demos from 11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm
  - Methane Hydrate open experiments from 10:00am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm

September 1, Saturday from 5PM
(Rain date: September 2)
Venue: Tsukuba Center Plaza

インドネシア友好の夕べ/Malam Cinta Indonesia, or something like “Indonesian Friendship Night” is an event hosted by Japan-Indonesia Friendship Association and Indonesian Student Association in Japan every year. Come and enjoy the Bali and Javanese dances and music. There will also be 津軽三味線(Tsugaru-jamisen) and Japanese drum performances!

* Exhibit *
The 22nd Ibaraki Artifact Exhibit (茨城県郷土工芸品展) will be held again at Tsukuba Seibu from August 10 to 15. Please also see my post titled, “Ibaraki Artifact Exhibit at Seibu” from last year for reference.

Selected artifacts from all over Ibaraki will be on display/sale, and you’ll have chances to talk to craftspeople and watch them work on their handiwork. Please see “popular attraction” page on Ibaraki Travel Information website (English). All the artifacts on this page, except Kagami Crystal, will be coming to Seibu this weekend. This year, there will be free tea ceremonies that you can participate in every 30minutes between 11am and 6pm on Sunday.

There will be lots of sightseeing brochures and flyers that you can pick up, so if you are trying to decide where to go & what to do this fall, don’t forget to stop by at the tourist information table.

* Books! Books! Books! *
What’s exciting is that Libro’s new and used book fair will also be held on the same floor during this exhibit this year! They usually have a good selection of English and other foreign language books and some videos, so I think it’s worth a look if you are not in a hurry.

On Sunday, April 27th, the Ibaraki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching will offer two presentations. All are welcome. There will be no charge. No pre-registration is necessary.

Date: Sunday, April 27
Place: Ibaraki Christian University, Hitachi Omika
Cost: Free
More info: http://www.kasei.ac.jp/jalt/

Morning Session (Part 1): 10:00 (Registration from 09:30)
Doing Culture Ethnographically/Study Abroad Programs
by Elaine Gilmour, Associate Professor, Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University

This presentation examines what an ethnographic approach to teaching culture is, and suggests components for a community based ethnography course. We’ll also consider the point of such a course from the students’ perspective, by looking at questionnaire response data provided by students who have participated in Study Abroad programs during their university experience.

Lunch Break: 12:00-14:00

Afternoon Session (Part 2): 14:00
Actually Teaching Listening
by Alastair Graham-Marr, ABAX
Teaching listening effectively means teaching both phonology and knowledge of discourse. A working knowledge of the phonology of natural connected speech, elisions and liaisons, weak forms and reductions helps students with their ‘bottom-up’ decoding skills. Developing student knowledge of discourse, particularly of scripts (those discourses in English that tend to follow a set pattern) helps them with their ‘top-down’ predictive skills.

JALT Ibaraki chapter meetings are open to all interested in learning and teaching languages. Abstracts for the presentations and access information for the venue, as well further information for future events are available on the chapter website.

When:
May 29, Thursday, from 2:30pm to 5:00pm
Venue:
University of Tsukuba 30th Anniversary Hall

Program:
14:45
Welcoming address/ Palabras de bienvenida por autoridad de la Universidad.

14:55 to 15:25
Lecture by ambassador Daniel D. Polski/ Conferencia del Sr. Embajador de la Republica Argentina Daniel D.Polski
Lecture title: “Argentina‚ key drivers for sustainable economic development”/ “Argentina: Factores Claves del Desarrollo Económico Sustentable”
　　　　　　
15:35 to 16:00
Argentina tango evening/ Demonstration and lesson by Luna de Tango Company, Demonstracion y clase de tango a cargo de “Luna de Tango Company.”

16:00 to 17:00
Social gathering/ Let’s talk about Argentine

Please contact Sugimoto at 029-853-6785
or visit the following page for details:
http://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/hall/20080521140055.html

Program:
http://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/up_pdf/20080521140055001.pdf

The 6th Michi no Ichi
(Bentencho Handmade Fair)

115 professional and amateur artists and businesses from various parts of Japan will participate in this event.

June 7 (Sat) from 10AM to 5PM
Events:
11:00 - Belly dance performance
13:00 - Bali dance performance, Istana Langit
14:00 – Belly dance performance
Other times: Amateur musician/band will be performing on the stage and street.

June 8 (Sun) from 10AM to 4PM
Events:
10:00 - Express Jazz Orchestra (Mito Tankidaigaku Fuzoku High School’s big band) performance
11:00 - Hakoda Apron Mamas Story Time for kids and “big” kids
12:00 – Performance by Inari Bayashi Preservation Group
13:00 – Shichido Kitsune (rakugo)
14:00 – Performance by “Maruchans”
Other times: Amateur musician/band will be performing on the stage and street.

Michi no Ichi website:
http://www.michino1.jp/michinoichi/mtop.html

Inaricho Art Festival
June 7 and 8 (pottery)
June 7 to 29 (paintings, sculptures, prints and photography)

This is one of the pre-”Art Cocktail 2009″ events.
Artworks by established and emerging artists from Ibaraki, Tokyo and other areas will be exhibited in area businesses like Gruyere (cafe), Takara Inbou (personal seal shop), Ookawa Saketen (liquor shop), Joshuya Ryokan (country inn), Gallery Sakura. All these places are located within easy walking distance of Michi no Ichi and JR Kasama Station. Artworks will be exhibited in Gallery Sakura until the end of June after this festival.

Festival organizer’s blog:
http://kasatsuku.exblog.jp/

The Mt. Tsukuba Azalea Festival runs from April 26 to May 18. There are about 3000 red and purple azalea (ツツジ — tsutsuji — in Japanese) bushes on the mountain. Special events will be held on Saturdays through out the festival and on Monday, May 5. From May 3 to 6, the plants will be illuminated along the cable car route from 6:30pm to 8pm. A round trip on the cable car costs 1000 yen for adults and children of elementary school age and under are free.

Getting There By Train
From Tsukuba Station, take the Mt. Tsukuba Shuttle Bus (筑波山シャトルバス — Tsukuba san shuttle bus) and get off at the entrance to Mt. Tsukuba Shrine (筑波山神社入口 — Tsukuba san jinja iriguchi). Walk for 5 minutes.

If you come from a station other than Tsukuba Station, and you are planning on using the cable car or ropeway, you might find the Tsukuba Express Mt. Tsukuba Ticket to be convenient.

筑波山つつじまつり(Mt.Tsukuba Azalea Festival)
April 22(Sun) to May 20(Sun)

Events:
April 28(Sat) 11am
Kocarina * Concert at the “outlook floor” of the building in front of Tsukuba Sanchou Station on top of Mt.Tsukuba (*Kocarina is a music instrument from Republic of Hungary )

April 28(sat) 1pm
100 baby azalea trees give away at the cable car(tramway) Miyawaki Station and ropeway(aerial tramway) Tsutsujigaoka Station

May 5(sat) Children’s Day 11am
Children’s Day free gifts given to first 200 kids at Miyawaki Station and Tsutsujigaoka Station

May 12(Sat) 11am
Machitsuki (pounding of “mochi” or rice cake) and tasting of mochi
at the “outlook floor” in front of aerial tramway Nyotaisan Station. Tasting of mochi is limited to first 200 people.

May 19(Sat) 11am
ガマの油売り口上(performance by a tradionational “Toad’s Grease” seller) at the “outlook floor” of the building in front of Tsukuba Sanchou Station

1pm
Charity “Tsukamidori(grabbing)” game at cable car Miyawaki Station　(I don’t know what, but it looks like you have a chance to win nice prizes) First 100 people

I don’t know how much it’ll cost to get into this festival, but it shouldn’t be that expensive. The azalea festival in Kasama has already started last weekend. I’ve been to the one in Kasama twice, and I really liked it!

第３６回笠間つつじまつり(The 36th Kasama Azalea Festival)
April 14(Sat) to May 13(Sun)　8am to 6pm
Admissions: 500yen for adults(high schoolers and up), Junior high kids and under are free

Events:
April 28, 29, May 2, 5 from 10am to 3pm
tea ceremories

May 3 10am to 3pm
琴(koto or Japanese harp) concert

May 4 10am to 12pm
稲荷ばやし(Inari bayashi), traditional Japanese festival music in Kasama

May 4 12pm to 3pm
岩間ばやし(Iwama bayashi), traditional Japanese festival music in Iwama

May 5 10am to 3pm
sales of local produce

The site of Himatsuri, the big pottery fair I mentioned in this blog before, isn’t far from this azalea festival, so you can visit two festivals in one day. If you have a time (and energy!), I highly recommend visiting Kasama Inari Shrine near the azalea festival site because the Japanese wisteria at Kasama Inari Shrine is simply just breathtaking!!

ぼたん・しゃくやく・バラ祭り(tree peony, Chinese peony, rose festival)
at Tsukuba Peony Garden
April 21(Sat) to July 15(Sun)
Open 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 8am to 5pm on weekends and holidays Admissions: 800yen for adults, 300yen for kids*

*If your child(ren) attends a public school in Tsukuba, then she/he should have received a free ticket from school last week.

You can eat the soba noodle, made from soba grown in Tsukuba in the restaurant inside this garden.

A special exhibit on サクラソウ(sakurasou or primrose) will also start tomorrow at Tsukuba Botanical Garden. The weather’s been crazy lately, but spring is definitely here!

I apologize for such short notice, but ACCS, Tsukuba’s cable TV station, will air an interview of Elizabeth Robles from a bit after 18:24pm and 20:15pm on Channel 9 tonight. Some of you might have already watched it from 10:54am or 12:54pm.

Elizabeth and the local artists will be performing at Tsukuba Capio (MAP) this Friday. Please read the article by Avi in January issue of the Alien Times. To find out where you can get a copy of the latest Alien Times, please visit: http://www.alientimes.org/Info/Distribution

“BALLADS IN WOOD at Capio -CONTEMPLATING LIFE”
February 8, Friday and February 22, Friday
Doors open at 5:30pm and performance begins at 7pm

Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult - 1800yen Advance, 2000yen At door.
A ticket for two - 3000yen. Advance purchase only.
Elementary and junior high school students – 900yen Advance, 1000yen at door.

Tickets are available at Tsukuba Capio, Nova Hall, Sango Mizuki Art and Café in Tsukuba, Soba-ya Gallery Kuraya in Ami Town, Yuhodo Bookstore in Azuma and R☆Scene, a hair salon in Namiki.

You can also reserve your tickets by making a payment to the following postal account in advance, and receiving your tickets at the reception desk. Make sure to enter the date, February 8^th OR 22^nd and the type(s) of ticket(s) you are reserving in the remarks column. Also, please reserve your tickets well in advance in you are planning on reserving tickets via postal account.

Account Number(口座番号):
00160-1-762382 エリザベス・ロブレス (Elizabeth Robles)

or you can contact me at rrfish.tsukuba[at]gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing the advance ticket(s) or if you’d like to know more about this conceptual art event.

Official Blog
http://www.kinoballad.blogspot.com/
Joyo Weekly article
http://joyo-net.com/weekly/1men/2008/20080201/20080201.html
Additional images
http://fishinjapan.blog8.fc2.com/blog-entry-566.html

The City of Tsukuba, the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation, and the Tsukuba 9th Symphony Steering Committee would like to invite the public to a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D. minor, opus 125, known as the “Ode to Joy Choral” to be performed at Nova Hall on Saturday, December 30, 2006. The choral parts will be performed by a community chorus made up of local residents and the 2006 Tsukuba 9th Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Yuichi Takubo. Members of the citizen’s chorus rehearsed for about 4 months to stage this inaugural year-end choral concert here in Tsukuba City. In addition to the “Ode to Joy” Symphony, Wolfgang Mozart’s Divertimento for string orchestra in D major (”The Salzburg Symphony No. 1″), K. 136 will also be part of the afternoon program, which is set to open its doors at 2pm with the actual performance beginning at 3pm.

General admission tickets are being sold for 1,500 yen at the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation or Tsukuba Shinkou Zaidan located at the rear of the Tsukuba Capio Center (029-851-2886) or at Nova Hall (029-852-5881). For more information, call the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation (029-856-7007).

For those of you out there not flying home for the holidays and who are planning to spend your New Year’s Holiday here in Japan, come join us during this holiday season. Make the December 30 choral concert a part of your end-of-the-year celebrations.

Okay, you might not think that “big names” and “shamisen” belong in the same sentence, but these two guys really do fit the bill. Yoshida Kyodai (吉田兄弟, Yoshida Brothers) are two young brothers who have joined forces to revolutionize the instrument. Their performances are energetic and exciting. I highly recommend attending one of their concerts, and would even suggest that it is worth travelling fair distances to see them.

Luckily, you will only have to travel as far as Tsukuba Center to see them if you buy your tickets soon. They are coming to Nova Hall on June 16 (doors open at 6pm, concert starts at 6:30pm). Tickets are 5500 yen and they go on sale from Sunday, April 15 at 10am. On April 15, tickets will only be sold by phone (029-852-5881) and it will not be possible to designate your seats at that time.

Blast is an exciting musical show that focuses on percussion. It is coming to Japan for shows in Tokyo in August and September. (August 3 to 5 at Tokyo Kosei Nenkin Kaikan, August 8 to September 9 at Tokyo Kokusai Forum.) Tickets range from 4000 yen to 11,500 yen. (The cheaper tickets are already sold out for many shows, especially on the weekends.)

More info:
http://www.blasttheshow.com/
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/593/stage.asp (Metropolis article from a previous year)

In Japanese (includes information about how to buy tickets):
http://www.blast-tour.jp/

There is a beautiful full moon tonight. Just as it SHOULD be for the O-Bon festival, but RARELY IS. Since the Japanese have switched over from their old lunar based calendar in 1873, it has been very uncommon for the 15th of August (or July in Tokyo) to actually fall on the 15th of the lunar month (which is a full moon). This year is one of those rare years, and it has provided extra atmosphere to the various BON related events going on tonight around Japan. These are mostly BON-ODORI community dance events. Until the early decades of the 20th century, BON-ODORI were danced in most communities around here, but were most famous (for their bacchanalia) on Mt. Tsukuba. For some reason ALL of these dance events including those on the mountain have gone the way of the Japanese ibis (toki), and by that I mean “disappeared”. Maybe it was the BAWDINESS of the Tsukuba-san events which lead to their doom (after the puritan western influence of the Meiji years)?

There was an interesting event which took place tonight that included Bon dancing, as well as professional Enka entertainment and a unique rain invocation ceremony. I’m talking about the Karakasa-Mando at Niihari’s Washi Shrine. I have been there before but unfortunately could not make it today (even though I came back from Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine today intending to go to Niihari). It is a perfect place to experience a small village summer festival, swarthy night-air with the girls in colorful yukata, lots of food stalls, festival music (hayashi) and plenty of speeches.

My first time at that event I had really wanted to get a good seat for watching the Karakasa, a kind of giant tanabata decoration, which when lit, sizzles like a roman candle. I found a good spot, sat down, and waited for the big moment. I waited and waited, in the dark. My eyes grew accustomed the lack of light and my pupils probably expanded to there limit. When the fuse was finally lit and the Karakasa burst into life, I was completely and painfully BLINDED. After the few seconds it took to adjust my eyes, the Karakasa had burned itself out. I didn’t see anything! I could do nothing but laugh at the absurdity of having waited so long in anticipation. If you want to have a look (and listen) though, see this page.

As I said before I spent the day (as I usually do on August 15th) at controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where tens of thousands passed through in the PULVERIZING HEAT to pay their respects to the soldiers who have fallen in Japan’s wars since the Meiji Restoration (1868), with special emphasis on WWll, since it was on this day that that war ended.

I have many amazing things to tell and lots of pictures as well, but its been a very long day and you probably don’t want to hear about it until tomorrow.

OYASUMI

I wouldn’t be a good Canadian if I didn’t tell you about the Canadian pavillion at the Tokyo International Anime Fair.

Thursday, March 22 to Sunday, March 25 at Tokyo Big Sight

Animation is big in Japan, and the Tokyo International Anime Fair just keeps growing and growing. Canadian software and content will be on display at four booths including an Embassy booth with an overview of Canada’s abundant creativity and state of the art technology plus three individual or joint booths by eight Canadian companies that will be at the fair. Canada produces 80％ of the animation software used in the world. Don’t miss this chance to see it.

There will also be a seminar for people in the animation industry at the Embassy of Canada Theatre on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 20.

This information is from the “Culture Canada” email newsletter published by the Embassy of Canada in Japan. If you are a Canadian living in Japan, you might want to consider subscribing. (I found out through this newsletter that Margaret Atwood — the most famous Canadian author — was visiting Japan in February and was able to attend a reading by her at the Embassy. It was DIVINE!)

The title of today’s post may not seem to make a lot of sense. I am writing about the game called “Go”, and in particular a simpler variant of the game called “Capture Go”. Now does it make more sense?

Yasutoshi Yasuda (安田泰敏) is a 9th level master of Go. He has developed a method to teach all people — children, elderly people, disabled people — in many countries how to play Go and to learn to improve their communication skills through the game. His students start by learning to play Capture Go, and then, if they are interested, they can continue to learn how to play the full version of Go.

Yasuda-sensei is very famous for his work in this area. He has written some books, two of which are available in English.

Go as Communication (Read a sample of this book.)

Let’s Play Go (Read a sample of this book.)

You can find out more information by doing an internet search of his name and the names of his books.

And now, for the good news!

Yasuda-sensei is coming to Ushiku!

On Sunday, February 25 from 1pm to 4pm, there will be a Capture Go Festival in Ushiku at the Social Welfare Center (Onabakecho 859-3, map). Everyone is welcome, and I have been assured that foreign people are especially welcome. The point of the event is to bring people together through the game of Go, in order to improve communication and understanding, so it will make the event even more successful if foreign people show up.

The deadline for signing up for this event is February 10. Call 029-873-2111 to register (in Japanese).

You can get more information about Go at Wikipedia.

Just to be clear, this event is not specifically designed for foreigners, so there will not be any official language support (such as English interpretation). However, the whole point of the event is to promote communication, so I think that if you go, people will try to communicate with you (as long as you make it look like you want to communicate with them).

=============================
CELLO RECITAL

Saturday, February 2, 2008
3pm
Nova Hall
Cello: Pieter Wispelwey
Piano: Alexander Melnikov

A seats: 3000 yen
B seats: 2500 yen
C seats: 1500 yen

Program includes:
B. Britten: Cello Sonata in C major, Op.65
L.v. Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.3 in A major, Op. 69
B. Martinu: Variation on a Slovac Folksong
S. Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119

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PIANO RECITAL

Sunday, March 9, 2008
3pm
Nova Hall
Piano: Boris Berezovsky

A seats: 3500 yen
B seats: 2500 yen
C seats: 1500 yen

Program includes:
L.V Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, Appasionata
N. Medtner: from Fairy Tales
R. Schumann: Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6

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Discount!

You can get a discount if you buy tickets for both concerts at the same time.

A seat: 5500 yen
B seat: 4500 yen

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Tickets

Nova Hall: 029-852-5881
Yamaha Tsukuba Branch: 029-850-0518
Ticket Pia: 0570-02-9990
Internet: http://www.tins.ne.jp/~tsukuba-concert

At 877 meters it is not very high or majestic. But for those of us who live on the vast (by Japanese standards, of course!) plain to its south, the slightly crushed M figure of Mt Tsukuba is like a trusty old friend, always reassuring us of where we are and helping us get our bearings when we are lost. Its forested slopes put Japan’s seasons on display while on the flatlands below the greenery has been disappearing at a frightening pace and snow accumulation has become a most rare occurrence.

For the Japanese, Mt Tsukuba has also been a sacred mountain since time immemorial. Its peaks are where the ancestral Gods of Japan, Izanagi and Izanami, are enshrined. The mountain has attracted many holy men over the years and during the Edo Period (1600-1867) a temple was built half-way up its southern slope to protect Edo castle from the unlucky North-Eastern quadrant, and this temple, then Chuzen-Ji, was generously endowed and supported by Japan’s long-ruling clan, the Tokugawa.

In 1868 Japan underwent revolutionary reforms and the Emperor was restored (again?) to supreme power (in name only, most say). The Meiji government also carried out a probably ill-advised policy (though not as ill-advised as some other policies set in those days!) of separating Buddhism (a foreign import) from the pure, native belief which came to be called Shinto. Thus Chuzen-Ji is now Mt Tsukuba Shrine, popular as a place to pray for marital happiness.

The priests of this shrine, together with the assistance of local residents, continue to perform the most important of the mountain’s ancient rituals: Onzagawari (御座替り） which can also be pronounced Ozagawari. This ceremony takes place twice a year, on April and November 1.

The ceremony at first appears to be a typical Japanese Mountain God festival in which the deities are brought down to the fields in spring to bring abundant harvests, and are then escorted back up to their mountain abodes for the winter.

Mt Tsukuba’s spring and autumn rituals seem at first glance to be of this pattern, but there is a twist. Since the ancestral couple are enshrined on its peaks and the shrine half-way up the mountain is dedicated to family harmony, instead of focusing on agriculture the Onzagawari emphasizes love and protection of children.

Yesterday, despite vicious winds, a small omikoshi (portable shrine) carried the child god up the mountain, where it is cool and high above the sweltering lowlands and the parent gods were carried down to the center of the mountain. The positions of the parents and child will switch back again in autumn.

The ceremony began early in the morning and continued till late afternoon as carriers bore the omikoshis up and down the mountain (they used the cable car for some of the way!), battling the ferocious and unrelenting gusts.

Maybe the most special thing that a visitor can do on these ceremony days is to cross the sacred bridge (a red, wooden, covered bridge of rare design) which is only open on the first day of April and November.

I know that most of you missed it yesterday, but maybe I will see there in autumn.

From Tsukuba International School:

Tsukuba International School is holding our second charity ballet to help update our science series. Please consider attending this event to support your local international elementary school! (Even if you can’t attend, feel free to send a donation!)

Christine Bzdel
Head Teacher,
Tsukuba International School

TIS Charity Ballet: The Magic Flute, Japanism, and Coppelia

TSUKUBA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
and
AUSTRIAN BALLET COMPANY TOKYO
present

A Special Charity Ballet Presentation for Kids

December 7, 2006
6 pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
Tsukuba Capio
Tickets: Advance Tickets: 1000 yen, At the Door: 1500 yen

How to Buy the Tickets

1. Buy from TIS students, parents, staff.
2. Call, fax, or email your order, then transfer payment for your ticket(s) to:
Tsukuba International School
Joyo Ginko Kenkyu Gakuen Toshi Shiten
Account: 7137009 regular

Proceeds from the ballet will go towards updating our science series!

CONTACT
Tsukuba International School
Tel: 029-886-5447
Email: events[AT]tsukubainternationalschool.org

ABOUT TSUKUBA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Tsukuba International School is a non-profit elementary school for kids of all nationalities. This event is a fundraiser to update the science series for our students. If you are not able to attend our event, but would like to make a donation, please call, fax, or email us!

ABOUT THE AUSTRIAN BALLET COMPANY TOKYO
The Austrian Ballet Company first performed in 1995 in Vienna. Since then, ABC has toured internationally while developing a repertoire of traditionalclassical ballets like “The Nutcracker”. Recently, the company hasproduced a number of shows especially for children such as “Alice in Wonderland” and “A Christmas Carol”, two of their most popular pieces forchildren aged 5 and up.

The audience will have a chance to meet and take pictures with the performers at the end of the show.

For more information about the ballet, please see the flyer:
English Flyer
Japanese Flyer

For more information about Tsukuba International School, please see our website.
http://www.tsukubainternationalschool.org/

For more information about the Austrian Ballet Company Tokyo, please see their website.
http://www.abc-tokyo.com

中国障害者芸術団 or China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe’s performance, “千手観音(senju kan-non or one thousand-armed deity of mercy) My 夢 Dream” has been sweeping the world, and it’s coming to Ibaraki!

千手観音 My 夢 Dream - Official website in Japanese
My Dream - Official website in Chinese and in English
From My Dream website:

China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe
was founded in 1987. With the support and cares of the whole society, the Performing Troupe bears the dreams of people with disabilities and creates a special art which delights audiences, purifies the soul with Truth, Honesty and Virtue, encourage people by strong will, and delivers friendship with sincerity. Having sought and studied for 20 years, the Performing Troupe has begun to bringing forth new ideas independently, produced classics of special art, travelled to more than 40 countries in Asia, Europe, America , Africa and Oceania . It flies its own unique banner in a colourful world and they are referred to as “ Messenger of Beauty and Humanity” by the international community and as “A Special Art Star of Mankind and Image Ambassadors for 600 Million People with Disabilities in the World” by the Disabled People’s International 6 th World Assembly.

***********************************************
China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe
JAPAN First tour 2007
千手観音 My 夢 Dream

Venue:
茨城県立県民文化センター(Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center)
in Mito City (MAP)
Time and Date:
3:00pm (doors open at 2pm), November 3, Saturday
Tickets:
SS tickets 8,500yen – sold out their share of SS tickets
S tickets 7,500yen – very few left
A tickets 5,500yen
Box offices:
Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center – 029-241-1166
Ticket Pia and Lawson Ticket (ask about them at local “combinis”)
WAT Co., Ltd – sold out their share of tickets
Chiba TV Media Net 043-207-3101
***********************************************

There will be a bazaar at a Christian preschool called “Kodomo-no Ie (Children’s House)” in Ushiku City this Saturday from 11:30am to 2pm. There will be lots of stuff for kids, activities for kids, homemade meals and handmade items.

Ushiku Church Kodomo-no Ie is located not too far from the JR Ushiku Station, and is only a 5 to 7-minute walk from the station. There are some parking lots, but they are very limited. You can see the map and the parking information here or on Google Map.

Hi Everyone!

Doesn’t Tsukuba Center look beautiful lately with all the Christmas decorations and Merry-Go-Round for the children?!! There will be an extra-special Christmas light display starting this Saturday night, and don’t forget the Q’t merry-go-round is free!! Your kids can ride until their hearts content!!

Light decorations in Tsukuba Center (Dec. 2-Jan. 8)
Website: http://www.hikarinomori.info/

Free merry-go-round !! (Nov.3 - Jan.31) and some events at Q’t
Website: http://www.creo-sq.com/event_info/0611/cf06.html

Merry Christmas!

from Kate

The clematis garden at Tsukuba Botanical Garden has 1000 plants representing about 200 varieties. The garden can be viewed between May 3 and June 8 from 9am to 5pm (enter by 4:30pm).

Fee: 300 yen for adults, free for people over 65, people with disabilities and one person who accompanies them, children under high school age
Tel: 029-851-5159

Women usually love what they buy, yet hate two-thirds of what is in their closets.

It’s time for a change! Clean out your closets, under your bed, in the spare room, dump out the handbags and start spring afresh with a new look.

Who: You, your friends, and a gaggle of fun girls whom you haven’t met yet

What: A swap! Bring your clothes (maternity wear, handbags, ballgowns, fur coats - it’s all welcome) You can gently place it on the piles and then tear into the fashion, taking as much as you like.

When: Sunday, April 27th from 2-5 PM

Where: Pink Cow, Shibuya (it’s in the basement)

How much: 2500 yen, including one drink ticket

Why: The surplus money raised from the event goes to Habitat for Humanity. The remaining clothing is donated to the Salvation Army. To date, the swaps have generated over 400 bags of clothing in the 4 years that they have been running. You get to meet fun women, new clothes, cocktails, gossip and more!

A few points to remember: Please, no footwear - it has proved to be too difficult to swap. However, if you have a magazine addiction like myself, I am welcoming all magazines for swapping! No books, thank you, but any glossy mag is bound to find a new home.

Above all, remember: Never wear anything that panics the cat.

I didn’t mention this earlier (because giving speeches makes me nervous!), but I am giving at talk about “International Relations in Tsukuba” at the January Coffee Hour today from 2pm at the Tsukuba Information Center.

I am going to talk about whether Tsukuba really is an “international” city. I think that it hasn’t reached that goal yet. I am going to give some suggestions for making Tsukuba a more welcoming place for foreign people.

First of all, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I think that we should offer an orientation program or seminar session two times a year (April and October) for people who arrive in Tsukuba. Also, we should develop a welcome package of information that can be given to foreign people when they register at city hall. And, ideally, we should offer a homestay/buddy program to help newcomers make connections with Japanese people and foreign people in the city as soon as they arrive.

Second, I think the Ibaraki International Association needs to offer more activities that allow for true interaction between foreign people and Japanese people. Ikebana and tea ceremony lessons put Japanese people above foreigners, and coffee hour speeches put foreigners above Japanese people. We need to have more events where people can interact on an equal footing, such as sporting events or classes in something that is not necessarily related to Japanese culture (so we can learn about it together, as equals).

Third, I think that the international community in Tsukuba lacks a focus. I think that Tsukuba Information Center could serve a greater purpose in the lives of foreigners as a focal point to the community. As it is now, I think a few people make use of the center, but it is not living up to its potential. The facilities are incredible, the location is prime, but the programs that it offers are somewhat uninspired. We need to shake things up and make it more of an entity that plays a part in the lives of foreigners here in Tsukuba.

Finally, I think the city and the prefecture should put their resources together to hire a full-time, foreign “Co-ordinator for International Relations” (CIR). Right now, there are one or two foreigners working in the city hall, but they are not full-time and, in my opinion, the pay that they receive is not commensurate with their abilities, so there is no incentive for them to stay for very long or for them to want to implement new and exciting programs. Also, working within the framework of city hall is very restrictive. The prefecture’s international association might be able to offer a better working environment. I think that Tsukuba desperately needs some qualified, innovative, and enthusiastic foreign people working to improve international relations in the city. Without that input or stimulus, the city just seems to recycle the same old ideas over and over again.

So, in case you miss it, that is what I am planning on saying. The speech will be in Japanese mainly, but the slides are bilingual and I am including a discussion session in the middle of the speech to try to stimulate conversation about this topic. If you are interested in these ideas, please feel free to come by and voice your opinion.

Tsukuba Cultural Foundation is organizing an I.T. (Information Technology) training seminar for foreign residents. You can learn how to input hiragana or katakana into a personal computer and send email in Japanese. Also learn the best way to find useful Japanese web sites from search engines. Everyone is welcome. (Sorry, no small children, please.)

* The seminar will be in easy Japanese. English interpreter is available.

Date & time: February 4th (Sun.) 10:00a.m. to 12:00
Place: International Network Center
Member: 15 foreigners who live or work in Tsukuba
Lecturer: Mr. Kazuhiro Yamashima
Fee: 100 yen (text fee)
Application: By telephone or email
Registration & more information:

Tsukuba Cultural Foundation Tel.029-856-7007
Email class[AT]tsukubacity.or.jp

This message was posted by Sven in TAIRA.

………………………………………………..

The Japan Automobile Research Institute will have an open day, with two full scale car crash tests viewable by the public.

If you are interested in finding out how a car crash test is setup and performed, here are the details:

Thursday April 19, 11am.
Side impact collision
Car 1: 22km/hr, 3 occupant dummies
Car 2: 40km/hr, 4 occupant dummies.

Thursday April 19, 2pm.
Front to front offset collision
Car 1: 0km/hr, 2 occupant dummies
Car 2: 60km/hr, 2 occupant dummies.

In order to see the test, please arrive AT LEAST 30 mins beforehand.

JARI is located along Tsuchiura Gakuen road, about 2km west of Tsukuba Center. There is also an entrance from Kenkyuu Gakuen Station on the Tsukuba express line.

See also…
Map
JARI Website (in Japanese)