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Lights of Tokyo, lights of IyaMay 2003
Finally, here it is! If you're reading this, you must be looking at my new home page. It's not much, but it's a start! By acquiring some basic knowledge of HTML coding and throwing it together with a few photos and text, I managed to compose the pages myself - a small but very satisfying achievement! Then, with considerable help from my fellow teachers, I got the computer set up and connected to the internet at home - easy when you can read Japanese! The next challenge is claiming my own domain name, so instead of this:
... you'll just have to type in:
www.cowcoo.com - if this link ever has coloured text, you'll know I succeeded. :)
I wanted www.cc.com, but it's taken, of course, and www.cc.jp, though cool, might not travel with me to Australia. Please, if you must laugh at my choice of domain name, try to be nice. It's sort of catchy, really. :)
Now that you're here, I guess I should write something interesting. Luckily, I've been busy this past month and have some good stories to tell. Like the one that starts with a bunch of people I'd only met by email and finishes with handmade lamps.
AJET is the Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching, the social and support network for JET Programme participants like me. My new role as a representative on the AJET National Council has been keeping me busy ever since I got the job in February, but I only officially took over from the old Shikoku rep this past fortnight. The National Council is some twenty people strong, drawing on JET talent from all over Japan. Because we all live in different places, a lot of our business is done by email. Thus, from February, I was writing and collaborating on reports about JET issues with lots of people I'd never even met. I finally got to meet them all on the weekend of May 10 at our handover meeting in Tokyo - between the outgoing and incoming teams, nearly 40 people turned up. Much to my relief, I walked into a room full of friendly, genuine people. My hopes for having a good third year as a JET are high.
It was also good to be back in Tokyo after so long. Shinjuku, classic downtown Tokyo, is the first stop for every JET arriving in Japan, but I hadn't been back since my three day orientation seminar in August 2001. This time there was none of the nervous adjustment to starting your life in a new country, and I came equipped with better Japanese, a better idea of how to get around Japanese cities, and a good reason to be there. But any time I leave Iya, it's like moving into a new world, and in this instance, there could barely be a place on this Earth more different to Iya than Shinjuku. The smell and haze of the city. The sounds of commuter trains and busy roads. The flashing neon nightscape. The crowds of people at all hours of the day. And homeless people making their shelters in the parks and in staircases. Very different indeed.
Our hotel was in Shinjuku, just a walk from the subway and from the nightlife of Kabuki-cho. We held our weekend handover meetings on the other side of the city. We also used our time to prepare for a subsequent meeting with the government bodies that run the JET Programme on Monday and Tuesday. In terms of learning new things, this turned out to be the most interesting part of the trip, discussing JET issues with some very highly placed public servants, meeting in Kasumigaseki in the heart of Tokyo's business district, complete with a view of the imperial palace. It was good stuff.
But of course, the best stuff was saved for the evening, when we got together to eat and drink and get to know each other. I also found a couple of chances to catch up with Japanese friends living in Tokyo. Four nights of socialising with new friends and four days of meetings later, it's no wonder I was a bit tired at school for the rest of the week. I can happily say, though, that four days was about enough. The lights of Tokyo are a bit bright for me. It would have to be a top job to convince me to move there.
Back to Iya, back to school, and the following weekend, back to Chiiori, the old house up the valley. Chiiori took on an artist-in-residence just last year, American Sean Ramsey, and this past week has seen his artistic efforts bear fruit in his first exhibition, right here in the Iya Valley, called "Gradations". Sean's art is making lamps using wood, handmade paper and other natural materials. He's been living in Chiiori for nearly a year now and has plenty of inspiration to draw upon. I like hanging out in Chiiori at just about any time of the year, but seeing the house turned into a softly glowing work of lighted art gave it a whole new feel. The opening party on May 18 welcomed a whole bunch of locals, as well as the owners of the house, Alex and Mason, who are so busy that they only visit Chiiori a few times a year. The company, the lamps and Chiiori's own unique atmosphere made for a great night.
I happened to have been dancing Awa Odori earlier that day in my group's regular performance. Instead of changing out of my yukata, I had the chance to ask Sean if it was okay to perform during the party - sure enough, he was keen, so I drove straight from performance to Iya and turned up ready to dance, much to the amusement of the locals. Once everyone had eaten and a few speeches had been made, the music came on and it was time to dance. Being able to dance Awa Odori is always pretty special for me, but this was an opportunity like no other. In 400 years of Awa Odori, how many people have danced in a place like Chiiori, amongst art like Sean's? Not many, I think! But I wasn't on my own. Awa Odori is very much a group dance, so after a short solo, it took just a little encouragement to get a few more people up and dancing around the fireplace. It was a nice change of pace for a night spent admiring lights and shadows. I was glad just to contribute to Sean's show. It was also a nice contrast to Shinjuku. It's hard to shut the flashing signs of Tokyo out of your eyes, even once you've left, but coming home to the soft lights of Iya is the perfect cure.
Sean is taking his exhibition to a professional gallery near Tokushima city next month. I'm also going back to Tokyo for another couple of days in mid-June. Many of my weekends ahead are full already, but I will hopefully find time to finish my home page off by July. Feel free to look around at the other stuff I've put up. And drop me a line. It'd be good to hear from you.
Love,
Dave