The MINOR Bicycle Accident...

OK, now I briefly mentioned on Facebook that I got into a slight bicycle accident when going to work a week ago.  Since then, people have been sending anxious messages and emails asking if I'm alright.  So I am going to write about it on this blog to set the record straight ---> I had a very MINOR bicycle accident and I am fine.

You see, there's a railway track that runs through Tarui, the town I'm living in.  To get to Fuwa Junior High School I have to cross the tracks one way or another.  So I usually bike underneath the tracks where there is a one lane road for cars and a very narrow sidewalk for pedestrians and bikers like me.  I take a path to the bottom of this hill, ride under the tracks and bike back up the hill.  The road can only have a single car pass, so there is a set of lights at either side of the road to notify the drivers when to drive underneath the tracks.  The road and single sidewalk is surrounded by concrete walls.

Now I always look both ways when I am the bottom of the hill.  I look to see if there's any pedestrians, and if there are I let them have the right of way.  If there's another biker, I let them go by so that they can get enough speed to get back up the hill.  But as I have mentioned, the road is surrounded by concrete walls so there are a couple of blind spots.

So there I was, at the bottom of the hill looking both ways.  No one was coming.  I start pedalling to go up the hill and I hear a car behind me.  Suddenly, in front of me I see a biker who clearly hasn't noticed me and he is biking down the hill quickly so that he will have enough speed to make it up the hill on the other side.  But I'm obviously in his way and he is looking in the opposite direction, it's too late to slam on the brakes, and this sidewalk's not big enough for the two of us!  So in that very moment I realized that I had three options:

1) Turn onto the road and get hit by the car behind me.

2) Hit the biker head on.

3) Try to veer towards the concrete wall and pray for a miracle.

So I decided to go with option 3.  I snapped the handlebars to the right and I finally saw a panicked look in the other biker's eyes as he noticed the other biker on the sidewalk (ahem...me).  I have no idea how we both managed to stay on the sidewalk and miss the car, but I looked behind me and he kept on pedalling.  No apologies.  No stopping to see if I was alright (I clearly hit the concrete wall with my body, not the bike).  He didn't even give me so much as a glance to see if I was alright.  But I don't blame him.  I think he was really stunned, shy, and embarrassed.  I guess that sidewalk was big enough for the two of us after all!

It was then that I realized that my elbow was throbbing.  I looked at it and sure enough I had hit the concrete wall with my elbow.  But besides a bit of road rash, I was fine and so was the other biker (and driver).

So with that, I continued biking to work and simply slapped on several band-aids onto my new wound and went about my business.  The wound looked worse than what it was, and it took at bit of time to heal, but now it's just a bright pink patch on my arm the size of a toonie that constantly reminds me to ride safely around town on my bike.

I still go up the same hill, although the only difference is that I now ring my bell the entire time like a crazy person until I get to the top of the hill.  (The people who live in the area must look out their window while drinking their Green Tea and simply shake their head at the silly foreigner).

A teacher at Fuwa Junior High mentioned that a student had gotten into a bicycle accident in that very same area, except with him it sounded like both bikers were not paying any attention and both boys were sent to the hospital.

This has brought up another issue as well: I do not have a bicycle helmet.  In fact, everyone who rides a bike, specifically a Granny Bike, does not wear a helmet.  I asked a couple of Japanese friends and they laughed at me at the idea of wearing a helmet while riding such a slow bike.  They said that if I was riding a Sports Bike, sure, wear a helmet.  But if I decided to sport a helmet while riding my sluggish bike, I got the impression I would look "special" to the locals...but not "special" in a very good way if you catch my drift.  In saying that, if I got into an accident with a car, I don't want to end up "special" because of what the locals might say.

So it's decided: I will buy a new bicycle helmet and I will buy a brand new Sports Bike to match;-)  Off to the bike shop, I say!  Besides, I'm having a heck of a time biking to Kita Junior High.  "Kita" literally means "North" in Japanese, but I'm beginning to think it means "uphill."  I know, I know, it could be that I'm out of shape (even though I go running 3 - 5 times a week), but I won't know if it's my bike or me until I try riding a speedy, sleek new sports bike.  Hey, what can I say?  I enjoy shopping, even if it's for a new bike.  It won't hurt to at least look...

So until next time...but I do have to say that I hope this blog puts people's minds at ease that I'm ok.  I mean, the fact that I'm writing about almost getting into a serious accident and I suddenly talk about shopping should be a clear indication that I am fine.  So everyone (you know who you are) please stop worrying!  I'm fine!  If there ever was an emergency I would notify home as soon as possible.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pack for Kyoto.  I better pack my rain poncho because there's going to be a killer typhoon tomorrow that may cause crazy floods and frightening mudslides.....just kidding!!  Please don't worry;-)  I am fine.  And the typhoon has passed.  Again, you know who you are so please stop worrying.

Sports Day at Kita Junior High

So last week I finally experienced my first Sports Day!  The weather was insanely hot and the students from both teams did a great job!  I took so many photos and I don't know where to begin, so I will just simply post the easy-to-read-English article that I wrote for the school.  (Well, hopefully it's easy for the Japanese students to read...and hopefully my article will post on this blog without any problems.  After all, I'm new to blogging).

Fingers crossed....

My First Sports Day Experience

By Sheena Joy Leung

On Wednesday, September 14^th, 2011 I experienced my first Sports Day at Kita Junior High.  We don’t have Sports Day in Canada, so I was very excited!

There were two teams on Sports Day, the Red Team and the White Team.  I didn’t know who to cheer for, so I cheered for both teams.

The Opening Ceremony was interesting to watch.  The students marched into place and both teams looked strong and confident.

The students practiced really hard for Sports Day.  I was surprised to see how fast the students ran in the Mukade Race!  The classes did a great job!

I enjoyed watching the Relay Races.  I was impressed that using Chopsticks was part of the race!  The students tried their best and ran fast.

All of the students pulled hard at the Tug-of-War event.  The girls and boys pulled with all of their strength to try and win.

I was surprised to see three, four, or five students run a race with their legs tied together.  I think the students ran very, very fast!

The cutest event was when the Kita Junior High Students played a game with the Preschool Children.  I cheered for everybody during the game!

We have skipping in Canada, but in Japan the students took turns skipping as a class.  I was amazed at how many times the students skipped!

Finally, it was time for the cheering contest.  I was lucky enough to be a Guest Judge.  It was hard to judge because both teams did a great job.

The Red Team’s cheer was creative and original.  The White Team’s cheer was loud and precise.  All of the leaders were very strong.

I was really impressed with all of the students at Kita Junior High School.  Everyone tried their best and did not give up.  Thank you for letting me experience Sports Day!  I had a wonderful time and have many new memories and pictures.

Tarui Festival

Today there was a Festival in Tarui.  There were yummy treats, entertainment, fabulous food, a ghost house, delicious snacks, games, sweet desserts, and many wonderful activities.  Did I mention there was food?  

I was planning to go to this event with a couple of new friends, but they were unable to go last minute, so I went alone.  I planned to go for a short time, since I was by myself.  But even though I was by myself, I didn't feel alone.  I had Junior High students run up to me to say hi, I had some adults try to talk to me, and everyone was really kind at the different stalls.  (And patient as I attempted to speak Japanese).  I am still getting pointed at once in awhile, whether it's a student who is too shy to come up to me and talk but they still point me out to their family and friends, or sometimes it's just a stranger who is pointing out the obvious foreigner in the crowd.  (Darn blond hair!!  One lady at one of the stalls kept pointing to my eyes and looked mesmerized.)  But besides being pointed at once in awhile, I felt pretty comfortable amongst the locals.  So instead of going for just an hour like I planned, I stayed for about three.

At first, I didn't know where to walk to.  (I didn't exactly know where the festival was supposed to be...my friends knew.  But Tarui is a very small place).  So I started to walk down the street and I noticed a few people walking in a certain direction.  I followed them.  This led me to an activity that was going on in the Festival.  It seems that they had teams of teenage boys who would pick up another teammate and carry him in what looked like a traditional Japanese vessel of some sort.  Obviously, they were having some sort of competition in which they were being timed.  Here are a couple of photos of that event:

There were many different stalls and booths selling food, toys, balloons (my favourite), trinkets, and there were many booths that had different games and activities.

The above picture is what the block looked like.

These kids were trying to win a prize by shooting an air rifle at a target.

Masks and more!  I would have bought one, but they were too small for me.  (I later realized that is because they were for children, not adults like me.  *sniff*)

Pick up a ball and get a prize!

This picture doesn't do justice to this activity.  It was a lot bigger in person.

Fish for your snack, children!  Fish, I say!

Fish for your pet, children!  Fish, I say!

There were many food stalls as well.  There was shaved ice, beer, ice tea stands, beer, chocolate covered bananas, noodles, more beer, meat on a stick, and a couple of beverage stands:-)

Chocolate covered bananas.  YUM!

Strange, I didn't take many pictures of the food stands.  (That is why you are seeing this sweet fish picture twice.  Fish, children, fish!!)  Perhaps I was too busy eating to take pictures!

When I reached the end of the festival, there was this beautiful shrine (I think) blocking the street to signify that the festival didn't go past that point in the street (again, I think).  Here is a picture of that shrine...thingy.  (You be the judge:-)

After I saw this, I turned around and walked through the festival again.  And that's when I noticed something very strange...

Now, as I was walking through the street I came up to a building with a line-up to enter.  There was a speaker that had people screaming and had strange sounds.  There were some students from Fuwa Junior High in line and they waved me over.  They explained to me that it was a Ghost House.  I have to admit, the outside looked really freaky, with garbage bags attached and blowing in the wind, and blood-red writing that said things like, "Murder, Death, Kill" (HA!  I just sounded like I stepped out of the movie "Demolition Man")

Part of me wanted to go in.  I do love scary movies.  In saying that, I do not like watching scary movies alone and I did not want to walk through that house alone.  I know I could have walked through with some students, but there were a few things that prevented me from going in, even if I knew I would later regret not getting the courage to walk through that creepy place:

1) I did not want the students to see me afraid (I love scary things, but I can be a complete baby if I'm scared enough.  Just ask my In-laws about this year's trip to Hawaii and how I acted during the parasailing...man, I hate heights!)

2) Even if I had company while going through the hellish house, I would have to go home alone and be home alone.  And I already have a house with a "restricted" room that I am forbidden to go into and I'm a little freaked about that.  I do NOT want to add to my anxiety by scaring myself in the afternoon and thinking about it later when I go to bed.  (What can I say, I've seen the movie "The Grudge" and the setting of that scary movie was a Haunted House in JAPAN).  So I do not want to be home alone in a strange country, freaked out of my mind.  (I will discuss my house in more detail in another blog another time.  I went shopping this weekend and I purchased a few items for my house and so once I tidy up, I will take pictures of my Japanese home and post them in this blog another day).

3) And that brings me to my third and final point.  I like scary movies.  I like scary movies very much.  However, the scariest movies I have seen are Japanese Horror Movies or Hollywood Horror movies that are based off Japanese Horror Movies.  What Japanese people consider as "scary" I consider deathly frightening to the core and will give you horrible nightmares until the day that you die.  Do I really want to see what a Japanese Ghost House would look like when I know that the Japanese movie "Ringu" still haunts my dreams when I think about it before going to bed?  (Aw, crap, I'm writing this blog at night.  I must watch something happy before going to bed.  I'll watch...Japanese TV!)

Anyway, enough talk.  Here's the picture.  (After that build-up, the picture doesn't look like much...but the speaker sound-effects that were coming from this building made me snap off a quick photo and rush out of there as quickly as I could).

Now let's talk about something happy!!  There was a stage setup to entertain the people.  There were some local dance groups that performed, other stage performers, and the Kita Junior High Brass Band performed!!  WOOT WOOT!

Now, I have only been to Fuwa Junior High so far.  I go to Kita Junior High this week.  So I was thrilled to see the students performing at this festival.  They were, of course, amazing!  Their tone was beautiful, they were playing challenging works, and rhythmically they were a dream!  (Ahem, band geek moment.  I will stop writing about band stuff because it may bore some of you or worse, prove that I am just a big band nerd who secretly misses playing/conducting a band.  Oh well, I'll be back in the saddle again one day!  But until then, pictures!!)

This entertainer had her pet monkey do tricks.  You heard me.  Pet monkey.  It did tricks.  Don't believe me?  I have a second picture to prove it!

Aww, look at the monkey!  Cute monkey!

A local "dance" group, I think.  

Another local dance group....again, I think it's a dance group.  Boy, I need to learn Japanese fast if I want to understand the MC!

There were some interesting costumes at the festival.  Strangely, they acted quite ordinary...until I asked for a picture, in which case they struck this epic pose and high-fived me later.  (I guess the guy in the middle was supposed to have his hat standing up - the other two made fun of him after the picture.  I don't need to speak Japanese to know when someone is being teased!!)  

Kita Junior High Brass Band!  They all wore shirts that said, "We love brass band!"  But wait a minute, I see a Woodwind.  In fact, I see a lot of Woodwinds.  This isn't a Brass Band, this is a Wind Ensemble/Concert Band!!  Is the translation wrong?  Or do they really call their bands "Brass Bands" when they have Percussion, Brass, AND WOODWINDS in their band?  Strange.  As a Flutist (Woodwind player) I am tempted to ask about this...

Well done, Kita Junior High Brass Band!!!  I can't wait to meet you all tomorrow!

These people were throwing free food at us for about 5-10 minutes straight!  It was awesome!  Did I get anything.....no.  I was enjoying the atmosphere too much.  I just sat there, laughing to myself at how happy everyone was.  Especially the children:-)

After the band performance and the food toss event, I walked home with my head held high.  I had a great time at the festival.  I am very lucky to be here in Japan.  I love it here.  I am very excited to go to Kita Junior High tomorrow to meet some more students.  I took this picture as I walked home because the sun was setting behind me and it made my shadow look tall and long.  What a wonderful day!

PS, Oh yeah, and I bought a new bath mat.  Her name is SuSu.  Isn't she adorable!!  'Til next time!

More Pictures of Students Practicing for Sports Day

Here are a couple more pictures and hopefully videos (come on, computer!!)  I just realized that I will be missing Sports Day with these students because next week I work at a different Junior High School.  That's too bad...but at least I will catch Sports Day at the other school.

Enjoy the photos!