Classic Tales Lost in Translation

     This week found me trying to figure out the story behind the river and accompanying park near my house in Kasaichi. It is a quiet little town near the mountains at the end of one of the keihan lines going out of Hirakata Station. I also found that gathering information in a foreign language which you have little command over can complicate matters a bit.

                                                              Notes from trying to gather information.

     The Amanogawa river (天の川）starts slightly past the park in the photos and runs down past Hirakata station, most students reading this post have walk over it multiple times on their way to class or heading to Osaka or Kyoto. It is also called "The Milky Way" because of the stars and stories associated with it. 　　　

                                                                  Stone monument from the park.
     The story involves and man (Hikoboshi) and a woman (Orihime) who are married, but only meet each other once a year. Orihime is a seamstress and Hikoboshi is a cowboy, but not in the American cowboy sense. He seems to literally ride a cow and "looks like a cowboy, but is very strange," according to local descriptions.

                                                                     View of the park and river.
     Their presence is not only in the park, but also in the sky, with each person having a star associated with them. Orihime is associated with the star Vega and Hikoboshi with Altair. The magic and mystery associated with the two people and their relationship draws out some Japanese in the month of July. Locals come to the park on the 7th day of July to to leave a type of card often seen at temple sites on the bamboo around the park. Wishes do not necessarily have to be relationship based, but can be anything the person is hopeful for from health to good fortune. Upon trying to discover why the 7th of July is so special I was informed by my host mother that she was unsure and that the story originates from China. She also described the bamboo in the area as "Looking like a Christmas tree," around this day in July. I was further informed that there is a small shrine named Hatamono also associated with Orihime and Hikoboshi near the mountains in Katano.

                                    Image From: http://www.kuanhoong.com/2007/07/07/tanabata-festival-7th-july-make-a-wish/
     Please also follow the link to find a more academically correct article without the language complications! It is interesting to see what details people consider important to stress when telling the story to a foreigner and what details are left out.

Early Impressions

Round 2

     After my first 3 week visit to Japan a couple years ago I decided Japanese was something I wanted to
pursue more through college. Why are the people so friendly? Why could I spend 3 weeks being hosted
by people I had met over a beer outside a 7-11 in Bangkok and only spent 5 days with? I'm still trying to
understand how to gauge if the hospitality is authentic or just a gesture which I'm not really supposed to
take people up on. I feel like most first impressions of Japan will at some point include geishas and
samurai. Case in point from my trip to Kyoto last week:

Maiko performing for the beginning of spring.

          
     While samurais and geishas are a part of Japanese history and I always look forward to spotting
them in Kyoto (the geishas, haven't seen any samurais walking the streets) there were other details of
Japan that caught my attention upon arrival. I think most foreigners would immediately notice the lack of
trash, it seems in some areas that I had to search to find it outside of a receptacle as a sort of Where's
Waldo game. It is easy enough to reason why, living on an island where space is limited would influence
anyone's habits. Other things that come to mind: urban agriculture, beer in vending machines, respect and
courtesy.

     It also felt very safe, though this could be attributed to being 6'1" and quiet larger than the
average Japanese male, it seemed like my own mentality changed upon arrival. There are places in
America I wouldn't go and I'm sure that applies to areas in Japan also, but the feel of needing the
security of being licensed, trained, and armed to the teeth to go on a motorcycle trip wouldn't cross my
mind as much here as back in the states. Maybe the language barrier acts as a shield against observing
people's odd habits and if the day of becoming fluent arrives my perceptions will change, but I find this to
not be likely. The differences here and throughout the world always reinforce my respect for diversity in
the ways people choose to live and I am always happy to be an observer of these different lifestyles first
hand.