Ep 44. The Beginning of the End

Some might have noticed that there was a lack of talking about classes in previous post. That is because I wanted to talk about classes as a big group, because the past few weeks (starting three Saturdays ago) I told students that I would be leaving AEON in September (leaving Japan September 9th, for those who are interested). This has been a very hard thing to do. There have been tears from me and from my students (especially me), but it is what it is. Now that I'm on summer break, I've had some time to ruminate over things, and I've decided that ruminating is not what I should be doing. It is simply too sad a concept for me to think about. Truth be told, I feel really guilty about going back to the states. There have been many students (and parents) who are really shocked by the news, and tell me that they are really sad about it. And I'm sad too. I've grown attached to my students, and I've rather enjoyed watching them learn and grow. The best thing that I can do right now is to stay present enough to enjoy my time with my students and rightfully prepare for my successor. To any students reading this, I would like to apologize for my departure. There are things in this world currently beyond my ability to control, and many things that I must attend to. But the world is small, and if we are to be friends, then I know that we will find a way to reconnect.

As previously remarked, I am currently on Summer vacation. This will be my first (and, this trip, my only) vacation where I am not with my family. For winter vacation, my dad and step-mom came over to Japan. For Golden week, I went back to the states. And here I am for Obon. What is my plan? I'm going to Kyoto (yay!) Starting tomorrow, in fact. I'm going to be riding the Shinkansen for the first time.
//** Quick culture note for the unaware:
Obon: Obon is one of the Japanese days for the celebration of the dead. The closest connecting holliday in the West is El Día de Muertos in Mexico. The basic idea of the holiday is to welcome the dead back into the household. This holiday, from what I have learned, has three connecting rituals. One is to make an ox out of an eggplant and a horse out of a cucumber (basically, you use tooth picks for legs and a little imagination). The second involves the ceremonial burial ground for the family. Some people simply go there and pray. Others go through a slightly complicated process of carrying something back home from the cemetery. The third involves releasing paper lanterns into the sky to commemorate the spirits rising back to heaven.
On the hole, I consider this a rather interesting ceremony. In the West, we tend to see the dead--and death itself--as something inherently terrifying. When someone dies, many of us try to get rid of the deceased possessions. In fact, keeping said possessions can be seen as unhealthy, and we are often told of the blessings of simply letting go. While I do agree that hording the memories of the deceased at the expense of one's life is unhealthy, I fear that completely throwing away the dead can also show an unhealthy obsession with life. Life and death, after all, are merely two sides of the same coin. (On another aside, I will not miss my chair. I nearly fell out of my chair...again. It keeps trying to kill me, but I will survive in the end!) To fear one at the expense of the other is to deny a part of ourselves. To be honest, I think that one of the reasons I really enjoy the cultural view of death over here is my complete and utter dislike of the phrase, "YOLO." Yes, we may only live once--my own views are my own--and in moderation that can be a good drive to overcome our fears. However, I know of too many people who use it as an excuse to go beyond all rationality into dangerous territory. When people say, "YOLO," I feel as though they are taking their own agency out of the equation and merely doing something because it is available, rather than through any higher goal of self betterment or enjoyment.

Kyoto is the old Japanese capital. As such, it is filled with many historical places. It was the number one spot to drop the first atomic bomb, but thankfully was saved from someone whose thoughts went beyond the war.

Shinkansen: This is the bullet train. Vamanos, amigos, e alonzi!
//**
I have no idea what I'm going to do when I'm there, but it should be fun.
In other news, picture time (yay.) First, I finally got around to getting my summer picture at the Tokyo Imperial Palace:

And now I have the four seasons. Oh what a year...

Oooh, pretty leaves this time. I think that this is the first time that we can actually see the greenery on the vine. I also took a secondary picture, because...

Under renovation

Yep, the part of the palace that I always take a picture of is under renovation. Well, I guess that summer everywhere means construction. Here are some other nice pictures.

A very lovely red dragon flies

There were a ton of dragonflies around today, buzzing through the air like drones of death. Coupled with them (warning, not quite so nice picture) is the incessant hiss of these:

Hello

This was right outside of my apartment. This is a cicada. For a sizing, here it is with my foot.

It's bigger than my toes!

These things blend in really well. You can always hear them, walking through Japan in the warmer months, but they are remarkably well camouflaged. As such, I had never really gotten a good look at one. They are definitely among the larger bugs over here (though not the most terrifying) and they are definitely among the group of insects that will make me evacuate my apartment if it ever gets in there. However, outside, I mostly don't mind them. Having said that, this little twit was an exception. As I was walking away, I heard the pitter-pitter of tiny wings. I don't know why it was lying there, or what caused it to be there (I have seen many more since--including one being dismembered by some ants--and none of them have done this) but it lived!!! There is now a zombified, Frankenstein-monster-esque cicada flying around Konosu! Fudge muffins, that thing terrified me. My it forever stay away!
One last picture. This is my (now former) assistant manager.

Happy (yes, I did ask for permission first)

There are going to be a lot of changes at my school soon (all of them have been announced, to my knowledge), and this was the first. We now have a new assistant manager at my school, and--as with all changes--it will be hard. It will be really hard for all of the foreign teachers, because this was the woman who picked all of us up after our initial training. She was the first person that we met from our school. She took us to our apartments for the first time, and got us set up at city hall. She helped us to do everything to get set up. And now she is gone...off to bigger and better things. She will be missed, and I wish her the best of luck, and I know that she will do well.
So, this has been another adventure in the austentatious. If you liked it, tell your friends; if you hated it, tell your enemies; and if you don't care, then tell everyone good night.