Week Four and Five: Earth Celebration and Welcome Party

Tub Boats - taraibune - at Sado Island

The past few weekends have been filled with small excursions to other parts of the Niigata Prefecture. A couple weekends ago, I ventured with five other Yukiguni ALTs and went to Sado Island for Earth Celebration. This festival is hosted by the famous Kodo Taiko group, in honor of celebrating global culture and artists. We met up with a large group of Joetsu and other miscellaneous JETs on the two and a half ferry trip over to the island. Although the travel was extremely long: 4:30 a.m. wake up in Tokamachi --> Joyce drives a sleepy car to Joetsu ferry for a little over an hour --> ALTs who do not get sea sick proceed to sleep the 2.5 long ferry ride --> take a 20 minute bus to the camp area --> set up and take a bus back to finally enjoy the festival by 12 p.m. and stay there for the rest of day - it was well worth the trip. 

Earth Celebration

I regret to say that I did not take many photos during this excursion, primarily due to the extreme heat and lack of hands. I forgot to pack an extra tote bag to carry all of my stuff around during the actual festival. Therefore, I lugged my camera, a small clutch and hung onto the random items I bought throughout the day. This prevented me from having my hands free for taking pictures. 

The night taiko performance by Kodo was what made the trip exceptional. Photography was banned during the performance, but they featured some photos on their website that capture snapshots of the festival: Kodo Website.  A few ALTs are photographed snoozing on the grass :) They also feature this YouTube video that provides a nice picture of the festival vibe: Earth Celebration YouTube Video - then I highly recommend checking out the Taiko Performance links on the side bar! 

This performance was unlike any musical production I have ever seen. Between the energy, physicality and passion, the performers were unbelievable. It was a jaw dropping performance and definitely a part of Japanese culture that is a must-see in Japan. 

Image from Google Images

 Firework Fun at The House of Light

Our wonderful regional advisor Joyce organized a welcome party at The House of Light this past weekend. The House of Light is an architectural piece created by an American light artist named James Turrell. We all spent the night enjoying food (the most international potluck ever!) playing games, setting off fireworks, relaxing in the onsen downstairs and chatting the night away. 

Again, I apologize for the lack of photos. I was pretty careless with my photography during this time, since I was so focused on bonding with my fellow JETs! It was a great way to spend the weekend, and see yet another part of Yukiguni. 

For future posts I plan on finally showcasing my apartment, now that I have some more furniture in it, and reflecting on cultural differences here in Japan!