Obon - another excuse to go on vacation

Obon was traditionally something to do with the celebration/respect for the dead... kind of like how chinese people used to respect their dead ancestors or something... but really its just another time to go out for a vacation! Preferably out of the country since its so stinking hot!!!!

NO... it REALLY got hot here in Gifu Prefecture... we won the new title of "hottest place in all of Japan" setting the new record this year... YEAH! (not...) something like 45 degrees and in the inner cities 50? I'm talking Celsius here... add asian 100% humidity and you get - why aren't I a cooked dinner yet?

Anyways... for Obon I did some fun things to keep me sane... Ironically ALL outdoor activities...

I went to Summer Sonic Osaka - where a whole lot of bands get together to play and the featured attractions were American... Despite the fact that I sweat like a guy - like I was crying from my nose?! - it was a lot of fun! I haven't been to many concerts... especially ones like this...There were so many people... gahhhhhh getting back into Osaka station was SO BAD.... I don't know how many people were there with me... but you can get an idea here (Aug 12)

We saw Goo Goo Dolls, Interpol, a few songs of Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, and the Black Eyed Peas... out of all of them I enjoyed Gwen Stefani the most... kinda funny... since I don't really listen to her stuff.. but its just fun at a concert!

Then I went to Gujo Hachiman and attended a matsuri (city festival) where we danced till 5am in the morning... it was crazy!!! The dancers, singers and musicians go the whole night... video of dance - I'm the one on the left... short... pink bow....

Its offically Summer

With 100% sticky disgusting 35 degrees of fun.... come the bugger insects...

I kind of psyched myself out and... perhaps imagined my own cockroach in my apartment. The garbage is picked up twice a week but I had missed one day. Now in Vancouver, thats not such a big deal because often we have so many place to put our garbage, and it only ever gets picked up once a week anyways. However, in Japan its a totally different story. The garbage will start rotting within 24 hours and it REALLY REALLY smells in the stagnate apartment air. So I shove the garbage into this kind of closet near my entrance door. With no worries I threw the garbage out the next day. Then when I opened it to grab my vacuum cleaner a few days later, I saw a cockroach like shape crawling really quickly up and down the cleaner. My first instinct was to slam the door... then... I called a coworker in a panic - obviously thought I was crazy... but shared in my misery because she has snakes, bats, and cockroaches where she lives... then I called a friend over to kill the thing for me!
Then!!!!!!!! When he finally came over to kill it, he looked inside and found... NOTHING.... I did the stupid thing by spending the evening drinking 3 cups of coffee (refillable at Mr. Donuts) and eating 2 sugar-filled donuts! Least to say, I was running of Fight or Flight and totally hyper...
We never found the cockroach in my apartment... and now I'm crazy and hallucinate... but he did see a fairly big one down the stairs... maybe... maybe it was mine...

I apologize for the short condensed update last time... I wanted to say things but there were too many things I was trying to process... When the two worlds of Vancouver - family and Japan - adventure collided with my family visiting Japan, I was really left wondering... what I was still doing here! I felt I was so done, and that nothing in my job or life challenged or drove me to really REALLY live here... I've become stagnate like the air here... but then I've since done some thinking about how I am leaving soon and there are so many things to actually figure out...

For example the question of what am I to do when I return? I've already fulfilled one of the things I wanted to discover about myself here - what my interests and hobbies are... I mean the productive ones - not Battlefield or Starcraft... or watching way too much TV... I want to go swimming again! I want to pick up ballet again, or pottery again or learn about photography... Keep up my chinese, and japanese lessons....
As for career, I've learned to be more forgiving regarding myself, and while I still don't have a clear idea of what I want to do, I've come out optimistic that God will provide some new experiences for me - even if they aren't going to be the BEST jobs in the world... hopefully I'll work hard in those experiences and it will lead me to finding that best job for me... After all, money is just money and material success is just material success... I lived on my salary here in Japan - and I did just fine able to afford just want I wanted and needed... I've learned to tithe well here...

I miss church SO MUCH.... I haven't fellowshipped since returning to Vancouver in February... sniffles, no bible studies.... and I've barely had any worship except Sundays and especially miss deliberately serving God, and more so serving with my spiritual family... I feel like there is no proper outlet where I can just scream out Jesus in joy...

I'm planning a trip all on my own... going on my own to New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong... I dunno thinking back on things, I don't think I would even attempt something like this before coming to Japan...

I'm happy with my time here and my interactions with the people I've met in Japan... Sure I haven't built too many amazing close relationships, nor have I shared God's word with many Japanese people - or even have many Japanese friends! God has really dedicated the moments I had with people to really learn about myself than others... I'm happy that I can stand firm in what I believe in - even if I sacrificed some opportunities to get to know others.... I feel okay to be me, and though I am unable to attract very cool or interesting people like others can.... I do what I am capable of, and thats okay....

There are so many things I've been thankful for in my time in Japan... I can't even put them all into words yet... So many simple and little things of everyday life... that if I were home - would have been too busy to realize or acknowledge.
I've still got things to figure out... but I'm pretty much at peace with my adventure in Japan and I know God will take care of me and make it enjoyable for the rest of the time I'm here and afterwards as well...

So what did else did I do in July?! Pictures to Come for some things...

We lined up early in the morning to enjoy Sumo Wrestling.



I did the "coolest thing in Gifu" I watched Cormorant Fishing -
Explained in the diagram below. Yes, the birds do the fishing...
Really its just one big drinking party on a boat
Dancers performing.. and that lit-up-ness were the firecrackers we were playing with
Guys guiding our boats

My Japanese tutor Kana!~
The Actual Fishing....

I saw insane Fireworks... Gifu has one of the greater displays of fireworks in Japan... NON-stop for over an hour of fireworks!!! The best part of it? They had rope that went across the river that rained down like a waterfall of fireworks...

I went to one of the largest artificial beaches in Japan...

And on a hot day hung out at the river do a little bit of water splashing and trying terribly to catch fish with people from the Nagoya English Fellowship...






I also survived working 8 days straight.... which is a rare thing in my job hahaha...

Obon - holiday to originally to celebrate the dead is coming soon and I'll be in Osaka at a crazy big outdoor live music venue and dancing all night long at the Gujo Festival - where I plan to avoid cat/dog size insects and attempt at wearing a Yukata...
Then at the end of August I will kill myself climbing Mt. Fuji...