Yes! Kick! Martial Arts.

Yes! I went to a budousai, ie. martial arts festival!!, in town today. It was awesome! I got to try some basics of nippon kenpou (which apparently is just the characters for "Japan" followed by those for "kung fu"), even though we showed up a little late. So, yes, there was initially a little drama, but after that was quickly overcome, it was a good time.

*Also, quick observation:
When we started practicing, the young kenpo guys all went to the three white people I was with to start helping them out, and I practiced without a partner for most of it at the beginning, but then the headmaster-instructor himself started coming up to me and giving me advice and having me practice on him, which was reeaaally cool! Kind of went along with what I've supposed might be, and have been experiencing greatly to be, the case in Japan with me: not being white, and thus not having white features (like white skin and light brown, blond, or red hair) usually leads me to not get the so-called "special treatment" a lot of Japanese give foreigners (mostly comprised of people putting you on a pedestal and asking you how amazing it is in "America" and complementing you on everything, giving you free stuff, etc.), especially with young people, who don't see me as that "neat" or "exciting" because, hey, I look kind of like them (in the joking words of one of my past middle school students, "Man, you just have dark brown hair even though you're a foreigner, that's sad." My response: "You better not dye your hair. Dark hair is the most beautiful!"). On the other hand, I've noticed that people in general tend to feel more at-ease around me and tell me they can relate to me well, even forgetting the fact that I'm not Japanese. Lots of times, older people, especially in their near 40s and mid-50s, tend to hang out with me in a really relaxed atmosphere, not stuffed up with all that Japanese-foreigner hype. It feels like a cultural affinity, only reinforced by the relative physical similarity we share (ie. We aren't joltingly reminded just by looking at each other that we're different.). I kind of sensed that when the older kenpo master, who maybe not as interested as his younger pupils in white girls and big, red-haired white guys, took me under his wing, if even for that short period of time, to teach me how to do the attacks the right way and even let me practice on him (HIM! as in the guy who watches the matches and tells us what to do - definitely not the same as practicing on young students who played the role of sparring partner for the people taking the workshop). Anyways, that was cool. It confirmed some of those observations I've had from the outset, but recently come to appreciate more from experience and not be so bitter about. I'd take my position in this society as it is any day.*

Later, we got to see demonstrations of all sorts of martial arts, including judo, kendo, junkendo (kendo with rifles), karate, sumo, aikido, kyudo (bow and arrow), naginata (long spear/staff?), shorinji, nippon kenpo, taekwondo and maybe a couple other ones that were really cool but I forgot. It was cool to get to appreciate the differences between the arts better. I definitely started feeling again like I'm going to want to make martial arts a constant fixture of my life from now on. I mean, it has been up to now at certain points of my life, but it'd be cool to really pursue one, or try experiencing different ones, from now on throughout the next few years or more of my life. It just feels so good. Anyways, I really liked the weaponless martial arts, as I thought I would, in particular nippon kenpo, karate, and shorinji. Aikido was cool, too, ESPECIALLY the flipping and sparring all done from the sitting position. Really sweet.
That's what I did today. Then I got home and was so tired that I fell asleep curled up in a blanket, still wearing the clothes from that day, and with my face rested nicely on the hard tatami mat floor.

I also got a call from an old friend today. A reminder of time spent having a lot of fun - drinking with random Japanese people, exchanging info, and ending up hanging out with them for the next couple of days, then hosting them when they came to visit Los Angeles. Wow. Life is looking up, and I'm looking up toward a new way of having fun and just living. Woohoo!

Also, I'm super excited about the possibility of doing this grass-thatchcutting in a couple of weekends. I was invited sincerely by our mutual friend who's name begins with an A, and just watching this video got me suuuper psyched to help out if I can! Oh my gosh, wouldn't this just be the coolest opportunity ever! Or that you've heard of recently!? Who knew thatching could be so cool! Actually, the working hard and sweating and laboring together with other people toward a common goal is what initially drew my attention, but also the cultural and historical aspect of it is cool! And looking at some of these other related videos about thatching...man, it looks like a cool process and trade/skill to have. To Life!!