Sendai: Pageant of Starlight (仙台の光のページェント)

Hello again, everyone! 久しぶりですね！Long time no see!

Sorry for the unacceptably long lull in posting but due to Covid and the newer Delta variant, I haven't been able to do much traveling to post about. But that's all about to change. I'm going to be updating you all on some things I've done over the last few months that I haven't been able to post about until now. So let's just get right into it!

Sendai (仙台)

Back in January, I took a simple two-day trip to Sendai in Miyagi prefecture for the Pageant of Starlight (光のページェント・Hikari no Pagentto).

This festival started in 1986 and takes place every year on Jozenjidori Street in early January. 

Sendai uses this festival as a way to battle the bitter cold and darkness of winter with the illuminated brilliance of over 600,000 lights in over 160 zelkova trees. 

This transforms Sendai, which is known as the "City of Sacred Forests" into a city of starlight. The Japanese people like to say that you can enjoy the illusion of walking amongst countless stars here.

On the first night of the festival, a "Starlight Symphony" is held and the Sendai Philharmonic orchestra holds charity concerts.

Another beautiful feature of this festival is called the "Starlight Wink". It takes place at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm every night. This is when the street illuminations are turned off, plunging the street into darkness for about one minute, before they flicker back on, returning to their shimmering brilliance. It's supposed to imitate the flickering and shimmering of real stars.

The location of the tunnel of lights is perfect since it is located just a 20 minute walk from the main station and is surrounded by many restaurants, shops, and hotels. Many stalls are set up to sell warm sake, beer, wine, churros, pizza, crepes (like the one below) and many other delicious and hot foods. There are also special tents set up with heaters inside so you can warm up if you get too cold. 

There is also an ice rink nearby where you can rent skates for 800 yen (approx. $8), which I thought was a nice wintery addition. My favorite ice skater, Yuzuru Hanyu, was born in Sendai and it was really cool to think about how many times he may have skated at that very rink and festival as he grew up and began skating!

Finally, among the 600,000 LED lights, all shimmering and flickering in soft oranges, yellows, and whites, there is a single pink light. Locals believe that if you are able to find this single pink light among the thousands, it will bring you luck and happiness in the new year. I wasn't able to find it but I hope to someday!

History

While the Sendai Pageant of Starlight is beautiful and dream-like, the history of it isn't very shiny at all. 

In 1945, after the Sendai air raid during WWII, wide areas of Sendai were burned to the ground. The city went from being known as the "City of Sacred Forests" to the "Sendai Desert". 

After reconstruction began on the city, they began developing new buildings and wider streets to modernize it. During this time, "spike tires" were being used on the construction equipment. This created a lot of dust and flying debris during the winter, creating a dirty and desert-like appearance. In 1985, the regulation of "spike tires" started to help control this dust and dirt and, shortly after, the Sendai citizens started to organize better ways to help clean up their beloved city. 

They began to decorate the zelkova trees on Jozenjidori street to help illuminate the city and create a livelier and more beautiful scene for the cold, dark winter nights.

Thus the Pageant of Starlight began.

I think it's fascinating to learn about not only the modern version of these festivals, but the history behind them and how they began. Oftentimes, the most beautiful and cherished traditions came from the ashes or a less fortunate event.

Hopefully you enjoyed learning a bit about one of Japan's most famous winter illumination festivals!

Until next time!

Osaka: Kuroshitsuji Musical (大阪：黒ミュー)

(Note: This post is saying it was posted in August when it was actually posted in December. I'm not sure why but it won't let me change the publish date. I went to Osaka in April, drafted this in August, and posted it in December. Apologies for any confusion!) 

Hello again! I hope you all enjoyed my last post about Sendai's Pageant of Starlight!

Today's update isn't a festival but it is about another trip I took back in early April. So let's just get right into it!

Osaka (大阪)

Day One

Unlike my trip to Sendai, I was here for a little bit longer. I took a four day trip down south to Osaka, which is one of Japan's more well-known cities to people outside of the country. On my first day there, I checked into my hotel, which was amazingly cheap while simultaneously amazingly outfitted and close to my main reason for the trip!

That night, I set out and navigated the subways to see the well-known "Running Man", or the "Glico Man" as he is known in Japan.

Unfortunately, his lights were under construction and inspection until June of this year, so I wasn't able to see him lit up in all his glory. T~T But it was still striking to sit there as the sky grew darker and the billboards around him lit up and animated.

That night, I enjoyed Taco Bell for the first time in almost 2 years from the second floor of a building with a great view of all of these glimmering billboards. Not very cultural of me but when you haven't had a favorite restaurant in that long and you're given the opportunity, you take it!

There were also some pretty cool manhole covers in Osaka featuring the castle.

Day Two

On the second day, I went to the main attraction of my entire trip. Just like with the Prince of Tennis Musical (Tenimyu) I saw my first year here, I had always watched the Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) Musicals (Kuromyu). I watched every stage version of it for about 8 years online and had always hoped I'd be able to see it live.

And I made that dream come true, too!

Unfortunately, also just like with Tenimyu, they had just changed the cast from the one I had loved for years to a new cast T~T But the upside was that many of these actors had been in Tenimyu when I'd seen it. I really like a couple of these actors so it was really nice to see them again in different roles and compare their performances and interpretations of different characters! 

The stage had a very eerie and mysterious vibe to it, which matched the manga and anime aesthetics very well. This stage play was based off the "Secret of the Public School" arc of the manga. It was very well done and brought tears to my eyes during the dramatic performance of one of the more gruesome scenes from the manga. 

There were a lot of goods to buy here as well. I didn't end up with as much as I did when I went to Tenimyu but the quality of what I did get was great! I ended up with some clear files with the actors on them and this thick booklet with information on the characters and actors. The oil-slick like appearance of the title is really beautiful.

Day Three

On the third day of my trip, I once again braved the subways to visit the famous Osaka castle. 

While I'm very used to having an ancient Japanese castle around (Hirosaki Castle, which I love dearly!), Osaka was even more beautiful and awe-inspiring due to its sheer size and ornaments. 

Now, Hirosaki Castle boasts the title of one of Japan's most beautiful and northernmost castles. It has 3 tiers and sits in a 429,000 square foot park surrounded by moats. It is 14.4 meters tall (approx. 47 feet).

Osaka Castle, on the other hand, has 5 tiers with 8 interior floors and sits on a 645,834 square foot park. The moats around this park would engulf the ones around Hirosaki Park and the castle itself stands at an impressive 58 meters (approx. 109 feet)!

So you can imagine how impressive this castle is in comparison.

The castle grounds house 13 buildings, including the castle itself, a tea house, a shrine, several turrets, and the gates among other things.

The inside of the castle has been renovated into a museum, too! As a whole, the castle museum houses approximately 10,000 historical pieces/materials. Every floor has displays ranging from information about Toyotmoi Hideyoshi (the samurai warlord who had the castle built in 1583), armor and weapons, folding screens that illustrate battles and wars, beautiful old furnishings and lacquered pieces, portraits and letters from Hideyoshi himself, and communications from other warlords. 

The top (8th) floor is an observatory. You can step outside onto the encaged veranda and look out for miles at Osaka. 

You can also get a closer look at some of the ornaments, such as the golden Shachihoko. Shachihoko are animals of Japanese legend with the head of a tiger and the body of a fish. It was believed that they could make it rain or spit water from their mouths in the event of a fire, so many (flammable) castles have them as ornaments.

Also at the top of the castle are preserved gold paintings/inlays. These are original and have been carefully restored. Glass has been put up to protect them from the elements and tourists curious hands.

Finally, as mentioned above, there is also a shrine on the castle grounds. You are able to get a Goshuin stamp here if you have a Goshuinchou (Stamp book). It always feels nice to add another stamp to the book!

My fourth day consisted mostly of the trip home, which took one flight and a bus ride from the airport back to Hirosaki station. I relaxed after returning and set up my little omiage (souvenirs) to remember my trip.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my Osaka adventure and that you found some of the history interesting!

Until next time!

Japanese High School Entrance Exams

みんな、久しぶりです！Hello everyone, long time no see! I know that it's been an unacceptably long time since my last update but boy do I have a doozy of an update for you today. Unfortunately, coronavirus has put a damper on any travel plans so there hasn't been much to write about. However, it's that time of year again! That's right. Graduation! Since graduation from middle school into high school is a majorly important process for Japanese students, I wanted to write about exactly how difficult it can be. Japanese students face a lot more of a hardship in regards to their education/education processes than American students. 

Generally, in America you just go to whichever high school your family enrolls you in. There are exceptions of course but we can make generalizations and say that it's more of the norm. In Japan, it's completely different. Students have to study much harder, much earlier to be able to set their path towards their futures. Below you'll find some information to help you understand what they and the schools go through. This is especially helpful for any current or incoming ALTs that may not speak Japanese very well or don't really know what to expect during their first year in a JHS.

Japanese High Schools

Types of Schools

In Japan, since the exam day for all public high schools is the same, students graduating from JHS can only pick one public high school and as many private schools as they'd like from the school district of their choosing. They then take these schools examinations. All high schools in a school district are ranked according to their success in sending graduates to prestigious colleges. 

High schools in Japan can be separated into one of the following categories:

• Elite academic - public or private
• Usually only the top scoring students of every JHS can get into these high schools. These schools tend to send their graduates to the top universities in the country.
• These schools are ranked higher than technical, commercial, or agricultural schools.
• Non-elite academic - public or private
• These schools still prepare their graduates for universities or junior/specialization colleges. They are not ranked as highly as the elite schools.
• This is what America would consider a "main-stream" high school.
• Vocational
• These schools offer courses in commerce, technical subjects, agriculture, home sciences, nursing, and fishery. Approximately 60% of these high school students enter full-time employment after graduating.
• Correspondence
• These schools usually have a very low percentage (less than 2% I believe) of students attending them because they are mainly here to offer education to students that missed out on high school for various reasons.
• Evening school
• In the past, these schools offered classes to students that were ambitious but too poor to afford high school (Yes, they pay for high school. More on that later!) so that they could work during the day.
• Now, however, these schools are usually attended by little-motivated students in the lowest percentiles of the Japanese education system.

School in Japan is daunting, in my personal opinion, for the fact that JHS students (12-15 years old) must decide which high school to attend based on their school grades and test scores. If they are unable to get into a good high school (or the one they want), they won't be able to attend higher ranking universities. They also won't be able to have as many job opportunities available to them, since employers rely heavily on education credentials as main criteria for recruitment. 

This school system really is based on a "tournament mobility theory", which means that only the "early winners" get better chances in the next stage of selection (or life). 

Public vs Private High Schools

One of the main differences between public and private schools are the cost. Usually, public high school in Japan costs about 120,000 yen (~$1200) per year. Private schools can cost upwards of 300,000 yen ($2800) per year. This isn't including any additional costs such as their uniforms or anything relating to club activities. Some students even continue their 塾 (Juku - cram school) in high school as well, which is another additional cost. 

There are exceptions however. For example, one of my girls is one of the highest ranking JHS softball players in the Prefecture. Her school of choice offered her free tuition to attend and play softball for them. 

While public schools are basically an 3 year extension of the 3 years of JHS, some elite private schools offer JHS/HS combination 6-year college prep curriculums. This  means that if the school a student wants to go to is one of these 6-years, there are less spots available for the high school track since affiliated JHS students move directly into that school. Private high schools may even have the benefit of being "escalator" schools, which means their students may automatically go on to private universities, like the prestigious Keio University. 

Admission to High School

Admission to high schools in Japan are based on entrance exam scores, grades, and face-to-face interviews.  

Early on in the students' 3rd and final year of JHS, students, their parents, and their teachers (usually homeroom teacher) sit down and do placement counseling. This means they try to match each student with the perfect high school based on which school's criteria they meet. Homeroom teachers move with the students all 3 years of JHS, so they know them very well. They can talk about the student's interests, future dreams, and the parents' preferences and present the odds of passing the exams based upon the student's grades and mock exam scores.

It may be a bit discouraging because some students may find out that their odds of passing their first choice high school's exam aren't very high and they may have to go for their second or even third choice. Unfortunately, this means that students aren't sorted out to high schools based on their future life plan, but by academic achievement.

The Entrance Exams

There are multiple different types of entrance exams.

Regular Entrance Exams

• Regular entrance exams for private schools usually test students on 3 subejcts: English, Math, and Japanese. These are called 三教科 (Sankyouka - 3 subject) for this reason.
• Regular entrance exams for public schools usually test students on 5 subjects and are called 五教科 (Gokyouka - 5 subjects): English, Math, Japanese, Science, and Social Studies.

After that, there are even more subcategories.

• 単願推薦 (Tangan Suisen - Single)
• This is the exam for the student's first choice school. It is possible to do this exam for 1 private and 1 public school.
• To apply for this test, students need a certain number of "points" from their 3rd year report cards. For example, if a school requires 38 points min. and a student does well and gets 5 points for each of their 9 subjects, they will have a total of 45 points. This means they could apply for that school's test.
• A teacher will have to recommend them to the school. This is discussed during the parent-teacher-student meetings.
• This is possibly the hardest type of exam. If a student does pas, they must pay entrance fees immediately and they HAVE to attend that high school. It is basically an agreement when applying for this type of test and if the student is accepted but declines, it will give the JHS a bad name and that high school may possibly not accept any students from that JHS for several years.
• 併願推薦 (Heigan Suisen)
• This type of test is like a student's safety net. The school will hold an opening for the student should they pass the exam while they test for their top choice.
• This is like a regular entrance exam but you can postpone paying entrance fees until after other exam results have been provided.
• スポーツ (Supootsu - Sports)
• This is a specialty test. Students that are outstanding atheletes (or with some other outstanding talent) are scouted by high schools. This is what happened to the softball player previously mentioned.
• I believe schools will only scout top players if their scores also align well enough with their desired scores.

Students spend the entirety of their 3rd year studying for these exams. They study for hours after school as well and many students go to 塾 (Juku - Cram school). Many of my students have made time lapse videos of their studying and you can watch as the clock makes its rounds. Often up to 5.5-6 hours of studying. They work very hard and are often very tired because of it.

A Tentative Schedule

In their late 2nd year or early 3rd year of JHS, students may have the option of doing what's called Takienjyugyo. This is where students can try out a class at their prospective high schools. This counts towards extra points on your entrance exam if you choose to take that school's exam! They can also attend a 説明会 (setsumeikai), which is where students have the opportunity to have the schools explain their entrance procedures. 

October/November of their 3rd year (their 3rd year begins in April): Students will narrow down their high school choices.

December: Students will receive their final grades for the 2nd semester. Their GPA will determine which schools they can attempt. 

January: Students will do their 願書 (Gansho), which is the written/paper application for their chosen schools.

February: Entrance exams for public (公立 - Koritsu) and private (市立 - Shiritsu) schools.

Late February/Early March: Students will receive their exam results and will know if they got into their chosen school. Usually students come to the teacher's room and announce passing/getting into the school and thank the teachers of their grade level for helping them along the way.

Mid-March: Graduation

April: Entering high school

Conclusion

My students graduated on March 11th. It was bittersweet and I cried but I was so proud to see my kids moving on and passing their entrance exams. They're going to do amazing things! I got some letters from some of the kids and a teary hug from one of my favorite students. I wore my hakama and kimono so it was overall a wonderful experience! It was my second Japanese graduation but it felt more special because I had fostered a different/better relationship with these graduating students and I fully experienced it as a 3rd year teacher. 

Overall, Japan really puts a lot of emphasis on graduation, especially from middle to high school. I hope you found this as interesting as I do! The differences between Japanese and American culture continue to astound me. Congratulations to all the middle school graduates and  hope you have a wonderful time in high school! 

お卒業おめでとうございます！