Festival
Today, I went to a local festival, just outside of Nakatsu. I was excited, but not really sure what to expect. I was tempted to go to observe my friends from work who were recruited to push a 200 kg rice cart through an obstacle course. Apparently, they didn't know what to expect either.
There were many tents set up around the field and vendors were selling everything from carved wooden furniture, to beetles. There were also many different food vendors with some typical and atypical Japanese cuisine. I was looking around at all the different foods, and because some of the vendors were eager for me to try their food, they gave it to me for free! I ate a delicious crepe stuffed with bananas and mandarins, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. I also had yakitori, which is simply "meat on a stick." I ate one that was chicken and one that was only chicken skin. We enjoyed some deep-fried "Nagasaki-style" donut balls for dessert. Everything was delicious and I finished it off with some icey cold green tea!!
Around 3pm, the race was underway. There were 18 teams, each with five team members. Each team needed to push (or pull) the cart through the 200m course, including many turns and several sand pits. It seemed that our team figured it was pretty easy, until other teams started to run. We where chosen to go 14th, and therefore had plenty to watch before it was our turn. Some of the other teams chose to wear silly costumes, as one of the prizes was given to the most "unique" team. As it got closer for our turn, the boys began to get more and more worried. They had barely any strategy planned, and didn't even stretch in preparation. When it was their turn, ready or not, they ran. The winners of the race completed the course in 1:39, while our team finished in 2:11, we took 11th place! The race was pretty amazing, and I give them a lot of credit for doing it. Although, it did take quite a toll on their bodies. I'm sure they were sore for days. Just another one of those Japanese moments I'm sure that I'll never forget.
This is Me, Posing with the rice cart!
This is our team, Zain, Shin, Yu, Holland and Mr. Hiashi. All are teachers at Keio, with the exception of Yu, who is a DJ for the local Nakatsu radio station.
Video of our team running the race.
There were many tents set up around the field and vendors were selling everything from carved wooden furniture, to beetles. There were also many different food vendors with some typical and atypical Japanese cuisine. I was looking around at all the different foods, and because some of the vendors were eager for me to try their food, they gave it to me for free! I ate a delicious crepe stuffed with bananas and mandarins, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. I also had yakitori, which is simply "meat on a stick." I ate one that was chicken and one that was only chicken skin. We enjoyed some deep-fried "Nagasaki-style" donut balls for dessert. Everything was delicious and I finished it off with some icey cold green tea!!
Around 3pm, the race was underway. There were 18 teams, each with five team members. Each team needed to push (or pull) the cart through the 200m course, including many turns and several sand pits. It seemed that our team figured it was pretty easy, until other teams started to run. We where chosen to go 14th, and therefore had plenty to watch before it was our turn. Some of the other teams chose to wear silly costumes, as one of the prizes was given to the most "unique" team. As it got closer for our turn, the boys began to get more and more worried. They had barely any strategy planned, and didn't even stretch in preparation. When it was their turn, ready or not, they ran. The winners of the race completed the course in 1:39, while our team finished in 2:11, we took 11th place! The race was pretty amazing, and I give them a lot of credit for doing it. Although, it did take quite a toll on their bodies. I'm sure they were sore for days. Just another one of those Japanese moments I'm sure that I'll never forget.
This is Me, Posing with the rice cart!
This is our team, Zain, Shin, Yu, Holland and Mr. Hiashi. All are teachers at Keio, with the exception of Yu, who is a DJ for the local Nakatsu radio station.
Click to viewVideo of our team running the race.