Kareoke

I have to say, this town knows how to throw a party. As part of the village shrine festival held on Sunday, there was a party/talent show on Monday evening. I'm not exactly sure what to call it, really. The event was held in the same room as the concert we attended during our first week in town. In the back of the large room, several food vendors sold fried potatoes (what we might term "home fries"), fried balls containing octopus, cotton candy, shaved ice, and various meats-on-a-stick. No festive occasion would be complete without beer and other alcoholic beverages, too. Most of the floor had been covered with green "turf" - the kind you find on a miniature golf course. This indicated to partygoers that shoes were to be removed.

Fortunately, we were able to sit on the floor near Kurata (the English teacher). He was able to do some interpreting for us, but most of what was happening remained a bit of a mystery. As the curtain lifted, a band composed of locals began to play. Most typical instruments were represented. There were several keyboards, a drum set, saxaphone, clarinet, and a couple of bass guitars, to name a few. I recognized several of the musicians from the various schools at which I spend my time.

In order to kill time, there was then a party game while the set was changed. Upon entering the room, each person was given a numbered program. The numbers were used to assist in aquiring "volunteers" for the various silly games that were played. For the first game, a couple of men wheeled a table out in front of the crowd. Taped to the table and extending out from either side about four feet were two broomsticks. I watched, confused, as a toilet paper roll was placed on each. As soon as the two victims were chosen (a couple of grandmother-looking ladies), I could see a menthod to the madness. At the signal, the women then raced to unroll thier toilet paper as fast as they could. It was hysterical. The crowd cheered and toilet paper flew.

Following the toilet paper game came a series of "acts" performed by locals which defy description. I'm kicking myself for not bringing the camera. There was singing and dancing, outrageous costumes, and more silly games. One act was really a riot. A man came out on stage and began to lip synch to "La Vida Loca". Again, I have to confess I just can't describe the whole act, but a number of very unsually dressed people pranced out as backup signers. One group was a few adult men, a fourth-grader, and a third-grader. They were all dressed in short, skin tight black shorts. With dark sunglasses, black biker hats, and (for some) small, drawn on goatees, the group looked like Village People wannabees. The audience just died with laughter as the "back up" singers pranced and gyrated to the music.

After all the "acts", the kareoke contest began. The first two singers were serious productions performed by elementary school children complete with costumes. Aaron, Kurata, and I were really grateful that we didn't have to follow them! Our bit was uneventful, and quite painless. We managed to sing "I'm a Believer" without messing up. In fact, we scored 94 out of 100...not too shabby, if I do say so myself. While others were singing, many of thier friends would "rush" the stage throwing coins, candy (in the case of the two kid acts), flowers, and even beer. Aaron's sumo parter from the previous day was a popular guy. During his song, he was given a couple of beers, one of which he (of course) had to guzzle before leaving the stage.

One of the neatest things was how well the boys did. The entire event had the atmosphere of a small town outdoor concert-in-the-park. Kids were hanging out with each other, moving around, playing with toys, and eating too much sugar. Ridge and Holt wandered a bit, but mostly stayed close playing with the kids around us. A few adoring women sat near, and Ridge got totally hooked on one woman. We had met her earlier as she was following around an adorable little boy. She stopped to talk, explaining that her daughter was Ridge's age and that the boy was not hers. Pointing to herself (by the way, Japanese people point to thier nose, not thier chest, when gesturing to themselves), she said, "babysitter". From that moment on, she was christened "The Babysitter" by Ridge. The end result is that when we went up on stage, the boys were perfectly happy to sit and watch us while being watched over by the surrounding adults. What a relief!

When we came home, Ridge kept talking about The Babysitter. He told Aaron he really liked her because she was "fun to play with" and "really cracked him up. Like, not just a little laugh, not just like, 'heh heh heh', but like really, really laughing!" He drew her a picture today to take to her at work (she works at the Seicomart - a convinence store around the corner).

So - no pictures of the party, I'm afraid. This picture, though, is from the Kamiokoppe festival held last Wednesday. We are posing in front of the village shrine with the Shinto priests.