Hello from Japan, again.
Let's start back in October, with the Kinpo Marathon. On the 26th, I went to Kinpo town for my second annual run up their mountain. I had been training for a few months, but did not want to push myself too hard. I finished slower than last year, but I was not tired at all after the 5 mile run. It was a nice day, especially with the hot springs soak afterwards.
The day before, Rie and I went to Sendai City to visit their International Earthling Festival. There was a small selection of foods from a few other countries and a comedy show. The show was in Japanese, but I understood one joke all by myself and another one with Rie's help, so I was pretty proud of myself.
During a three day weekend in November, we went up to Takachiho Gorge. The gorge is a beautiful small river with very steep sides of interesting rock. We rented a row boat and played around near the waterfalls on the side. We also went to the east coast of Miyazaki Prefecture to see the sea-side gorges there.
On the 4th of December I had a very enjoyable 32nd birthday. Some of the teachers at school got me a cake and we had a nice party in the school nurse's room. Later that day, after Tai Chi class, a few of us went out to dinner and I had another cake.
On the 14th of December, I ran my first half-marathon race - just over 13 miles. I was hoping to finish in one hour and 50 minutes. It was a beautiful day and I was inspired by the people around me to finish in an official time of 1:45:15. I was very happy with that effort and the fact that I did not poop out before the end.
After the race, which was sponsored by the local giant grapefruits, they offered a uniquely Japanese assortment of recovery foods. Fish and pickles.
My running training went well, with a long run each Sunday. The 7th of December was supposed to be my longest training run, 20 miles. But, I went out late the night before and started the run later than I had hoped to and was unable to run the full three hours. Two weeks later, a week after the Akune half-marathon race, I was able to manage a comfortable 21 mile training run in just over three hours. This gave me lots of confidence for the January 11th Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon.
On the 27th of December, Rie and I flew to Okinawa Island, a few hundred miles south of Kagoshima. The first night I was able to find the hamburger that I was craving. The next day, we rented a car and explored the island a little bit. First, we went south to the Okinawa Peace Museum and former World War II battle ground. The museum was very interesting. Now, I feel sorry for the Okinawan people. They had their own kingdom for a long time, then the Japanese took them over in the 1600's. After World War I, the Japanese developed a policy of taking over all of the South Pacific Islands, except for American Guam. The Okinawans were sent out as settlers.
During World War II, the Americans (and allies) fought for the Pacific Islands and many Okinawans died or were evacuated back to Okinawa. Near the end of the war, Japan decided that the Okinawan Islands should put up a long and brutal defence, in order to give the main islands of Japan time to prepare for the inevitable US invasion. Many of the women and children were put on boats and sent to the mainland. Many of those refugee ships were sunk by the Americans.
During the war, the Okinawans were treated very poorly by the Japanese. They were forbidden to speak their local language and forced to help with the war. Those who spoke their own non-Japanese language were considered spies and shot. In the final days of the fighting, the Japanese soldiers and the Okinawan civilians hid in many caves. Everyone was told how barbaric the American occupiers would be. There were many mass suicides, including all 200 students at a girl's school. Many of the Okinawans were forced by the Japanese army to commit suicide. So, in the end, the Americans were bombing the island and the Japanese were forcing them to fight to the last man.
When the war ended, one quarter of all Okinawans were dead and the Americans were in control of the island. The Americans quickly tried to help the sick and starving population, but many more died of sickness. A local government was set up and Okinawan women were alowed to vote, before women in Japan were given the franchise.
The Americans decided to keep Okinawa and build a bunch of military bases. Local people were forced to sell their land. Finally, in 1972, they stopped using US dollars and driving on right side of the road when Okinawa was returned to Japan. There is still a lot of tension there between the Okinawans and the tens of thousands of US military personel.
From the museum, we drove north past some of the bases. They certainly looked familiar with their big lawns and BBQ grills. Like a small bit of the US surrounded by crowded and clutterred Japanese city. There was an amazing number of used furniture shops surrounding the bases. Also, it was nice to listen to radio in English for a change. I especially liked the public service messages every hour or so. They told inspring stories of the bravery of soldiers and nurses in US military history.
We found a nice beach to camp on and spent the night listening to the waves crash ashore.
On the 29th of December, we flew to Ishigaki Island, in the Yaeyama Island group, another few hundred miles south. From there we took a 45 minute ferry ride to Iriomote Island. Iriomote is nearly as far south as you can go and still be in Japan. It is almost at the Tropic of Cancer. Eighty percent of the island is a protected national park and the the largest coral reef in the country connects it to Ishigaki Island.
We found a nice campground and then set out to explore the island. On the 30th, we hiked over a small mountain and through the jungle to a tall waterfall. On the 31st, we took a boat through the small bit of Japan that looks like the Amazon. The river was wide and slow. The banks were mostly mangrove trees, with some bamboo and palm trees as well. After 20 minutes we got off and started walking upstream. We passed two amazing waterfalls. Even though it was warm enough to wear shorts and a tee-shirt, it was still a bit to rainy and cloudy to go for a swim.
We were carrying heavy backpacks and made very slow progress through the difficult trail. After a few hours, we found a nice place to camp and set up for the night. That evening, I found a leech in the tent. I saw this little grey spot, less than an inch long and could not tell what it was. It looked like a little grey puddle. I poked it and it attacked, sort of. One end stayed firmly atached to the bottom of the tent, but the other end poked skyward about two or three inches and started swinging from side to side, looking for a meal. It was very interesting to watch and difficult to detach from the tent floor. But, eventually, I was able to flick it out the door. Later, I found another very small leech in a plastic bag in the tent and disposed of it as well. The guide books warned of leeches in the water, but never mentioned any coming into the tent. The guide books also warned of the deadly Habu snakes in the jungle, but we never did see one of them. Iriomote is also famous for its mountain cat. It is about the size of a normal house cat, but is Japan's only wild feline species.
New Year's Eve was spent much like my previous five outside the US, far from any cities and with no electricity.
On the 1st we continued along the difficult trail to the opposite side of the island and then hitch-hiked to the the southern most hot spring in Japan. It was fun to soak in hot water while looking at jungle covered hills. There were also a few nice places to eat in the small town near our campground. I ate a dinner of wild boar. The meat was okay, but the skin was too chewy. The southern islands are also famous for their taco rice. They put the normal fixings for tacos on top of a plate of rice.
On the second, we rented a sea kayak and explored a bay. Then we went out to a small island beach and had a picnic before heading back in the rain. On the 3rd, we went back to Ishigaki Island and found a great cafe for dinner. We ate bagels and french toast at the Vanilla Deli. For lunch that day, we went to an A&W root beer restaurant. The onion rings were good, the hamburger edible, but the french fries were terrible. We both went back to the hotel room and fell asleep. I think that is the effect fast food has on people. It makes you want to go fall asleep on the couch, in front of the TV.
After a few hours, I was able to shake off my fast food stupor and go on my final long training run - about 9 miles.
On the 4th we flew back to the cold of Kagoshima city, ready for a new year of work, which for me is very easy as school had not yet started and I had nothing to do at work after the 8:30 meeting.
Yesterday, on the 11th of January, I participated in the "23th" Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon. Last year I ran the 10km race there, but this year I ran the full 26+ mile course. The weather was perfect for marathon running. It was overcast and in the upper 50's. I lined up for the 9:00 am start behind about 7,000 of the 10,579 registered runners. The starting gun went off, and nothing happened. It takes a while for 10,000 people to get moving, even if most of them are runners. It took me about seven minutes to get to the starting line, at which time I started my stop watch. By this point, I had pretty much given up on my dream of a sub-four hour finish, because of the crowd.
The first two miles were pretty slow. It was very crowded and I could barely keep a jogging pace. I even got stopped by a traffic light with 1,000 other people. But, after about 20 minutes, I had finally passed most of the hikers - people with backpacks and boots who had no intention of doing anything but walking the entire course. About 5 miles into it, the crowd finally thinned out enough for me to pick my own running pace. At the 6 mile mark I was six minutes over my 55 minute goal.
In early December, I ran most of the course and pooped out at about mile 14 or so. So, when I came to the half-way point and still felt good, I was happy. I had planned to run 9 minute miles, but that was impossible in the first hour. During the second hour, I was able to pick up my pace and regain some of my lost time. I had heard that the final six miles are supposed to be very tough. When I got to that section, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I still felt fine. About three miles from end, a man passed me and we exchanged a few pleasantries. I tried to keep up with him, in an effort to pick up my pace and perhaps achieve my four hour goal.
For a mile and a half, I kept up with him and still felt good. Then, he dropped back and I got a stich in my stomach. In most races, I run a little slower than I am capable of and have a bit left over for a big kick at the end. I think my big kick was over about a mile from the end and I slowed down considerably. For me, the last mile was the point where I wondered why I was doing this as I really would have prefered to lay down and go to sleep.
But, I didn't stop and managed to cross the finish line with an official time of 4:07:54. By my watch, which was started when I got to the starting line, I finished the entire 26+ mile course in 51 seconds over four hours. Among the 2,109 men in their thirties, I finished 294th. Among the 10,579 participants, I came in an impressive 1,406th.
Going into the race, I had seven goals. 1 - Finish. 2 - Run the whole course, withoug walking. 3 - Finish before any mascots or any one wearing any sort of costume, such as monkeys, power rangers and men in suits and ties with briefcases. 4 - Under 5 hours. 5 - Under double the winners time. 6 - Under double the world record marathon time. 7 - Under four hours. I managed to achieve six of my seven goals. Not too bad.
My jackets and bag were at the top of a 10 foot berm and I had to walk up there to change after the race. That was okay, but coming back down I had to walk the slope backwards. My legs were not happy. I rested for an hour, ate lunch and then rested for another two hours while I watched the awards ceremony. Three hours after the race, I felt good again. My legs were still sore, but the mile and a half walk back to the car was not difficult at all.
Today, one day later, my legs are still sore. Standing and sitting are slightly challenging, but I still hope to be able to ride my bike to school tomorrow.
As soon as I can walk normally again, I will begin training for my next 10km race in February.
Luckily, today is a holiday, so I don't have to goto school. Today is "Coming of Age" day. Everyone who will turn 20 years old (the age of majority and legal drinking age) this year celebrates today. The women wear kimonos. There is a ceremony at the City Hall and then the young people all return to their old elementary schools to open their time capsules.
Now it is time for the random thoughts and observations.
I went to a sports festival at a couple of my Junior High Schools. They had one event that I really liked. Ten boys got in a line and bent over. The smallest boy then climbed onto the back of the first one and ran across their backs to the tenth one. By the time he got there, the first boy and all the others whose backs had alread been crossed had already run to the front of the line and bent over. In this manner, the smallest boy was able to race about 200 yards without ever touching the ground. It was impressive to watch.
Since I stopped growing, I don't think that I have had the chance to watch someone younger than me grow. There are some kids that I have seen once or twice a year and they are always bigger than on my last visit, but this is the first time that I have been able to see someone, or lots of someones, every week or two for more than a year. It is interesting to remember how much smaller they were last year and realize that they are now bigger, but that they got bigger gradually and not all at once between visits.
I have also realized the great difference between 12 year olds and 15 year olds. Many of the 12 year olds are still very small and look like Elementary kids. By the time they graduate Junior High School three years later, most of them are close to their final adult height.
I am still enjoying the small school experience greatly. They have their own rabbits and chickens for the students to raise. The teachers have time to do interesting things in class, especially the science class. I like to hang out in that room when I don't have any classes. The teacher is nice and the room is full of all sorts of experiments and apparatai for me to poke my nose into.
There are many rules in the schools. There are students who stand outside the kitchen area and count how many students are not wearing their proper lunch serving outfits when they come to pick up the food for the class. After lunch, the left over food is taken back to the kitchen and weighed in an effort to determine which classes are not eating their full allotment. Every meal is planned and printed up on a menu for the month. The menu tells us what is for lunch and exactly how many Kcals are in the meal. I mean exactly, as in 786 Kcal or 812 Kcal. Considering that the students are in charge of serving the food and the amounts tend to vary widely, I am never really sure if I am getting the 793 Kcal I am supposed to or something more or less.
I had lunch with the Elementary school kids one day. They eat the same amount as the Junior High kids and teachers.
I told the school maintanace man that I would like to try whale meat some day. Japan is one of only two countries that still hunts whale on a commercial scale. The next day he brought in some whale sushi from the supermarket and we had a delicous morning snack. I have tried it once more since then, but will probably not have any more. It is tasty, but probably not the most environmentally friendly meal.
Students do a lot of writing on their desks. They usually use pencil so it is easy to erase later. The desks seem to be used as a convenient piece of scrap paper.
I found a great video game called Tokyo Bus Guide. You get to drive a big bus and have to stop at the bus stops, press the button for announcments, open and close the doors and try not to speed. I did not do very well, but it was fun.
I have dedicated the past few months to training for the marathon. For that reason, I have not been rock climbing. The rock climbing has been a strange experience for me. Usually, whatever sport I pick up, I seem to start out at an above-average level and my initial progress comes fairly rapidly. Not so with rock climbing. I started out at the bottom and never really improved. I enjoyed it, but never made much progress. Every few weeks a new person would start and be at my level. A month or two later, they were always zipping up to the top of the wall that I could barely do half of. Once it warms up a little, I hope to go back and continue my glacial paced progression.
Japanese language study is still coming along. I recently studied the polite forms of speech. I read once that there are 22 levels of politness possible in Japanese. There are a whole bunch of honorific verbs reserved just for talking about superiours. There are also a bunch of humble verbs for talking about yourself. My new favorite phrase is "O mimi ni hairi mashita ka". It means "Have you heard?", but literally translates as "Has it entered your honorable ear?".
I now feel like a real runner. I have run in the rain, run before sunrise, run after sunset, run when there is ice on the ground, run wearing gloves and a wool hat, run near a snow covered volcano, run while on vacation, run on weekends, gotten blisters on my feet and even had one toe nail turn purple.
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