差別 Racism

I had quite an interesting conversation with my landlord tonight about racism in Kumamoto. It is a particularly noticeable in Kumamoto and apparently although ive never realised it, travelling on the city bus system one can offer hear loudspeaker messages urging passengers to help combat racism. Its a particular sensitive issue today with the horse festival taking place. Various teams set out in the early hours of the morning chasing and harassing huge shire like looking horses. Its a bizarre festival and as well as being cruel to the horses has its orgins ensconced in racism as it was originally set up to celebrate military victory over Korea. Although the anti-korean fervent nationalistic slogans and ambience of the festival has been toned down over the years it still gives rise to violent and antisocial behaviour. As long as it exists in its present form it will always be a thorn in the side of combatting racism and the rather provincial attitudes that people have of foreigners

Nutters!

Two crazy lessons today one in which my students started chanting I am wet, You are hard over and over again to my huge embarrassement and then the next lesson I had a fluent 5 year old tell me about Uzbekistan. Mental! The whole pyscological whirlwind of being in Japan-England-France-Japan in the space of a couple of weeks makes me feel like im on somesort of global rollercoster and I havent managed to get off yet!