POLESTAR HOKKAIDO
SEPTEMBER 2018
Table of Contents The Three Ps First-Year Rep: My Experience / Recruiting Year Review The Beauty of Language Traditional Irish Barmbrack Food corner A Vegetarian’s Guide to Dining in Asahikawa Temple Seals and Pilgrimages in Hokkaido Step into Darkness: Ankoku Butoh Book Review: Wild Sheep Chase Photo Gallery HAJET Budget
Note From The Editor: Thank you all for taking the time to check out this issue of the Polestar. Due to a lack of organization, there was a twomonth hiatus. But rest assured, we’ll be continuing to publish issues monthly. To all the 1st year JETs that have arrived recently, welcome! Hokkaido is an awesome place, filled with awesome people. I hope that you all get involved in HAJET so we may all share our adventures. If anyone is interested writing an article for the Polestar, please do not hesitate to contact me! I would love to have your stories and photographs in any issue.
Photo by Rehan Nel Cover photo by Colette English
—A lex R eyes
The Three Ps
President’s Corner Devan Hawkins
Hey HAJET members, new and old! This is the President’s Corner, where I write a few words of wisdom, insight and topical info about the happenings of the island every month. Today, let’s talk natural disasters. For many of us, the 6th of September was a surprise that many of us were not prepared for and the earthquake left many of us without necessities like groceries and electricity for quite a while. However, just because we can’t prevent natural disasters doesn’t mean we can’t be ready for them. So this is a helpful 3P mnemonic for natural disasters like earthquakes.
P
repare There has been a lot of
information about emergency kits and “what to do in case of an emergency” info floating around recently, so if you haven’t already please buy some emergency supplies now or with your next paycheck. If you used a lot of your emergency supplies in the earthquake, refill them. This means buying more emergency food and changing batteries in flashlights. A lot of your troubles can be
mitigated right here. You’ll be glad to have that bottle of water if you lose your hydro.
P
rotect This is for you during the time
of emergency. Not your phone, not your TV, but you. During a natural disaster, your safety is your number one concern. Advice may differ from country to country, but generally you want to protect your head and hide under solid furniture if there are falling hazards like during quakes, and carefully leave increasingly dangerous areas like rooms that are on fire or are flooding. Know where your emergency exits are and stay alert until the disaster is over.
P
ost-manage This is the last of
the 3Ps and is about dealing with the aftermath of a disaster. When and only when things have calmed down, you have a few things you should do. • Check yourself. Are you hurt? Cold? Feeling sick? • Find out what happened. Contact friends and neighbors and check news outlets to
gather info. • Find your emergency kit. The more you’ve prepared, the more relieved you’ll feel when you open your kit. • Check what you’ve lost and what you don’t have. Check to see if anything is broken, and what still works. This includes appliances and utilities like electricity and hydro. You may want to quickly head over to a store and buy more food and supplies if you happen to be low on anything during the time of crisis. • Find out what this incident means for you.
Do you still have work? Will you be without power for a week? You need to figure out these questions so you can… • Prepare for the long haul. Bottle some water while you still have it. Plan your meals, eating perishable foods first. If you’re able, see what you can do to help others. Prepare, protect, post-manage. Keep your cool and do these things and you’ll be ready for just about anything. Until next then, see ya! —Devan Hawkins president@hajet.org
P.S. Anyone looking to help the town of Atsuma after the earthquake can support them through that town’s ALT’s (Elissa Doyle’s) GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/atsumaquake-and-landslide-relief
First-Year Rep: My Experience / Recruiting Nivedh Sreejit
Hey there first years! This will be my first and last address to you all as the outgoing First-Year Representative. There’s a new generation of ALTs in need of a new representative on the HAJET Prefectural Council (PC) and I’m here to say goodbye and discuss the role a little bit before I take off the cap. Since arriving in Hokkaido, HAJET has played a massive role in making my experience a positive one. After attending many of the welcome parties last year the idea of contributing to English-language education, event funding and seeing my new friends again in various beautiful locations around Hokkaido had me itching to contribute in whatever way I could. So, when I heard HAJET was looking for a First-Year Rep., I didn’t hesitate to put my name forward. In winning the subsequent election, I was able to join the HAJET team quite early on. Being involved with HAJET has given me insight into how the PC worked and the
ability to contribute towards the team’s vision over the last year. The First-Year Rep. is supposed to represent and communicate first-year concerns and perspectives to the PC, so they can make informed decisions that benefit newcomers and meet their needs as a community. Additionally, the role involves learning the ropes of the HAJET PC as well as learning the processes of various HAJET projects like International event funding, Project Outreach, The Hokkaido English Challenge (HEC) and The Polestar Magazine. The First-Year Rep. is also expected to contribute monthly to the Polestar and I’ve tried to keep my addresses relatable to first-years by detailing various cultural experiences I was having and some of my more personal thoughts on my first-year here in Hokkaido. Finally, the First-Year Rep. transitions to another position (usually HAJET President) in February, and this is something to keep in mind if you are
applying for the job. I bucked the trend by applying for the Secretary position, but I did so after considering the level of commitment (time and otherwise) I would have to give. All official responsibilities aside, my experience as First-Year Rep. was a hell of a good time. Not only did I have a run-in period before taking on a major role in our PC, but it also gave me a reason to keep thinking about my goals as a JET and kept me social during the many cold winter months in Hokkaido. If you like what HAJET stands for and want to add another dimension to your
experience here in Hokkaido, I can think of no better way than to involve yourself by applying for this position. It has been an excellent learning experience thus far, and my work with HAJET has made me feel like I have been accomplishing more of the “exchange and internationalization” aspect of the JET Programme. Good luck with your applications! See you at the next one! —Nivedh Sreejit firstyear.rep@hajet.org
Year Review
Janel Moriarty
“No
matter where you go , or what you do , the mountains of B oone will always be waiting to welcome you home .”
About a year and a half ago, an old man standing on the stage during my college graduation said these words and I thought they were important enough to write down on the back of my program. I thought that I needed this extra promise of a home no matter what, because I knew that in just two short months, I would be moving halfway across the world. It was like leaping off of a cliff and this promise was my lifeline. I was going to live in a place where it snows six months out of the year, a place where everyone speaks a language that I don’t, a place where everything that I was comfortable with would be different. Hokkaido is that place. I had done my research, scoured the internet for information, but I was still incredibly nervous, and for good reason. This past year has been one of the most difficult years of my life (and that includes the year I got five concussions). I came to my town, Ikeda, in Tokachi, at 22 years old. I walked into my empty apartment, looked around, and ended up spending the first few nights sleeping on my two towels because I didn’t have a bed yet. That was just the beginning of my challenges. As someone who isn’t particularly good at speaking Japanese, I faced a lot of hard times when I first came here. My first year here I dealt with mountains of snow, crippling homesickness, a broken heater in the middle of winter, and the meanest
neighbor on the island. All of this on top of trying to simply grow up. So if I had such a tough time, why am I still here? Why did I sign up for a second year? Well, for one thing, my school asked me to decide in like, October. But more importantly, despite all of the trials and tribulations that I’ve faced, I managed to meet some absolutely amazing people. And for me, that’s what life, a job, the world, everything, is really all about; the people. My students are the most energetic and happy kids. Having a business degree or not, they made me seriously consider going back to school for an education degree so I could become an accredited teacher. Whether it’s asking questions in class, volunteering me for an arm wrestling contest during the school festival, or bothering me into joining the baseball team, my students have tried their best to include me in everything the school has to offer and it has meant the world to me. They continue to pull the best from me and I can only hope I’m doing something similar for them. The teachers I work with are also some amazing people. Tanaka-sensei at Ikeda High School helped me fix my broken heater at the drop of a hat as soon as I realised that it would not, in fact, just fix itself after a week. Andoh-sensei from Honbetsu High School checked in on me even after we stopped working together, just to make sure I was
alright after the earthquake. And Hasao-sensei from Ikeda High School has gone through hell and high water to help me get my Japanese Driver’s License, just because one day she saw me struggling to translate a form at my desk. Nishikawa-sensei, who isn’t an English teacher. but still makes the biggest effort to talk to me and named me the special coach of the baseball team. Often times it’s hard to see what kind of an impact you’re making at your schools but these teachers really made me feel like I was actually a part of the school and that’s something I’ll never forget.
honestly would not have made it through this year without them. These people are what made my year. These people are what made Hokkaido into the home that I needed it be. So now, as I look back over the year, I can see all of the bad things that have happened to me but I don’t consider it a bad year. I think about the good times I’ve had with the wonderful people I’ve met, and all in all, I think it’s been a pretty good year. —Janel Moriarty
And that’s to say nothing about the other ALTs that I’ve met and befriended this past year. I could write an entire book about Paige and Fae, my two closest friends, they are always willing to listen and help, and to get a tattoo with you. There’s also Mack and Aaron, the parents I never knew I needed; Dan and Kim, who are always so sweet and so funny. And Myron, who knows just what to say when you miss North Carolina. These are only a few of the people who have helped me along the way, but I
Photo by Rehan Nel
So it’s no exaggeration that our minds and souls are made from languages. Meeting wonderful expressions enhances my way of thinking, and the combinations of those words improve my life beautifully and positively. With the power of language, we can express our feelings, describe beautiful sceneries, get positive, encourage and soothe someone, love someone and create lots of dreams, happiness and smiles. In addition to that, languages are the messages from old people and we can always learn great ideas from old sayings. It feels like talking with people from ancient times. These are great attractions of languages and my reasons for loving them. And that’s why improving our languages are really meaningful.
The Beauty of Language Nobuya Kudo
I have repeatedly become happier and happier by improving my English and Japanese. I strongly believe in the power of languages.
I’m an English learner from Yakumo, in southwest Hokkaido. I love English, Japanese, Italian, and other languages. About 20 years ago, I started English after I quit my university because of my disability. I thought I could study English as long as I have ears and a mouth.
Of course I know there is a limit to languages. We easily hurt someone’s feelings with insensitive words, and even lie or deceive.
Since then my life has drastically changed.
But even so, by improving our languages, I hope we will be able to improve our society. And hopefully we can build a peaceful world with the power of languages.
Everyday, every single moment, it feels like I’m flying in the air with the power of language. Through learning English, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people; both Japanese and international friends. Thanks to them, I always have super exciting days. I want to give special thanks to Ashley, Duncan and other Hokkaido ALTs, members from Yakumo English circle and my old students Yuna and Hiyori. I love talking with international friends and touching their cultures. Every time I do that, I realize good and bad aspects of Japan at the same time. There are some other things I’ve realized through learning English.
At least we can get closer little by little to the dream world. —Nobuya Kudo
People think anything using languages. photos by Nobuya Kudo
Traditional Irish Barmbrack Derek Moore
Ingredients 2 tsps Baking Powder 225g Weak Flour 350g Mixed Dried Fruits 300ml Cold Tea (Black breakfast is more traditional but you can use any you like :) ) 125g Caster Sugar (Brown sugar is better) 1 Egg Beaten A generous pinch of Mixed Spice (If you can’t find mixed spice you can make your own with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, powdered ginger, and allspice)
As some of you may or not know, Halloween can trace many of its origins to the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain. Originally, a festival held to honour the harvest where the veil between our world and the world of spirits was weakened, it was later combined with the Christian holiday of “All Souls’/Saints’ Day”. Ever sturdy in their beliefs, the Irish never gave up their old superstitions and traditions. One of these many traditions was the barmbrack cake. More commonly called “brack”. It is also known as “tea cake” from one of its main ingredients, strong black tea. The word barmbrack comes from the Irish “Bairín Breac” with “bairín” meaning “loaf”, and “breac” meaning “speckled”. The “speckled” part coming from the dried fruits. Though a delicious treat, this cake had an ulterior motive, telling the future. Now you may be asking yourself, how does one tell the future with cake? Well, you bake some stuff into it of course :) Traditionally a ring, a stick, a piece of cloth, and a coin were wrapped up in some baking powder and added in before the cake was placed in the oven with each object had its own significance. Your future depended on what found its way into your slice. The ring foretold a coming happy marriage that year. However, the stick told a different story, with a divorce or quarrel around the corner. The cloth foretold poverty, while the coin, as you can guess, foretold of fortunes on the way.
Method 1. Place fruit and tea in a bowl and leave to soak overnight.
Derek Moore
Dietary Requirements in Japan Hello and welcome everyone to this new Polestar section. Here we’ll be talking all about food and cooking with a Hokkaido twist. We hope to have both recipes and articles of all kinds from everyone and make this a great place to share and exchange ideas and opinions. To start us off, I thought it might be a good idea to write about a rather important topic in terms of food;
Dietary restrictions. Now this is a rather broad topic and I won’t be going into too much detail. I’ll mostly be focusing on how to identify possible problems ahead of time and what to do if they crop up.
By law all food companies must label 7 core allergens; eggs, milk, wheat, buckwheat, peanuts, shrimp, and crab.
3. Transfer to a greased and base lined 900g/2lb loaf tin or a 20cm/8” round cake tin.
Label Example
Sometimes other allergens may be listed but can vary from company to company. Be wary though that while big companies will give allergen information, some smaller restaurants and business may not do so or even see it as important information. Pay special attention to 本製品工場では_________ などを含む製品を生産しています。(Manufactured in a facility close to ______”) . Some larger ones may have extra allergens listed but this can vary. Other examples are ingredients lists with highlighted allergens.
2. Add sugar, baking powder, egg, flour and mixed spice; mix well.
In terms of other dietary restrictions such as veganism, vegetarianism, or Halal, the manner and amount of understanding and labelling will vary. Often it’s best to confirm beforehand, if possible, and work from there. Though allergies and people with them do exist in Japan, there is often some confusion as to how they work or what to do.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 for approx. 1 hour or until risen and firm to the touch. 5. Cool on a wire tray. When cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and keep for two days before cutting.
Polestar Food Corner
The best thing to do is make sure to tell your supervisor or JTE, or whoever is organising things in advance and work from there. Photo by Donal Skehan
Things to be wary of Cross-Contamination – Though most big companies will try their best, there may be trace amounts of allergens still present, though these should probably be listed. In particular be careful at festivals or smaller family run places where they may not separate cooking utensils.
Hidden Ingredients – Often sauces, broths, and flavourings may contain allergens. These can sometimes slip under the radar as they are not obviously apparent. If a dish looks like a lot of things are mixed, it’s best to err on the side of caution and ask. This can also be an issue for vegetarians and vegans with stocks, soups, and sauces as well as flavourings.
Shyness/Awkwardness – Though you may feel bad mentioning it or may feel you are being awkward or difficult, it is best to inform your supervisor or JTE beforehand. Most will be more than happy to work with you. And you should never feel pressured to eat something that may cause you harm
私は食物のアレルギーがあるので、＿＿＿＿＿が一切食べられません。 ご確認お願いします。
Common Allergens Allergen
Commonly found in
Milk 牛乳 gyuunyuu 生乳 seinyuu 生クリーム nama kuriimu
White breads and pastries, crackers, baked goods, katsu dishes (batter), omelettes, creamy soups and broths, some skincare products
Eggs 卵 tamago
Dish toppings (pizza, etc.), baked goods, batters
Shellfish 貝類 kairui 甲殻類 kokakurui
Hotpots, seafood platters, snack flavourings
Nuts 木の実・ナッツ kinomi アーモンド tamago ピカン tamago 落花生・ピーナッツ rakkasei/piinatsu Sesame 胡麻 goma *Used extensively in traditional Japanese foods Soy 大豆 daizu *Used extensively in traditional Japanese food Wheat/Buckwheat/Gluten 小麦-komugi そば-soba 麩質・グルテン-fushitsu/ guruten Alcohol アルコール-arukooru 酒-sake
Cooking oils, skincare / beauty products, trace amounts in other foods
Salads, dressings, desserts, flavourings, sauces Edamame, natto, tofu, dairy substitues, teriyaki, sauces, miso, yakitori/yakiniku Fried foods (batter, coatings), dumplings, breads, noodles (undon/ soba)
I am allergic to ________ and cannot eat foods containing them. Thank you for your cooperation. 乳 Dairy
卵 Eggs
魚類 Fish
貝類・甲殻類 Crustacean shellfish
木の実、 ナッツ Tree nuts
落花生・ピーナッツ Peanuts
麦 Wheat
大豆 Soybeans
ごま Sesame
ゼラチン Gelatin
酒類 Alcohol
豚肉 Pork
フルーツ Fruits
その他 Other
*You can either circle the applicable ingredients or point at them to restaurant staff.
While this is only scraping the surface on this rather deep topic, hopefully it has given you something you can work with going forward. Thank you all for reading. We look forward to hearing from you all and reading your experiences.
Alcoholic drinks, sauces, soups, deodorants/perfumes, disinfectants
Slán agus beannacht
Useful Phrases English
Japanese
Allergy
アレルギー / arerugi
I cannot eat ____ Does this contain ____? Can you make this without ____?
．．．食べることができません ・ 食べられません / taberu koto ga dekimasen / taberaremasen ．．．が入っていますか? / ...ga haitte imasu ka? ．．．なしで作られますか? / ...nashi de tsukuraremasu ka?
If you are interested in writing something for the food corner, please email the editor at editor @ hajet . org We are open to almost anything and would love to share the universal love for food H okkaido style !
A Vegetarian’s Guide to Dining in Asahikawa Lianna Hrycyk
If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s this: when you walk through the Asahikawa city center , a ramen shop will always be a stone throw ’ s away . Y ou might also smell sizzling fried chicken , yakiniku , and barbequed lamb in the distance … A sahikawa is a foodie paradise for meat lovers . This reality is a dream come true for my carnivorous friends, but it left the vegetarian in me intimidated when I first moved to the area two years ago ! L uckily , I have discovered several delicious vegetarian havens in a sea of ramen . R ead on to learn about a few of my favorite spots for a vegetarian - friendly meal .
OPTION 1 CONVEYOR-BELT SUSHI
Okonomiyaki is a cabbage-based savoury pancake made with meat and fish and is usually topped with dried fish flakes. A vegetarian version can easily be requested. This restaurant also serves plenty of skewered, deep-fried foods (kushikatsu) if you’re craving some greasy goodness!
My favorite spot 粉もんず２条昭和通店, 6 Chome 2 Jōdōri, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaidō 070-0032
Sushi restaurants are my go-to for a quick, nohassle meal. You can always count on being able to order rolls made with cucumber and pickled gourd, as well as rice in sweet, deep-fried tofu.
What to order The chef here is understanding and used to accommodating for vegetarians (they’ve heard my special order many times). Tell the waiter you’re vegetarian and that you’d like okonomiyaki without meat or fish, but with vegetables instead. I also recommend the deep-fried kushikatsu skewers of cheese or tomatoes – I’ve ordered more than I care to admit! Finally, they have a variety of specialty sodas and drinks on their menu. Staff recommend the impressively sour Okinawan シークヮーサー (Citrus depressa) soda.
My favorite spot Toriton / 回転寿しトリトン旭神店 5 Chome Kyokushin 3 Jo, Asahikawa, Hokkaido
What to order いなり (rice in deep-fried tofu pockets), ゆずいなり (rice in deep-fried tofu pockets, seasoned
Tip
with yuzu ),
梅じそ巻き (pickled plum and perilla leaf roll), かっぱ巻き (cucumber maki roll), かんぴょう巻き (pickled gourd makki roll), 梅オクラ nigiri (pickled plum and okra), 揚なす味噌 nigiri (deep-fried miso eggplant sushi,
Always specify no dried fish flakes on your okonomiyaki by saying “カツオなし”, as they are often considered a topping, and not “fish”!
Note
request it made vegetarian without dried fish flakes by writing “カツオなし” on the order sheet ).
The kushikatsu are fried in the same oil as meat and fish.
Tip In spring and summer, sushi made with seasonal vegetables will occasionally be offered as a special. Keep your eyes peeled for asparagus tempura sushi rolls. Don’t forget to specify “カツオなし”!
OPTION 2 OKONOMIYAKI AND KUSHIKATSU
photos by Lianna Hrycyk
OPTION 3 NEPALESE AND INDIAN CURRY These curry shops often have a vegetable or bean curry made without meat. Bonus -- many shops also have staff who speak English!
My favorite spot ダイニングアンドネパール, 6 Chome-3-7 Tōkō 5 Jō, Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaidō 078-8345
What to order I love this shop as it is affordable and delicious. The staff is lovely and will guide you through the vegetarian curry options. Don’t forget to order some garlic cheese naan on the side. This shop also has a flavourful vegetarian version of Hokkaido’s famous soup curry -- score!
Tip You can upgrade any curry into a creamy spinachbased green curry. I haven’t been able to find green curry anywhere else in the city.
Whether you are a strict vegetarian or are simply looking to include more vegetables in your diet, I hope you’ll check out and support these fantastic restaurants listed above. Vegetarian dining can be a challenge, but with a little searching, your taste buds will be rewarded. Itadakimasu!
Temple Seals and Pilgrimages in Hokkaido Bryan Campbell About 2 years ago, a friend of mine told me about Buddhist temple seals. Called goshuin, these unique calligraphy and stamp combinations were basically temple receipts, proving that a pilgrim did in fact visit a temple. This was important during pilgrimages, since in the past, people would sponsor the trips and wanted to make sure the pilgrim didn’t just run off with the money. They also represent a small donation to the temples, since it “costs” 300 yen to get a stamp. In tour-ddhism (see what I did there?), collecting goshuins can be a fun prospect, and it leaves you with a really unique souvenir of your time in Japan. Getting a goshuin is fairly simple. Most temples offer one, and busy temples will even have signs up pointing visitors where to go. All you need is a shuincho (a special stamp book for goshuins), 300 yen, and a participating temple. Some major shrines will even offer them, since Buddhism and Shinto have a funny history together. There are two things of note though when requesting a goshuin. The first is that some temples do not offer them (of note are the Honganji Pureland head temples in Kyoto). The second thing to note, and very relevant to Hokkaido, is that the master calligrapher needed to produce the goshuin may not always be present at a temple at any given time. If you are collecting temple seals outside of a pilgrimage, you might have to make special and timely arrangements with a given temple to get the calligraphy done, especially if they do not often get visitors. photo by Bryan Campbell
What about if you are on a pilgrimage?
Well, first, we should talk about what a Buddhist pilgrimage is. About the only information we have in English is from the massively commercialized Shikoku 88site Pilgrimage in the south of Japan. This pilgrimage is a major tourist “attraction,” and a source of business for many in the area. However, it doesn’t really resemble pilgrimages in Hokkaido (or anywhere else), both in application and practicality. The thing to remember with Buddhist pilgrimages (at least in Japanese Buddhism) is that no one really cares how you do it. You don’t need to attend every site in order, you don’t need to do so in one continuous trip, you don’t need a lot of bling or special props (though I’m told a wagesa, available on Rakuten among other places, does help explain what you are doing), and you don’t even really need to do anything special once you get to a temple. Simply attending the site and getting the goshuin seems to be enough. That being said, there are certain things you can do at each temple. Temples are associated with different figures and schools of Buddhism, so there will be different sutras you can chant. If you aren’t up on Buddhism, the Heart Sutra (which has many different translations in English) is a good fallback. You can also light incense, offer an osamefuda (a slip of paper with your name and address, so the temple staff can see where you’re from), meditate, ring the temple’s bell if they have one, give special stickers with your name on them, and who knows what else. I take a more minimalistic approach, both as a Zen Buddhist and as a dirty foreign bar-
Temple Seals
and
Piligrimages
in
Hokkaido
any one place, so it’s easy to visit a number of temples in a given trip. For the shuincho, I was told you actually buy a special binder and pick up sheets with the temples’ calligraphy as you go. It should be noted that the Hokkaido 88 pilgrimage is a serious undertaking. Not only are there a lot of sites to visit, I’m told a variety of sutras can/ Now that you maybe sorta kin- should be read (since there is no consistent da know what’s going on, let’s talk theme or figure), but a 300 yen cost times about pilgrimaging in Hokkaido. 88 temples, is a large amount that casual participants might be hesitant to deal with. There are three known pilgrimages in our northern part of the world. The one I am The last is the Hokkaido 36 Fudo pilgrimcompleting right now is a 33-site Kannon age. I know the least about this one, since I (Avalokitesvara, for those keeping score, can’t find any information or mentions in also known as Kanzeon in Japan) pil- English, and because I only learned about grimage, mostly because it looked pretty this second hand while doing the Kaneasy and straight forward. There is also non pilgrimage. This pilgrimage deals a larger 88-site pilgrimage, which tries to with Fudo Myo’o (also known as Acala), imitate the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage. Last- a fire deity in Buddhism. Many of these ly, there is a 36–site Fudo pilgrimage sites also overlap with the 88 and Kannon that I only learned about after starting. pilgrimages (there are only so many temples in Hokkaido). This one looks really inThe Hokkaido 33 Kannon pilgrimate is a teresting because of the strong theme and pretty easy one, though the temples are non-Buddha/Bodhisattva at the center. spread out across Hokkaido. All of the temples have an altar to Kannon, so you Since many of these temples are small and can just read the Enmei Juku Kannon Gyo not well visited (this is actually really comsutra (it’s only a dozen lines of so, so it’s mon in Buddhism, as it’s mostly monaspretty easy to memorize). Since many tic), you should phone ahead and make of these temples are very small and sel- arrangements with the temple if you are dom visited by outsiders, the organiz- planning to visit. The staff may not be there ing body produces a pre-printed book of when you plan to visit, or the temple could temple calligraphy (similar to a shuincho, be closed. The temples could even be unbut called a nokyocho). When doing this dergoing heavy construction and actually pilgrimage, you give this book to the staff not be there (the temple in my town is bewhile you go about your business, and ing rebuilt, and one temple I visited had a they stamp the book to authenticate your little altar in a garage due to construction). trip. There’s also an option to complete a The staff may also need to get some things wall scroll instead of a book, which seems ready ahead of your arrival. This might really cool but is a bit more expensive. seem really daunting if your Japanese isn’t very good, but if you say you are doing Next is the Hokkaido 88 pilgrimage. Many XYZ pilgrimage and ask if you can visit of the sites overlap with the 33 Kannon pil- on whatever day, it’s actually pretty easy. grimage, but there are of course more of them. The temples are also quite spread out, Anyways, pilgrimaging in Hokkaido can but it looks like there are more of them in be a really cool experience. None of these barian who has no idea what he’s doing. I just chant a sutra, give an osamefuda, and talk with the staff (and of course, get a goshuin). A pilgrimage is a religious experience, but it’s hardly a daunting one, and no one is going to hold it against you if you don’t do everything the “right way”.
Temple Seals temples are touristy ones like you the ones see in Honshu, so it feels like more of an authentic experience rather than just sightseeing. As a Buddhist, I’ve gotten a very interesting feeling and special connection to Buddhism while pilgrimaging. Not everyone will feel the same or care as much, but that’s ok. There’s also the fact that most of these temples have only ever had a handful of foreign visitors (most of whom I probably know), so you usually get a really warm reception. Make sure to budget a half hour or so at each temple in case you get invited for tea or are introduced to someone’s kid (this happened to a friend of mine, because of English). I had initially wanted to start a pilgrimage group, but laziness and uncertainty stopped me. These are active religious sites, and being a Buddhist, I’m certainly getting something more out of this than some others might. I didn’t want others to feel like a third wheel or like they don’t belong (though I have visited temples with non-pilgrimaging friends), nor did I want to feel rushed by others who just want to get in and out. However, don’t let that stop you (or me) if you think traveling with a few others will make it a better experience. Just remember that this is an inherently religious activity, so be respectful of the temples you visit and anything people may want to do there.
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complete a pilgrimage in one go or over time? Do you mostly visit when you’re traveling to new areas? Can the pilgrimage get you to travel to some new places? Can you make a whole trip out of the pilgrimage by visiting a temple and then checking out other local sites? Pilgrimages are supposed to be very personal experiences, so make what you want of it. If you are interested in learning more, don’t hesitate to email me (ba.campbell@ zoho.com). I have the 33 Kannon pilgrimage mapped on a Google Places map that I can share, and am looking into the Fudo 36 pilgrimage in the future. I also have friends who have/are completing the Hokkaido 88 pilgrimage, so I can get some more info on that if you are interested. I’d like to add all three to a single map for easy use, but that’s a project for another day. Hopefully, this article taught you something more about Buddhism and some of the things you might have seen or heard about. If pilgrimaging or just collecting goshuins is something you are interested in, I hope this helped point you in the right direction. Gassho, Bryan Campbell
The only other thing I can say about pilgrimaging is that you should make it your own experience. Do you want to try and
Links 33 Kannon - https://hokkaido33kannon.com, https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/北海道三十三観音霊場 36 Fudo - http://www.36fudou.jp, https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/北海道三十六不動尊霊場 Hokkaido 88 - http://88reijyokai.com
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“Butoh is an art form born in Japan, but many Japanese people don’t know about it. That’s why I feel we need to spread it further around Japan.”
This was the closing remark by dancer and choreographer Hal Tanaka in my interview with him about the 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival. From May 12 to June 23 this year, butoh performers from around the world gathered to perform in Hokkaido cities: from Otaru, Hakodate, and Tomakomai to Obihiro. The sequel to the 2017 Sapporo International Butoh Festival, the 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival aimed to further promote a powerful and beautiful dance form that probes the darkness of the human psyche all across Hokkaido. If, at this point, you’re thinking ‘What even is this butoh he writes of?’ fear not for you are not alone. Butoh is an original Japanese dance style that was developed during the postWWII period. It gained popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The post-WWII period in Japan witnessed an explosion of artists in every medium, pushing the boundaries of what was accepted in literature, art, music, and performance. It was in this period of avantgarde exploration that butoh first found an audience in Tokyo’s smoke-filled basement bars. Butoh, originally called ankoku butoh, or “the dance of utter darkness,” was pioneered by two men: Hijikata Tatsumi (1928-1986) and Ohno Kazuo (1906-2010). The first butoh performance, kinshiki, or “forbidden colors”, was a creation by dancer and choreographer
Hijikata Tatsumi. However, butoh as an articulated and established style developed out of a collaboration between Hijikata and his contemporary, Ohno Kazuo. Together they created an explicitly Japanese dance style that confronted and transcended both Western dance forms prevalent in Japan at the time and traditional Japanese dance forms. Since the early 1900s in Japan, Western ideals of beauty in dance had been slowly overtaking traditional Japanese performance aesthetics. These ideals included line, center of gravity, and proportion, as well as theatrical constructions, like the proscenium arch. During the avantgarde art movements of the 1950s, Japanese writers, artists, performers, and choreographers struggled against the Western beauty ideals that had entered into various artistic forms, from literature to art, as well as theater and dance, and attempted to re-establish a Japanese national, intellectual, and artistic identity. Hijikata claimed that butoh was developed to allow Japanese people to reclaim their artistic identity in the face of ever-increasing Western influences. Butoh gained considerable momentum from the reactionary attitudes and movement experiments of the shingeki (“new theater”) vanguard of the 1950s. It also draws heavily on the artistic philosophy and ideology of other post-war avant-garde movements. Butoh developed as an underground, revolutionary, and experimental dance style; shrouded in
B rad B reiten mystery, emphatic of the grotesque, and ever evolving. Because of the philosophical ideals underpinning butoh dance culture, it has found popularity among audiences around the world and has become a renowned performance style. Today, butoh continues to push the boundaries of performance art. It often explores difficult themes like mental illness, sexuality, death, and drug dependency. Butoh has thrived in Hokkaido since at least the 1970s and Hal Tanaka is one of the most prominent butoh dancers in the prefecture. He is often considered the representative butoh dancer in Hokkaido and he continues to perform and teach butoh. He said that in addition to two workshops he teaches at the Conte-Sapporo dance center every month, he holds workshops at Hokkaido universities, and continues to perform monthly. He has recently been sought out by many improvisational musicians to collaborate on pieces, and he speaks with pride about the success of his dance pupils, many of whom have started choreographing solo performances and working with other butoh groups around the world. One of his students, Kamidachi Tsukasa, completed a European dance tour in 2017. In addition to Hal, one of the primary movers of butoh in Hokkaido is Taku Morishima, owner of Conte-Sapporo,
Below: Hal Tanaka during his powerful performance at the 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival. Photo by Yuki Sakurai
and the organizer of both the 2017 Sapporo International Butoh Festival and the 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival. When asked how this year’s festival compared to 2017, Hal explained that even though the 2017 festival was primarily funded through grants for the arts it was very tough and time consuming, so coming into this year he had planned one reducing the overall size of the festival. However, when he met with Morishima to plan the 2018 festival, Morishima said “Let’s not just do Sapporo this year, let’s do a tour of places all around Hokkaido!” Hal’s response was simple, “So we did.” One of the most powerful aspects of butoh is how open to interpretation the performances are. At this year’s festival I was able to see many of the performances around the island. The first one I saw this year in Tomakomai was particularly powerful. The performance was split into three segments. The first and second each an hour long and the final third one roughly fifteen minutes. Part one was danced by Hal Tanaka himself, dressed in a flowing, deep-red garment. The lighting was red, and his makeup was thick and dark giving him a rather demonic appearance. His movements around the stage oscillated between smooth
and flowing to broken and strained. Part two was by an artist named Temmetsu. He came out with his skin covered with white makeup, dressed in a baggy white garment, giving him an eerily ethereal appearance. His performance was dynamic, moving around the stage, at times breaking his posture down to the ground, at others moving in sharp flitting, bouncing movements.
faces of those watching. While it is hard to describe the impact of a butoh performance, the interesting part about this show was talking to other audience members about what they saw in it. Responses ranged from seeing an acting out of shamanic possession, to more powerful imagery of the struggles of drug dependency, living with mental illness, and battling our own internal demons.
The simplicity of movement in butoh dances belies the power and meaning contained within it. Part three was a complete change of pace. While part one and part two were dark, pained, and slow moving, part three was a lively, energetic, and upbeat duet between the two performers. After the bleak opening acts, the closing performance helped to lift the spirits of the audience, bringing many relieved smiles to the
By all measures, the 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival was a total success. Hal lamented that Sapporo tends to be the focal point of Hokkaido butoh, and by that token
was very proud of what they were able to accomplish this year in expanding to cities across Hokkaido. While the festival was some months ago, and future festivals are some time away, you can still find regular performances all around Hokkaido. I think everyone should take the time to experience the power and beauty of this relatively unknown Japanese dance form. —Brad Breiten 3rd year Iwamizawa city JET HAJET Central Representative
Right: Temmetsu performs in the 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival. Photo by Taku Morishima. Right (inset): 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival panel discussion. Pictured from left to right: Naomi Inada, author of “Tatumi Hijikata Zetsugo no Shintai,” Yukie Sakurai (performance artist), Hal Tanaka (dancer), Taku Morishima (2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival coordinator).
Links Conte-Sapporo Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/contesapporo/ 2018 Hokkaido Butoh Festival Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/hokkaidobutohfestival/
photo by Lyne Alojado
A WILD SHEEP CHASE:
A journey into Northern Hokkaido Book Review by Max Turner The liminal space between dreams and realities becomes blurred in ‘A Wild Sheep Chase’, a postmodern and mysterious tale of an allusive farm animal with a unique marking being hunted down by a spectacularly ordinary advertisement executive going through the anxiousness of an identity crisis. With a self-confessed lack of anything better to do with his time, the protagonist ceases to the pressure of a blackmailing media oligarch, and embarks on a journey of hundreds of miles after a photo of a Hokkaido landscape he publishes in a magazine turns the wrong heads. Murakami’s often profound, usually preposterous metaphor drags us along a northern bound, winding road, questioning whether what we see is dream or true. After being tasked with locating the ovine in question, the narrative jumps forward as we travel with the unnamed middle-aged divorcee from his Tokyo office to the snowy hills of a Hokkaido farming town. Back to the simple, the untamed and the peaceful. For me, the allure of the novel is in the way it captures a blind pursuit for the completely unknown, in a wild and rugged Northern Hokkaido. What is considered by some to be based on Bifuka, the final location of the novel is a small, quiet and typical Hokkaido town- a place much like we’re all familiar with and might actually call home. The potential location of the novel is outside of a small town I actually teach in and
one which sees groups of Murakami enthusiasts making pilgrimage to when the snow has melted in the spring. The small hotels, the snack bars, the ramen shops and the seemingly perpetual farming landscape...something of the location’s description loudly, though likely coincidentally, rings true of Bifuka. Sent postcards as clues from his old friend, The Rat, we are brought to Junitaki. We are told of the town’s past; the Ainu guide leading Japanese farmers, f leeing from debt on the mainland, to a remote and barren area north of what is now Asahikawa. Traveling for days through the mountains, they settle at a spot known for waterfalls. From there, we learn of the growing timber trade and its eventual decline. At first, it is hard to get over how absurdly the story seems to meander. From meeting his precognitive girlfriend, who happens to be the owner of a pair of practically perfect and sexually stimulating ears, to stumbling across the chaotic room of a social hermit in Dolphin Hotel in Sapporo, with a crucial hint as to where they can locate their next clue - it’s everything but a mediocre plot. Murakami captures loneliness and delivers powerful metaphors to enforce this lack of belonging in a modern urban landscape, and an isolating, wild and wintery one.
“There are symbolic dreams—dreams that symbolize some reality. Then there are symbolic realities—realities that symbolize a dream. Symbols are what you might call the honorary town councillors of the worm universe. In the worm universe, there is nothing unusual about a dairy cow seeking a pair of pliers. A cow is bound to get her pliers sometime.
It has nothing to do with me.” — Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase
is the “T engu no H iwatari ” festival . T his festival takes place annually at the E bisu S hrine in F urubira . A t the festival , “T engu ” or J apanese goblins run through a tower of flames .
Pictured
Photos by Rehan Nel
Tengu no Hiwatari
十勝岳
Mt. Tokachi Photo by Keith Dickens
HAJET Budget for F inancial Year 2018-2019 Hello everyone! My name is Claire and I’m the current treasurer for HAJET. For the sake of transparency, the budget and financial updates are published in the Polestar throughout the year for your reading and financial pleasure. I decided to break it down as simply as possible so without further ado, here is the budget for the financial year 2018-2019 that was voted on and passed in April! The budget for this year was built around the previous year’s (2017-2018) except for the following changes:
Administration ¥56,000.00 Merch/Sales ¥50,000.00 Publications ¥140,500.00 Regional Events ¥155,000.00 HAJET Events, ¥1,240,000.00 HAJET Meetings, ¥1,100,000.00
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Increase in funding for international events from ¥105,000 to ¥135,000, allowing HAJET to completely fund two extra events, if not more.
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Funding for three months worth of Adobe InDesign, necessary for the editing of the Hokkaido Newcomers Guide (HNG).
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Funding for the expected costs of running the HAJET website.
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Funding allocated to cover costs of postage for various official documents sent to BOEs.
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Sonia Chand, the Publications Coordinator initially aimed to match last year’s advertising revenue for the HNG and so expected revenue was increased to ¥80,000. Thanks to her hard work and the help of others, she has secured funding exceeding the original estimate!
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Adam Gentle, the Bookseller expects a slight increase in revenue from the bookstore and has given a conservative estimate of ¥40,000.
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Taking in last year’s membership revenue (¥242,000) into account and the expected increase in number of ALTs/CIRs due to new Elementary school positions as well as replacements for departing ALTs/CIRs, ¥235,000 is expected from membership revenue this year, a conservative increase from last years projected figure.
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After taking the previous year’s budget into account, the budget for the three annual meetings has been increased.
¥-
¥500,000.00 ¥1,000,000.00 ¥1,500,000.00
Overall, the budget for the financial year 2018-2019 projects a small profit as it was decided to err on the side of caution and conservative estimates were made on expected revenue.
More detailed information as well as a complete breakdown regarding the current budget and spending can be found at the following link : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/142mlG6FGlJgsfYJqxMFDjQnqblGzr4I4xVrLpBJetE/edit?usp=sharing If you have any questions, please contact me at treasurer@hajet.org!