Yamagata Trip Day Six

 

The five dances the day before did not wear out the Koshares. All Koshares were wide awake and ready for new experiences. In the morning we met at Nishiminato Community Hall. At the community hall we would do penmanship, play the shakuhachi, make soba noodles and end the day with a BBQ.

8:50 am:  Penmanship
We started the day with a class on Japanese penmanship. Each member was given a symbol meaning various things like snow and flower. We were then taught which part of the symbol to paint first. With a brush and ink some Koshares mastered the process and turned out some beautiful works of art. Others had fun doing the process.

10:00 am:   Try shakuhachi, Japanese flute
We attempted the shakuhachi flute, which was unlike the flutes of the United States. It was a complicated process to get the right angle to make noise come from the flute. A few musically inclined Koshares immediately figured out the flute, but most members could not get the right angle. Those who could played portions of Mary had a Little Lamb.

11:30 am:   Make soba noodles for lunch
Before lunch we were to make our own soba noodles to eat. A chef instructed the Koshares on how to make the soba noodles and let a Koshare try at the process. Dusty Wittman was the first brave soul to volunteer, then followed by Jimmy McKnight and then Steven Cameron. Jimmy with a few years of past experience at Pizza Hut, was a professional at the soba process. After, the soba noodles were cooked we all had them for our lunch mixed with rice, seafood and various spices.

2:00 am:   Free time with host families
After lunch the host familes came back to take the Koshares, living in their home, out for some free time with the families. Some Koshares went sightseeing, some relaxed and others shopped. Each Koshare returned with their own interesting story. Two Koshares went to some castle ruins of the Samori era. Two other Koshares went on a quest for some Japanese souviner t-shirts. This quest proved to be hard, for each store they entered had more American culture clothing. Four stores later the Koshares had found a Japanese t-shirt. Other Koshares really enjoyed just being with their host families and playing with the kids in the family. These Koshares also took the opportunity to do their laundry. All Koshares would not trade this time with their family for anything else, for it proved to be most enjoyable.

5:00 pm:   BBQ at Nishiminato Community Hall
The host familes and Koshare returned to the community hall for one big celebration. There our hosts had beef, noodles, and sushi. Some Koshares were brave enough to try the octopus sushi, but all had the beef and hot dogs. The Koshares then dressed up for a performance for their host families. Between each dance a Koshare spoke to the audience about their experience so far. All were touching and all were given a round of applause. We knew that this BBQ signaled the near end to the time with our Japanese families. We put on a wonderful show and at the end fireworks were set off to make this night that much more magical.

We packed a truck with our outfits and then headed off with our host families for our last night with them. Tomorrow we would say our good-byes, but that night we just focused on new moments with our families.