I know I still have yet to write about Hiroshima. You see, I was uploading the pictures from my camera to my computer, and the photo organizing program that I use, iPhoto, decided to freeze mid-upload. I had to force-quit the program, causing 76 pictures to disappear into the abyss. Which sucks. So, I'm going to see if there's any way to recover those (even though my professional Geek boyfriend says it's impossible) before I post about Hiroshima, but don't worry, I'll get to it.
Ok, so, Halloween!
Every year, Sarah has a Halloween party for the kids of Aki City. This year, it was held the weekend before Halloween so as not to conflict with the Hirome Halloween party in Kochi City. She needed some JETs to volunteer to help out, and I thought it sounded like fun.
(Pic stolen from Sarah — Me, Sarah, Annie and Luce in our costumes. My costume for the Hirome Halloween party was swine flu, but for the Aki party I decided to go as a regular pig. Gotta keep it PC for the kids.)
About 70 kids showed up, including a lot of my students. We started at the Community Center, divided the kids up into groups, and took them trick-or-treating around the historical samurai district:
(A few photographers followed us around as well. I ran into Sarah's husband at the grocery store the other night, and he said there's a photo of my group in the newspaper.)
Then we came back to the Community Center for some activities, including a mask-judging contest:
(Adorable!)
After the kids left and we took down the decorations, we went to dinner at Yourou with some of Sarah's adult students and had some Halloween fun of our own.
On Halloween, I headed out to Kochi City for the Hirome Halloween party. I met a lot of JETs I never even knew existed, and the costumes were fabulous and creative!
By a TOTAL FREAK COINCIDENCE, George and I had the same costume idea:
(Of course, now we both think we're going to get swine flu for real as karma.)
Other costumes included Captain Planet and the Planeteers, an oni (Japanese demon), a bunny, Hermione, a Native American, an astronaut, King of the Wild Things, a professor, a Power Ranger, a robber and a hippie:
A few people went with movie-inspired costumes, like Matt (Walter from The Big Lebwoski):
Annie (Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas):
Ben (Elwood from The Blues Brothers):
David (anti-piracy movie ad camera-head man):
(I haven't yet ventured to the lone movie theater in Kochi City, but apparently before the start of a movie, there's an ad showing a man in a suit and white gloves with a camera for a head that does a weird dance and warns people not to videotape the movie illegally.)
And Michelle (Sho'Nuff from 80s cult classic The Last Dragon):
(This 47-second YouTube clip explains it all.)
And then, of course, there are the random Japanese people who just want to take pictures with us.
Peace,
Britt
P.S. I took a video clip of a break-dancing Winnie the Pooh, but it takes too long to upload, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
