Gaijin dances, two dead

Arrival and going away parties seem to be a pretty big deal in this culture, which is why I found myself at yet another bon voyage occasion for a few of Luke’s coworkers. This time it was at the Kirishima Brewery/Beer Garden. Actually a really cool venue with a huge outside tent – perfect for parties. Lot’s of other people were there celebrating or just relaxing. It’s matsuri (festival) season here, so people are in high spirits and are very social. On this particular evening, the Kirishima Beer people were distributing prizes to people who wore their traditional garb, or yukata.

One small group of women seemed especially excited to be participating, and celebrated further with karaoke and a traditional dance. This tiny old woman kicked off her wooden flip-flops and performed an intricate series of steps and hand motions, in the middle of which, she decided that I would make an excellent addition to her repertoire.

All of a sudden I was yanked from my chair and thrust into the middle of the tent, much to the delight of the 70 or 80 half-drunk Japanese in the audience. I tried, vainly, to imitate her movements, but mostly succeeded in looking like an uncoordinated giant in contrast to the tiny women next to me.

Photos revealed that indeed, I was Neanderthalic at best, in my attempt. If you have the pleasure of viewing them yourself, perhaps the same headline will run through your head, “Gaijin dances, two dead.” It really looked like if I made a wrong move, I might have been responsible for the demise of a revered obachan (old woman).