Monkey Business

~I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend, and that you all did something nice for your mom on Mother's Day (hi Mom!). As for me, I was involved in an exciting domestic disturbence incident yesterday (just paving the way for you, A.J.)! On Sunday night, a group of (mostly gaijin) friends and I set up a barbeque in a park in Nagaoka:

^ Unfortunately, our fire, crazed laughter, and frisbee-throwing action attracted the attention of the locals, who apparently weren't too happy about a gaijin gathering at 11 pm. Lo and behold, a pair of police cars pulled up, complete with flashing lights and maglight-wielding officers, and we were promptly ordered to clean up and leave. The cops were actually really cool about the whole thing, laughing at our antics and helping us clean up. Still, I doubt we'll be holding any more late-night barbeques.

~After fleeing from the law, I spent today riding my bike to the boundaries of Nagaoka. First, inspired by the recent discovery of the Kipunji monkey, I stopped by Yukyuzan park to see the monkeys. This time, they were out of their cage, and I was able to get a few pictures for your enjoyment:

^ The monkeys in Yukyuzan Park live in a complex called "Monkey Mountain", and there are about 20-25 of them. I love the expressions on the faces of these monkeys, especially the one in the lower center.

^ Taking a nap on the bridge. Monkey Mountain would probably be a lot more fun for its residents if it had some foliage, but I think the zookeepers are worried about the monkeys throwing objects at the tourists.

^ You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

^ A monkey family. I spotted three younger monkeys jumping around. Amusingly, the older monkeys had exasperated looks on their red faces as they watched the youngsters carouse around the mountain.

^ Tasty snack? I guess he just couldn't wait for dinner. Or maybe he's sharpening his teeth...

A running joke among the Japanese here is how excited gaijin get about monkeys. To a Japanese person, a monkey is perfectly normal; they're native to Japan and China, and they are more pests than anything else. My theory is that foreigners like monkeys because none of us (and by "us", I mean foreign English teachers) are from countries that have monkeys living in the wild. We've only seen them in zoos (such as this one). To actually see a monkey in the wild is a new and exciting experience. I hope to visit the Wild Monkey Park sometime in the future and take lots of pictures for your amusement.

~After visiting the monkeys, I headed up to the mountains, toward the municipal ski area of Nagaoka. On the way, I saw these unusual buildings:

^ This complex is Nagaoka University. There were a few students hanging out here when I passed by, but otherwise this institution of higher learning is on the very edge of civilization...there are just miles of empty mountains beyond it.

^ Without snow, you'd think the ski area would be closed, right? Wrong. I discovered that, like Yuzawa, Nagaoka's ski area has its very own alpine slide! I don't think it's open yet, but I will definately be coming back to try it out and reach the GOAL!

^ I took this picture from halfway up the mountain near the ski area. The entire mountain was empty of people and eerily silent. The sun was shining and the birds were singing, but I couldn't help but feel a little creeped out by the massive, empty picnic fields, with every sound echoing off of the hillside. Still, I did manage to get a nice lanscape view of Nagaoka. Note the mountain rising out of the clouds in the distance.

~Finally, for your amusement, here is the most famous Japanglish in all of Nagaoka. Note that this is among the first pictures taken by virtually every gaijin who moves to Nagaoka, including me:

^ This is one of three hip-hop clothing stores in very close proximity to one another in downtown Nagaoka. Japanese junior and senior high school students are obsessed with hip-hop dancing. There are hip-hop performances at almost every one of the many festivals held in the city, and several of my older students are on their school hip-hop teams. Two of my students spent the entire vacation practicing their dance routines with their clubmates. This is a funny sign, but I'm confused about one thing: the presence of an acronym. Does anyone have any ideas as to what P.I.M.P. might stand for?

~That's all for now, everyone. Keep checking David Does Japan for more madness from the Land of the Rising Sun (and hopefully no more run-ins with the law). Oyasumi~