I wish I could stop the time. I’ve already spent half of the semester here. Every day is a new challenge, opportunity and adventure. The midterms are coming but I am trying to travel as much as I can and am getting to know the culture. I had the opportunity to visit the Oga Peninsula on the 20th of October.
Oga City and the woods nearby are famous for the Namahages. These creatures look like Demons but actually they are Gods (Kamis). These legendary beings came from China and settled down in Akita Prefecture. They came down from the mountains to visit people and bring luck to them. They are looking for bad children and lazy wives to scare them and lead them onto a good path. The locals also orginize a festival on the 3d of January to respect this mythology, called Sedo. I’ve also seen a performance showing how the locals visited houses dressed up as Namahage (they also need to pass an exam for this). The families were waiting for them with Sake (Japanese alcohol) and food. If the names on the Namahage’s list were bad, they scared them. There is also a museum for them in Oga City where we stopped. We got to know their mythology, what type of Gods exist and how their masks are made.
We visited the GAO Aquarium too, which houses many different species like fish, reptiles, seals, penguins and even a polarbear. The whole facility was built near the Japanese Sea.
At the end of the day we watched the sunset from Mount Kampuzan.
I am grateful for the Csányi Foundation for giving me the opportunity to be a part of such adventures. I am excited to looking forward to the rest of the semester! Stecina Kata, Nagybajom 1