So in college I took a class called Anthropology 101 or some other such number. Basically it was an intro-level class to cultural anthropology. Interesting in parts, obvious in others. But in it we learned about individualist based cultures and collectivist based cultures. Now, it doesn't take an A level student to figure out that the USA leans more towards the individual side of the spectrum, "What can you do for me?," "Get out of my way!," "I am the king of this castle." You know, we all like to think that we are special and that we matter and that the world would be a lesser place without us (all this as individuals, mind you). But you might not know (or maybe you do) that Japan is considered a collectivist society. This means, in general, that they work together as a team much of the time, putting the good of the whole ahead of the good of the individual (or that is the theory). Neither way is right or wrong and neither way is without its faults. They are just different. Which brings me to my point. How do you take an individual sport like running and make it a collectivist sport? Well, I suppose you could have a relay race; the 4 by 100 and the 4 by 400 from my high school track days come to mind. But there is another way....How about you just take thirty individuals and tie their legs together and make them run some short distance? Why, yes, I suppose that might work. And so, I was flipping through the channels tonight and came upon a show where thirty junior high schoolers are lined up, each tied to the next at the ankle, and made to run about 50 meters. Imagine a three legged race times 15 and you can begin to appreciate this. Each team represents a school and they run alone, are timed, and the winners move on. Funny thing is that there is probably no really good way to stop all thirty kids at once so they have a long padded mat at the end of the 50 meters on to which the team falls when they cross the finish line. So I am sitting here enjoying the new sport I have discovered. Two things though...one, I can't believe this exists, and two, I can't believe even more that this is being televised. There are refs, announcers, an audience....it's madness I tell you. And everyone seems to be taking it quite seriously (I've seen one or two kids crying!). But perhaps if the Japanese knew that we have cheerleading competitions on ESPN, they might feel as I do.

Tuesday I received about 120 more haikus from Sundai junior high. I will get to posting them soon.

Other than that. Life is good. I do have a story about a teacher to tell you but I think I'll write that later this weekend. Amy and I are going to Tokyo on Saturday to a Van Gogh exhibition. Should be fun. And after that we hope to find a large bookstore we've heard about. Apparently it is quite large and one floor is filled with English language books. We will be back that night and I'll enjoy a lazy Sunday, I hope.
So that's all for now.