It is high school festival season here in Japan, but it is also coming at the same time as many students and teachers are becoming sick with influenza and the flu. One of my schools had to cancel their school festival altogether, but the agricultural school decided to forge on amongst all the sick vibes sweeping the countryside and I was happy to see them pull through.

The school is known for Miyazawa Kenji (宮沢 賢治), Iwate born author who actually taught at this very agricultural high school. He is most well known for his famous stories for children, and there are little monuments dedicated to him all over the city. As a fan of Japanese literature, it was certainly very rewarding to know I was also teaching where such a respected and well known author had once taught many years ago.

The festival was fun and featuring dancing, food, and booths for the students to show off their creativity and talents. I was glad to have gone and enjoyed the event!

Music in this episode:
Iwate Swan Theme: Keterol (less info)