Beware kappa!

Here's another kappa sighting, proving beyond doubt the existence of the mythical green water sprite, at least on public information signs. This one, beside a brook between Teganuma lake and some rice paddies, says "Beware", though whether we should beware of the brook or the kappa is not clear.

But is it art (or engineering)?

So what's going on here then? This slightly odd piece of public art in the middle of Teganuma is not a tribute to the asexual flapper girls of the roaring '20s as I thought glancing at it while training for the Eco-Marathon (yes, that was a laboured plug to remind you all to donate a little loose digital change for a worthwhile cause, click here to ease your conscience). No, these are in fact supposed to be kappa water sprites. At least, that's what I've been told. Looking at the information plaque (below) tells onlookers nothing about why or what the thing is, but tells an awful lot about its exact size, distance from the shore and height of the plume when the fountain is switched on - which it wasn't when I was there, as you can see. For pictures of the wildlife of Teganuma, click here.

 

Don't mess with the kappa

What's the connection between journalists, karaoke box waitresses and English teachers? None of them can hold a tune? All of them are alcoholics? No, silly. They all work anti-social hours. Since my students have to earn a living or attend primary school, I have to be available when they are. It makes for a natural rhythm to my day: Mornings are for teaching little kids; afternoons for housewives and retired folk; late afternoons for schoolkids; and evenings for salarymen (and women) popping by at 9pm to top up their English before bedtime. But don't fret, there's often the odd hour free between lessons despite being on call from 9am to 10pm weekdays and Saturdays too. Anyway, on one such moment of freedom, while riding my bike round Teganuma (that's the local lake, not an Aztec god) I saw a sign featuring the kappa water sprite, whose festival we attended the other day. On this sign, he is helpfully warning children not to throw rubbish in the lake. He looks cute here, but you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

The ancient Japanese art of low impact aerobics

Strange green creatures had a larger impact on my life yesterday than they have had since I was a child enamoured with a plastic triceratops model that my dad bought me from New Walk museum in Leicester (by the way, boys in Japan are obsessed with dinosaurs too - my class of seven-year-olds all know the Latin names of the cool carnivorous and flying dinosaurs). We all went along to the kappa matsuri festival - a local shindig celebrating a mythical green half-human, half-frog kappa  (Pictured). Anyway, while speeding along the back roads to get there I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt (not quite as impressive on a push bike as in a car) because a slinky metre-long green snake was crossing the road, and I thought it would be bad luck to run over the thing, and even worse luck to be bitten by it. We all stopped and watched it disappear into the crevasses of a garden wall. But the show must go on... How do you celebrate a mythical river sprite? Why, by cross-dressing and performing a sort of mass low-impact aerobics routine in the middle of the street. I whipped out my handy digi cam to shoot the hilarious scene... only to realise the camera battery was still in the recharger at home. Oh, you should have seen it. There's always next year. Crestfallen at the lack of publicity potential, we cheered ourselves up with a MacDonalds happy meal and headed home, only to discover giri-no-shacho upset, brandishing a tied up plastic bag. She'd caught a lizard in her room and had Shanghaied it until we arrived home, expecting me to stamp on it. I opened the front door and shook the bag for a good 20 seconds or so, and then I opened my eyes. Given the theme of the day, I was happy the little green fellow had nipped off before I had to do anything his kappa brothers might have objected to.