I was lucky to have other teachers helping me and telling me what to do during the festival because, at first, it is not easy to understand what is happening!
We started by wearing some kind of traditional clothes that cover only the lower part of the body. Then we went in the street. It was snowing and very cold. To warm ourselves up, we would cover ourselves with wax from big giant candles. We then walked to the temple. The most difficult part was to have my feet get completely wet by walking in the water that was running in the street.
When we arrived at the temple, everyone started to push each other and try to get to the front. After reaching the front, we could jump in very cold water and pray for about 5 seconds. Then, we ran to another part of the temple where people keep pushing each other and try to enter a little section of the temple. Only one person at a time can get in, so people get intense with the pushing.
All this time, people say "Sanyo, Sanyo!" in a loud voice.
I really enjoyed the experience and I think I would like to try it again next year.
I will add more pictures very soon so you can see what the festival looked like and how much snow there was!
English tip of the week:
Making an oral presentation.
When you have to do an oral presentation, many things are very important (speaking loudly, looking at the audience, be energetic (げんき)...)
I think that the best way to make an excellent presentation is to practice it a lot!
You need to repeat your speech over and over again. You should focus on ONE thing every time: "this time, I will think about speaking loudly", "this time, I will think about looking in front of me"...
Try to practice in front of a mirror so you can see what the audience will see.
Every time you repeat your speech, it will get a little better. So repeat it as many times as you can!
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